Endangered animals are basically those animals whose population is reducing at an alarming rate. This drastic reduction in numbers can be attributed to a number of things and it is therefore prudent to carefully learn about some of the possible causes of extinction. Below are just a couple of reasons that may result into wildlife extinction.
Possible Causes of Extinction
1. Lack of Food
One of the reasons why animals can be considered an endangered species is lack of food. Animals must eat well in order to reproduce and continue thriving. However, there are many instances when food becomes scarce and thus many of these animals may starve to death. Environmental degradation is a major factor when it comes to food scarcity for certain animals.
2. Too Many Predators
The second thing that may put animals in danger of extinction is the existence of too many predators. If, for example, a certain specie of animals is eaten by several others, there are very high chances that the animals being preyed upon will drastically reduce in numbers.
3. Deadly Diseases
The outbreak of deadly diseases can also contribute a lot to the reduction of animal numbers. While there are natural occurrences that ensure animals remain relatively healthy, it is important to acknowledge the fact that from time to time deadly diseases arise and this leads to the death of a lot of animals.
4. Slow Reproduction
The next point to note when it comes to extinction is the fact that some animals are not able to reproduce quickly. Certain animals take very long periods of time before giving birth and when they do give birth, their offspring are either too few or very vulnerable and thus they end up dying at a very tender age.
5. Poor Habitat Quality & Destruction
Another possible cause of animal extinction is bad weather and poor quality of the habitat in which the animals live. Indeed there are certain cases when human beings are largely responsible for the destruction of animal habitats and this can easily lead to endangerment of animals.
Examples of Endangered Fish and Other Animals
1. Western Lowland Gorillas: These animals are basically running out due to diseases and illegal hunting by the indigenous people of the region in which they exist.
2. Northern Right Whales: these endangered animals are about 350 in number today. Their survival is at a high risk because of the hunting that normally takes place in the Atlantic.
3. Siberian Tigers: these are the world’s largest cats and can be found in the Siberian forests.
4. Chinese Giant Salamander: this is a delicacy for a huge number of people and that is the main cause of endangerment for the giant salamander.
Examples of Recently Extinct Animals
The Extinct Quagga
1. The Quagga: this animal resembled a Zebra except its stripes were not so consistent. It had a brownish back with stripes appearing only on the front part of the body
2. The Golden Toad: this was also another animal that resembled normal toads which can be found throughout the world today. The only difference is that it had a strikingly beautiful orange color which made it stand out.
3. The Javan Tigers: these were subspecies of Tigers and were only found in the Indonesian Islands of Java.
The above mentioned are just a few of the things you should know about rare animals and why they may need deliberate measures for protection by human beings.
