When plants or animal species lose the ability to survive or reproduce they will disappear from the earth’s atmosphere in a slow pace. Those species will come under the category of endangered species. Species of plants and animals that belongs to endangered group will be given special attention by the government as per the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Some 935 native species are included in the endangered or threatened group. Animals coming under this group include Florida panther, the Key deer, the San Joaquin kit fox, the northern spotted owl and the chinook salmon. Some of the endangered plants are the Hawaiian nehe and the clover lupine. The book that records the name of endangered species is the the Red Data Book. In the U.S, the data related to endangered plants and animals are stored by the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Causes for an animal or plant species to become threatened or endangered?
Habitat loss- For the existence of life everyone needs food, water and shelter. When there is a scarcity of food or any damage to the habitat, it will become difficult for species to survive. As human beings are highly adaptable, they can shift to other places or find a wide variety food, when and where they want. But other organisms cannot. Some of the plants and animals are highly specialized to their habitat requirement. When intruders come and conquer their habitat, those animals find it difficult to survive. Such animals are more likely to become endangered through habitat loss. The best theory applicable here is ‘The survival of the fittest”.
Pollution –Nowadays the environment becomes more and more polluted due to the dumping of toxic waste.
Competition from other species - When other species occupy the specialized natural habitat, it will become hard for certain species to survive. For example - In New Jersey, raccoon population infected with a parasitic disease jeopardized a rare population of woodrats. The frequent presence of human beings also harms the habitat of some animals.
Diseases - Diseases can also wipe out a complete population. Though diseases occur naturally, the cause of disease can be manmade. With the excess use of chemicals like DDT, the soil will be polluted. Birds, fishes, animals and plants thriving well in that area will come into contact with the poisonous substance present in the soil, directly or indirectly.
Predators that hunt other species for their food can also pave the way for reduction in the population of animals. Audubon's sheep is an example for exploited species. In the food chain, small organisms or fish will ate the zoo planktons in the water; this will reach the next level when birds, animals or human beings consume the small creatures or fish.
It is our duty to protect our valuable animal and plant species before it completely wiped away from earth’s surface. Today some wildlife conservation organizations are seriously trying to keep endangered species viable with captive breeding programs. Through breeding programs, they are releasing new offspring into the species’ native habitat. If you find any rare and endangered species, then contact with any wildlife conservation organization. To know more details about the endangered species, search websites connected with providers like Verizon FiOS Internet.
Ann is a freelancer. She is interested in writing about animals and plant species that are facing serious threats from intruders. As a person interested in adventure trips, she visits deep jungles and searches on her home computer connected with Verizon FiOS Internet to get more details. During her long trips, her family constantly calls her from the home phone.
