Endangered
Species
By:Ryan Boyle
Table of Contents
Chapter number
Title of chapter
Page number
Introduction
Introduction
Page 3
Chapter 1
Extinction and Endangerment
Page 4
Chapter 2
Pandas
Page 5
Chapter 3
Tasmanian Devils
Page 6
Chapter 4
Bald Eagles
Page 7-8
Pie Chart
Pie Chart of At-Risk Birds
Page 8
Chapter 5
Global warming
Page 9
Line graph
Line Graph of Endangered
Specie Extinction
Page 10
Conclusion
Conclusion
Page 11
Map of Tasmania
Map of TasmaniaHome of the
Tasmanian devil.
Page 12
Glossary
Glossary
Page 13
Sources
Sources
Page 14
Introduction
Imagine you are living peacefully with a place to live and food to eat. But then a different
spices that you have always feared comes and destroys your home and city and grocery stores;
you can't get food or shelter because your home is gone. Then first your family starts dying off
then others of your same species start dying until their are a few 100,000 left. That's what it
would feel like to be endangered.
Chapter 1: Extinction and Endangerment
There is a big difference between an animal being extinct and endangered. Extinction
means there are no more animals left of that species. But that brings us into the difference
between a natural extinction and an unnatural one. Natural extinction is when an animal dies
because of a nature related reason. These do not hurt other animals because the web of life
does not fall out of balance because nature intended for it to happen. Example: The dinosaurs
went extinct because of a natural cause. That cause was a natural disaster . An unnatural
extinction is when one species dies off because of humans. For example: The
pandas are dying out because there is not enough bamboo lefthumans are cutting it down to
build houses and cities. As a result, there is not enough bamboo for all the pandas to eat.
Endangerment, on the other hand, does not mean there are no more of a species,
however, it does mean there very few of those species left. A species becomes endangered
when the government declares it. An example is the Tasmanian devil was declared endangered
by the Tasmanian government in 2008. According to Parks & wildlife Service there are only
20,000 50,000 mature individuals left.
Chapter 2: Pandas
Tons of people love pandas but recently their numbers have been dwindling.
Pandas love to eat bamboo but bamboo does not have much nutrients in it. So why are
they eating it? They eat it because it used to be everywhere, but because of us there is less and
less bamboo. Pandas also eat bamboo because they don't need energy to find more because
it's everywhere. But recently they have needed to look around. They weren't meant to have to do
that.
Also pandas are getting bred at zoos around
the world. Most zoos give their pandas biscuits with
nutrients in them to help the pandas stay healthy.
Over time some zoos will release pandas into the
wild. Most zoos give pandas a big enclosure with
bamboo so that the pandas still have to get their
own food, and it gives the pandas the feeling of
being wild.
Furthermore there are only about 1,600 pandas that now live in the wild in China. Zoo
programs that breed pandas are an important part of preserving the species.
Pandas are having a rough time, but recently there was one born in the Atlanta zoo.
There is hope for the furry creatures.
Chapter 3: Tasmanian Devils
The Tasmanian devil is a real thing, not just a character that makes slobbery grunts in
Looney Toons. But there's a problem, they are disappearing fast.
Tasmanian devils only live in Tasmania, that is off the
See page 13 for map of
Tasmania
southeast coast of Australia. There are two main reasons
Tasmanian devils are are dying. The first one is because
of a cancer that is rapidly spreading from devil too devil
in Tasmania. It is called Devil Facial Tumor Disease
(DFTD). The next reason is not a big source of the devils
death but it is concerning humans. Say for some reason a Tasmanian devil finds its prey sitting
dead on a foam mattress (the foam mattress is there because of us humans of course) The devil
will eat the dead animal on the foam mattress. But it will consume large quantities of that foam
because of how it eats.
Thus Tasmanian devils were declared
Endangered in 2008. If the devils go extinct
all Tasmania life will suffer because the devils
keep animals such as foxes feral and wild
cats in balance. The number of devils has
dropped from 150 000 in the mid 1990 to
between 20 000 and 50 000 in 2006. This means that
the number of devils has decreased dramatically but we are working on helping them
Here is the
cartoon
Tasmanian
devil next to
the real
Tasmanian
devil.
come back.
Chapter 4: Bald Eagles
For over 30 years the bald eagle has been on the top of the endangered species list but
in 2007 it was removed. Surprisingly this is actually one of the great achievements of the
U.S.A. That is because the bald eagle is on the national bird of the U.S.A. At 1963 only 417
bald eagles were left. Today there is more than 10,000 bald eagles in the lower 48 states.
