Extinct/Endangered Animals

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Welcome!

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So… I held a poll on what informative post you’d like to see next, and the results have come in!

I am doing… drumroll please… 🥁

Extinct & Endangered animals!

I’d like to give a huge shoutout to everyone who voted, thank you for your help! You asked, and you shall receive! Let’s get into it!

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I’m choosing to do an extinct animals and an endangered animal section, and 3 categories within each, just so this doesn’t get too lengthy. :) if you’d like to learn more, do your research online or through your public library! Also, NO : this post does not have the answers to the scavenger hunt!

🦣 Extinct Animals 🦣

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1. Woolly Mammoth

The woolly mammoth, also known as the Mammuthus primigenius is an extinct species of mammoth that lived during the Pleistocene until its extinction in the Holocene epoch. The mammoth was identified as an extinct species of elephant by Georges Cuvier in 1796. The woolly mammoth began to diverge from the steppe mammoth about 800,000 years ago in East Asia, and It’s closest existing relative is the Asian elephant. The appearance, behavior, and history of this species is one the best studied out of any prehistoric species due to the discovery of frozen carcasses in Siberia and North America, and depiction from life in prehistoric cave paintings. They were large in size, brown, and very hairy creatures from the elephant family. A newborn calf weighed about 200ib, females weighed up to 4 metric tons, with males weighing up to a whopping 6 metric tons. The woolly mammoth was well adapted to the cold weather, being covered in a large coat of fur. It had long and curved tusks used for pushing objects, fighting, and foraging. It was also included the animals diet consisted of grasses and sedges. The animal died due to extreme climate change during the Holocene epoch.

2. Tasmanian Tiger

The thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger is an extinct carnivore that was native to the Australian mainland. The last known alive animal was captured in 1930 in Tasmania. It is usually known as the Tasmanian tiger because of its striped lower back or the Tasmanian wolf because of its canine-like features. The Tasmanian tiger was shy and nocturnal, with the appearance of a medium-to-large-size canid, except for its stiff, long tail and hanging abdominal pouch. It also displayed similar characteristics to that of a tiger. Its closest living relatives are the other of Dasyuromorphia, including the Tasmanian devil and quolls. Intensive hunting encouraged by bounties is heavily blamed for its extinction, but other contributing factors may have been disease, the introduction of and competition with dingoes, and human encroachment into its habitat.

3. Sea Mink

The sea mink, also known as the Neogale macrodon is a recently extinct species of mink that lived on the eastern coast of North America. It was most closely related to the American Mink. The sea mink was first described in 1903, after its extinction; information regarding it’s appearance and habits stem from speculation and from s made by fur traders and Native Americans. It may have exhibited behavior similar to the American mink, that it probably maintained home ranges, was polygynandrous, and had a similar diet, though more seaward-oriented. Since the remains of brain cases found in shell middens are broken and many of the bones found exhibit cut marks, it is presumed that the sea mink was hunted by humans for food, and possibly for exchange and ceremonial purposes. The unregulated fur trading eventually led to its extinction, which is thought to have happened between 1860 and 1920.

:elephant: Endangered Animals :elephant:

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1. Giant Panda

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca, sometimes known as panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species deriving from China. It is known for its black and white coat, and large size. Bamboo shoots and leaves make up 99% of it’s diet. Giant pandas in the wild sometimes eat other grasses, wild tubers, or even meat in the form of birds, rodents, ect. In captivity, they may receive honey, eggs, fish, yams, shrub leaves, oranges, or bananas along with specially prepared food from their captors. As a result of farming, deforestation, and other development, the giant panda has been driven out of the lowland areas where it once lived. By March 2015, the wild giant panda population had increased to 1,864, and In 2016, it was reclassified on the IUCN Red List from "endangered" to "vulnerable", affirming decade-long efforts to save the panda.

2. Snow Leopard

The snow leopard is a felid native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because the current population is assumed to be fewer than 10,000 mature individuals and is expected to decline by about 10% by 2040. It is threatened by poaching, habitat destruction, and infrastructural developments. The snow leopard's fur is whitish/grey with black spots on head and neck, with larger rosettes on the back, and a bushy tail. The fur is thick with hairs between 5 and 12 cm long! The snow leopard has many adaptations for living in a cold, mountain environment. Its small and rounded ears help with heat loss. Its broad paws well distribute body weight for walking on snow, and they have fur on their undersides to increase the grip on unstable surfaces; also helping to minimize heat loss. Its long, flexible tail helps to maintain balance on rocky surfaces. In situations where leopards prey on domestic livestock, they are likely to conflict with humans. The loss of natural prey due to the overgrazing by livestock, poaching, and defense of livestock are the major drivers for the extreme decreasing population of the snow leopard.

3. Red Panda

The red panda is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has short reddish fur with a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a white muzzle and a fluffy tail. Recent genetic evidence places the red panda in close affinity with raccoons, weasels, and skunks. It feeds mainly on bamboo shoots and leaves, but also on fruits and blossoms. It is currently being threatened by the affects of poaching as well as destruction of habitat due to deforestation. The species has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2015, and is protected in all range countries. The population in China has been reported to have decreased by 40 percent over the last 50 years, and the population in western Himalayan areas are considered to be even smaller. Thankfully, Villagers in Arunachal Pradesh established two community conservation areas to protect the red panda habitat from disturbance and exploitation of forest resources. China has launched several projects to protect its environment and wildlife, including “Grain for Green”, “The Natural Forest Protection Project”and “the National Wildlife/Natural Reserve Construction Project”.

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Goodbye!🤗

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Unfortunately, that’s all I have for you today! I hope you enjoyed reading and learned a bit more about the animals in our world that have become extinct or are on the verge of extinction, and I hope you’ve better learned the things not to do, to save these animals! Have a lovely day/night!

Be sure to check out my last post here!

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