Posts tagged "extinction"

With Earth Day coming up, we are featuring 15 of the most fascinating and, sadly, most endangered species on the planet. Read on to learn what's being done to ensure that they'll be around to inspire future generations.

Jaguar. Often mistaken for the leopard, an adult male jaguar can grow up to 250lbs. Even more surprising, this big cat's traditional range includes Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas. These days, however, most of the world's jaguar population resides in the rainforests of South America. The Northern Jaguar Project is currently reintroducing these awesome spotted cats on a preserve 125 miles south of the Arizona border.

American crocodile. The American crocodile is distinguishable from the more plentiful American alligator by its brown color and thinner snout which, even when closed, leaves the animal's lower teeth exposed. American crocodiles inhabit the brackish creeks and mangrove of Central America, Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, and South Florida. While this croc was once under threat of extinction due to over-hunting, the American crocodile is now protected throughout most of its habitat.

In the Gobi Desert lives an endangered long-eared jerboa who hops around like a kangaroo but is the size of a mouse. The Zoological Society of London is paying close attention to this footage because of the threat of the species becoming extinct.

We are paying close attention to this footage because we want the jerboa to survive. And, well, we want the jerboa. Want, want, want so bad. His ears! His tail! That bounce! Check out the video. We are sure you'll agree.

Rounding up our favorite animal stories, photos, and videos on the web each week!

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  Dogs of War

  People Pets interviews the creators of the new television series "No Dogs Left Behind," which documents the journey of rescued dogs from Iraq. [via People Pets]

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  You're Back!

  As a response to Veteran's day, Mental Floss compiled a healthy list of videos depicting dogs reuniting with their soldier masters. [via Mental Floss]

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  Unprotected Koalas

  Australia's Koala population is in danger and could be gone within thirty years. The culprit? A sexually transmitted disease. [via Telegraph.co.uk]

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  I Haz Diploma

  Apparently many cats are quite educated and have diplomas. BuzzFeed has a list of cat professors who teach actual classes you can audit. [via BuzzFeed]

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  Shh!

  Chig Trib has discovered that if your little yipper yips a little too much, all you need is a scalpel. [via Chicago Tribune]

According to wildlife experts, tigers in the wild could become extinct in two decades. As shocking as it is, native tiger populations could be in big trouble if something isn't done soon.

While 100,000 tigers roamed in the wild in Asia and Russia 100 years ago, today there are only 3,500. Interpol reports that the illegal wildlife trade is worth more than $20 billion a year, with people killing tigers for their body parts and selling skins on the black market. Destruction of the animals' habitat has also been a factor in their dwindling numbers.

Save the Tiger Fund's Mahendra Shrestha told Reuters that a "business as usual approach in tiger conservation will doom the tiger population in the next 15 to 20 years." According to the organization's Web site, "Tigers need extensive, intact landscapes and to act as an umbrella species - by saving tigers you save other plants and animals that share their range."

For more on what you can do to help these beautiful animals, visit savethetigerfund.org.

Pandas are practically the international poster child of wildlife conservation -- hello, the World Wildlife Fund even uses the iconic animal in their logo. The adorable black-and-white bears are cute, charismatic and, thanks to poaching and habitat loss, at very real risk of extinction.

Now the giant panda has become the center of a debate incited by BBC wildlife broadcaster Chris Packham. Packham is known for his nature photography and natural history books and is the host of the BBC wildlife program "Springwatch." It's his job to educate the public about nature and the environment, so it was surprising when the broadcaster didn't mince words when discussing pandas in a recent radio interview, reports the London Times.

"Here is a species that, of its own accord, has gone down an evolutionary cul-de-sac. It's not a strong species...I reckon we should pull the plug. Let them go, with a degree of dignity," Packham said on air, according to the Times.

That's just batty, says Colby Loucks, the deputy director of the conservation science program at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). True, saving pandas presents a unique challenge, since the bears focus 99 percent of their diet on bamboo. "But I don't think [pandas] went down that 'evolutionary cul-de-sac' of their own accord," Loucks told Paw Nation.

Historically, Loucks explained, bamboo forests covered a much larger area in Asia than they do today. "Humans co-opted almost all of that area for themselves," he said. After humans cut down huge amounts of bamboo forests, the pandas were left stranded in a relatively small pocket of bamboo forests in China. But that's our fault, not theirs."

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