Just to show you how serious the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act is. there is a
story about a man who wanted to build a cabin but he couldn't because there was a bald eagle
nest too close to where he was going to build.
There has been talk about should they have taken bald eagles of the endangered specie list or
should they have kept them on. One reason they might have taken them
off is so that people are not worried about it anymore because it is the
national bird of America. But a reason they should have kept it on is
that some people might think its ok to go hunt it again to sell it on the
black market.
But why were bald eagles endangered. They are endangered because of seven main
reasons. The first one is hunters and poachers. Some careless hunters may accidentally hurt the
eagles in a fatal way. Or poachers will kill the eagle for its feathers and talons to sell on the
black market. Number two is electrocution from taking off and landing on power poles when the
birds large wings touch two wires, resulting in fatal burns or
heart failure. Number three is Lead poisoning from eating
wounded deer, ducks, and other game which was
poisoned by the hunter and later died. Three pellets can
kill an eagle. Now number four. Less adept at hunting,
young eagles are more likely to eat carrion, and possibly
ingest poisoned meat used to bait wolves and coyotes.
Number five is pretty simple. Eagles will get hit by cars
from time to to time. Number six is starvation where the food is scarce. Up to half of them
starve to death their first winter, due to lack of hunting skills. Finally the last reason is if an
eagle ends up in the water due to misjudgment of altitude or snagging a large fish, there's a
danger they may die of exposure to hunters.
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But there is one more killer to bald eagles and that is chemicals. All chemicals that are
put into the ground, accidentally or purposely, hurt bald eagles. For example, if a rodent eats
grass that was sprayed by chemicals, then a bald eagle eats it. It hurts the bald eagles eggs by
making them too thin for them to live. Another way bald eagles are affected by chemicals is if a
body of water becomes polluted and a bald Eagle eats a fish out of that body of water; the
same thing will happen with the eggs.
This is a pie chart for endangered birds; the ones that are a potential concern, ones that
are vulnerable, at risk, and secure. See how that on the chart 46% are potential concern. That
means almost half of at risk birds are a concern. I don't know about you but that does not
sound good for lots of birds.
potential conceren
vulnerable
at risk
secure
Chapter 5: Global Warming
Global warming (a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere
generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, and
other pollutants) is getting to be a very serious problem. Not just for the animals but for us too.
First of all, global warming is the term used to describe a gradual increase in the average
temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and its oceans, a change that is believed to be
permanently changing the Earth's climate. This happens because of all the smoke, heat, and
chemicals that factories give off. Another thing that contributes to global warming is carsthat
is because they burn fossil fuels that are bad for the environment.
Many animals are affected
by this, so I will just name a few;
the polar bear is greatly affected
and even endangered because each
year due to global warming there is
less ice for them to live on, the
second animal is penguinsbefore
global warming was a problem,
penguins would lay their eggs
safely, but now when the penguins
breed there is not enough ice for
them. resulting in many eggs lost.
Lastly, sea turtles lay their eggs on
Brazilian beaches, many of which
are threatened by rising sea levels. Climate change also threatens the offspring of sea turtles, as
nest temperature strongly determines the gender: the coldest sites produce male offspring, while
the warmer sites produce female offspring. This nest-warming trend is reducing the number of
male offspring and seriously threatens turtle populations.
This graph shows how many endangered species have died over the years of human
manufacturing. Note that at 2000 we started helping endangered species and therefore the
number went down. Another thing to keep in mind is that this is for the natural and unnatural
extinctions.
Endangered species
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Conclusion
Did you know that there are 41,415 endangered species; 16,306 are threatened by
extinction. This is an outrageous number. But there are ways you can help, such as: using
reusable grocery bags, not using ziplock bags, taking a reusable lunch box, donating money to
different organizations (such as U.S Fish and Wildlife Service), and even not spraying your lawn
with pesticides. If we all do some of those things we can help some endangered species. Below
is the map of Australia and Tasmania is hi-lighted in red. That is where the Tasmanian devil lives.
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Glossary
Atmosphere
the envelope of gases surrounding the earth
or another planet.
Black market
An illegal traffic or trade in officially controlled
or scarce commodities.
Bred
Past and participle of breed.
Dwindling
Diminish gradually in size, amount, or
strength.
Global Warming
a gradual increase in the overall temperature
of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed
to the greenhouse effect caused by increased
levels of carbon dioxide, and other pollutants.
Outrageous
shockingly bad or excessive.
Species
A group of living organisms consisting of
similar individuals capable of exchanging
genes or interbreeding.
Talons
A claw, especially one belonging to a bird of
prey.
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Sources
http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3748563
http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3746724
http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=7548
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services
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