Endangerd Species Essay, Research Paper

Abstract: For Endangered Species

I am doing my project on endangered species. In the world there are a lot of endangered species for example: birds, insects, tigers, whales and many more. I have learned many things from this project on how the animals get endangered and ways how to help these animals. I learned that we should recycle because the more trees that we cut down the more homes for animals we demolish. We should all stop hunting animals for pleasure and just watch them have fun for pleasure.

ENDANGERED SPECIES.

Endangered Species means when an animal or a plant of any kind is in danger of extinction for ever and is in danger to never be seen again. An endangered specie can get extinct any time, if it is endangered today it might be extinct tomorrow or extinct in the future. Or it might not happen like that. If you leave it alone and do not harm it, it might have baby s and have more of its kind. A species is named endangered when of its kind occurs in a low number. About 1000 species in the world are named endangered, or are in threat to be extinct. I never knew that some kinds of birds were in danger. We can help these animals and plants by making laws that you are not allowed to hunt or kill any animal that is in danger of extinction.

Government Involvement

Only since the 19th century has there been worldwide concern about the case of species in their natural environments. Finally in 1916 they made a law called Migratory Bird Treaty. They had this law in United States, Great Britain, Canada, and later in Mexico. This law was made so that people can not kill animals that are endangered. This law did not work that well because the animals that were endangered were not put in zoo s. People still killed theses animals not caring that they were in danger of becoming extinct. In 1973 a another law came down where a 100 nations came together and were working together to save endangered species that were being imported and exported. This organization was known as CITES. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The United States Fish and wildlife Service had to assist foreign countries on managing endangered animals.

Examples

Here is a list of endangered species. This list is only describing a few examples. There were to many animals that were endangered to write about. So I took the most popular animals and decided to write about them.

Birds

Birds provide several modern examples of how extinction can occur. One of the best known is the passenger pigeon, a species that occurred in greater numbers than any other bird or mammal for which there are records. Passenger pigeons looked very similar to mourning doves, a close relative that is still common. One distinction a requirement for nesting in colonies which finally led to the destruction of the passenger pigeon. The extinction of the passenger pigeon is a commentary on the mistaken belief that if a species occurs in large numbers it is not necessary to be concerned about its welfare. The last member of the species died in 1914.

In 1918 the last Carolina parakeet died. This colorful green bird with an orange or yellow head was seen throughout the eastern United States in the 1800s. Parakeets were shot for their beautiful feathers and because they damaged crops.

The ivory-billed woodpecker, the largest woodpecker to inhabit North America, was believed to be extinct in the United States, they are also seen in remote areas of the South. The cause of its disappearance is presumed to be the major habitat destruction that resulted from logging of large Southern forests. Ivory-bills required large tracts of land with old trees and were unable to cope with timbering activities.

The world’s last dusky seaside sparrow died in Florida in June 1987 because its habitat, Florida’s coastal salt marsh, was severely depleted. In the early 1990s the spotted owl of the United States Pacific Northwest sparked debate between conservationists concerned with the survival of this threatened animal and the local timber industry workers which were worried in loosing their jobs.

Insects

About 20 insects, most of them butterflies, are endangered species. Populations of two butterfly species the San Bruno elfin and the mission blue are very few now because they have been killed. The These animals are dying because we walk over were they live, we step on there food, we cut down there homes. FWS is looking after the few butterflies that are left. The recovery plan also provides for research programs designed to understand the requirements of each species so that proper habitat management decisions can be made.

Fishes

More than 90 species of United States fishes, most restricted to specific bodies of water, are in danger of extinction. Most live in deserts of the Southwest, where water is rare.

Many species of desert fishes became extinct before protective measures were taken. The desert fishes do not have that much of a chance to live because in the desert when the sun gets hot the water starts to disappear. Now a days the NFW is looking after the fishes that live in the desert. Whales are endangered species too. There are very little whales left in the world. People still go hunting for them when the law says that you can kill them. People use whales for ivory for oil and to make lip stick and more stuff that women wear.

Mammals

More than 300 mammals of the world are recognized as threatened or endangered. These include eight whales, more than two dozen apes and monkeys, and more than 20 deer, as well as leopards, tigers, elephants, and other large mammals whose numbers have been severely reduced by overhunting and habitat destruction. Included among United States mammals that are protected to some degree are the gray wolf, the Florida panther, and the grizzly bear.

Why Protect?

The 1973 Endangered Species Act officially addressed the issue of why an endangered species of plant or animal should be offered formal protection. As stated in the act, such species “are of esthetic, ecological, educational, historical, recreational, and scientific value to the Nation and its people.” Numerous species are medically or agriculturally significant because of their unique properties or traits. It cannot be predicted when a species might be discovered to be of direct value to humans. Once a species becomes extinct, however, the opportunity is lost forever.

As scientists try to solve the twisted network of plant-animal relationships in the natural world, more and more species are discovered to have a necessary, and often unsuspected, dependence on other species. Obviously, if the extinction of one species is permitted through rapid, human-caused activities that do not permit natural adjust and development to occur, certain other species may also be affected. This can result in a “domino effect” of likely extinction s.

Through breeding programs and introduction of animals into their natural habitats, several species, such as the black-footed ferret, have been brought back from the edge of extinction. Several more species undergoing such programs, such as the California condor, are soon expected to be introduced into the wild and to have similar success. By 1990 the FWS had compiled a list of almost 1,000 species of endangered or threatened animals (of which more than 500 are found only in foreign countries), and some 200 recovery programs were in effect.

Effect

If fish got extinct than polar bears might get endangered because polar bears prey on fish. They eat the fish to stay alive. The eight whales that are endangered some of them might go extinct because they might eat fish. So if fish go extinct the world would have a lot of changes.

If some different kind of insects go extinct than other kinds of insects would go extinct because insects eat insects. And some birds might go endangered because birds eat insects. If birds go endangered or get extinct than other animals that eat birds might get endangered because they have nothing to eat. It would go like a circle because meat eating animals will get endangered.

Solutions!

In order to save endangered species hunting should be banned. There should be no trades in furs and animal skin. The animals natural habitat should not be destroyed. These animals should be allowed to be free to do as they please! There should also be harsh fines for anyone who even tries to kill an endangered specie.

The government should also set up some fund for endangered species where when money is needed to preserve the land or habitat of the endangered animals there will be money available to use. Money should also be invested in research funds which would try to find solutions in preserving these animals.

From my point of view if scientists could prefect coloning they can then use that method to protect endangered species from becoming instinct! However there needs to be more research done in this section before anyone can go along with this solution!

BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR ENDANGERED SPECIES

Bergman, Charles. Wild Echoes (McGraw, 1989).

Encarta Encyclopedia. Endangered Species. (J. Whitefield Gibbons, 1990)

Field, Nancy and Machlis, Sally. Discovering Endangered Species (Dog Eared Publications, 1990).

Hoage, R.J., ed. Animal Extinctions (Smithsonian, 1985).

Mallinson, Jeremy. Travels in Search of Endangered Species (Sterling, 1989).

Stone, L.M. Endangered Animals (Childrens, 1984).

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