Form7 As Dead as Dodo

Mountain gorilla

In the mountainous regions of Africa, between 8,000 and 12,000 feet above sea level, mountain gorillas rule the trees. With approximately 700 mountain gorillas remaining as human encroach on their natural habitat, humans have to learn to live with these large, long-armed, intelligent creatures. Not often poached for meat or commercial products, they often die defending their territory. Many gorillas simply move deeper into the mountains, where they suffer from the harsh climate. Larger than lowland gorillas, mountain gorillas have thicker fur to withstand temperatures that drop below freezing. While they can climb trees, they also tend to roam through a ground territory up to 15 square miles and live on an omnivorous diet. Gorillas live in communities of up to 30 extended family members. These primates are highly social, and some have been able to learn simple human sign language. At around 5 feet tall when standing and weighing around 400 pounds, both male and female gorillas are naturally striking. The groups are led by an older dominant male, often called a silverback gorilla because of his usually graying fur. Challengers to his rule will experience an impressive display of strength and power—pounding his chest, roaring, intimidating them with physical prowess by throwing objects. However, gorillas do not tend to be aggressive unless threatened. Mothers are pregnant with their babies for about 9 months, carry them in their arms or on their backs for the first four to five months of life, and care for their small young until they are over a year old. Blue whale The largest animal ever known to have lived, blue whales have been recorded at over 100 feet long. Although an estimated 10,000 remain, these giants are considered endangered because of their extensive history with poaching. In the late 19th century with the invention of the harpoon cannon, blue whales became highly sought-after for their blubber and were hunted extensively until the 1960s. Their population numbers were likely reduced by as much as 60%. Since conservation efforts began and the animals became protected, their population has contended with new threats to their ecosystems and food sources. While they appear a true blue under water, the blue whale’s skin has a heavy grey undertone. Microorganisms live on their skin, causing their stomachs to take on a yellow tone. Inhabiting every ocean in the world, blue whales often migrate with the seasons to remain in warmer climates. These creatures live as long as a century, which is measured by counting the layers of build-up in their ear canals, like counting the rings on a tree. They live on krill, a tiny shrimp-like organism. By sucking water into their mouths and then pushing it out again through pleated structures called baleen, blue whales filter the organisms out of the water. An adult blue whale can eat as much as 4 tons of krill every day. Blue whales are born large—up to 25 feet and 3 tons—and grow quickly. A mother whale produces 50 gallons of milk every day that is as much as 50% milk fat, allowing their babies to gain about 200 pounds per day for their first year of life. Blue whales are known to live in family units for the first year and then often pair off or live in small groups, cruising the oceans at an average of 5 miles per hour (but as fast as 20 miles per hour). With an extensive series of calls, whistles, and moans, some scientists believe that blue whales can hear one another’s signals nearly 1,000 miles away.

Southern bluefin tuna The southern bluefin tuna has long inhabited the warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. In the past 50 years, the population has been devastated by overfishing, which wiped out nearly 85% of southern bluefin tuna in the world. The fish has been considered a delicacy in Japan as far back as 5000 years ago. Today the southern bluefin tuna is so rare of a prize that a single fish can sell for tens of thousands of dollars at auction. Called the King of the Fish, or the Tuna of Tunas, this massive, highly-evolved fish can be 700 pounds or more and as long as 10 feet. The southern bluefin tuna has a lot of bones and a lot of lean muscle. Their shape is “torpedo-like,” with strong tails that propel them at top speeds. Their eyes are set on the sides of their head, and their fins are retractable on the sides, so they are one of the most hydrodynamic fish, making them an entertaining sport for deep-sea anglers. With long lifespans in the wild, southern bluefin tuna live up to 40 years. They are not mature enough to reproduce until about 8 years old, but many do not live even that long. It is difficult to keep them in pens because of their speed, size, and delicate skin, so they are not farmed in the same ways as other fish. Instead of being penned or corralled, these fish are netted as they travel on their migration routes. For example, it was once considered a sport to net them as they came through the Straits of Gibraltar. Over the years, the nets have begun yielding lower amounts not only from overfishing of young populations of tuna themselves, but from overfishing the food that southern bluefish tuna eat, such as small invertebrates and fish like mackerel. Black rhinoceros Although conservation efforts have been ongoing to save the black rhinoceros throughout Africa, its numbers continue to dip dangerously low; it is close to extinction, with approximately 3,500 left living on the African plains. Black rhinos and white rhinos are both grey, but they differ in their lip shapes, diet, and habitat. Black rhinos graze on bushes and trees using pointed lips to pull leaves into their mouths. Because resources are limited in their areas, rhinos are territorial and mainly solitary. A mother rhino will live with and raise her young until they are about three years old, teaching them to live on their own. A rhinoceros will use its horn (a precious commodity) to defend its limited resources against other rhinos or predators. They can live full lives that average 45 years. Black rhinos are nocturnal and graze during the hours of dusk and dawn because they like to escape the heat of the African day in the shade. They roll in the mud near their favorite waterholes to coat their skin for protection from the sun and bugs. Most rhinos have one prominent horn—some have been recorded as large as 5 feet—and many have a smaller secondary horn on the snout. Some rhinos have a third, less prominent horn further up on the skull. All rhinos are coveted for their horns, which are believed in Northern Africa and Asia to be magical and valuable for medicinal purposes. Therefore, all rhinos are being hunted. Since the beginnings of the 20th century, European travelers to Africa have devastated rhino populations, and the current demand for powdered rhino horn in Asia continues to make poaching highly profitable. Black and white ruffed lemur The island of Madagascar is home to over 20 varieties of lemur with declining populations. Most are running out of natural habitat, and combined, there are approximately 10,000 lemurs remaining. The most easily-recognizable lemur is the critically-endangered black and white ruffed lemur. About 3.5 feet long and weighing about 7.5 pounds, the handsome long-coated ruffed lemur inhabits the trees on the island and rarely comes down to the ground. The black and white ruffed lemur is mostly black, with white patchwork on the face, back, and legs. On the northern part of Madagascar, the lemurs have a greater proportion of black fur, and on the southern part of the island they have more white fur.  It has been poached and prized for its fur, and the habitat in which it lives is being destroyed. Lemurs are active during the day and can be easily seen and heard from the ground. A very talkative primate, black and white ruffed lemur communicates through a variety of calls and clicks. Because some of them sound like screams, shrieks, and squeals, ancient Romans thought they were ghosts in the forest; the word “lemur” is Latin for “ghost.” Black and white ruffed lemurs are strictly vegetarians, consuming mostly fruit, seeds, and nuts. They are important in redistributing plant life throughout the parts of the island they inhabit. Black and white ruffed lemurs have social structures that are run by females, and in the wild the lemurs can remain in family units for life. Conservation efforts to save endangered lemurs have been going on for a half-century, but the black and white ruffed lemur remains critically endangered.

Asian elephant “Asian elephant” is an umbrella term for four subspecies of elephants that live throughout Asia, including the Indian elephant and the Sumatran elephant. There was thought to be hundreds of thousands of them at the beginning of the 20th century, but that number was cut in half. Asian elephants tend to be smaller than their African cousins, though they still reach up to 9 feet tall on average at the shoulder and weigh as much as 3 tons. Their distinctive trunks contain over 60,000 muscles that make them one of the most useful and precise natural tools in the animal kingdom. Known for their sociable nature and immense power throughout the centuries, Asian elephants have been religious symbols used by humans for as long as Asian civilizations have been around. Elephants are involved in the Indian creation stories and god pantheon, and the earliest depiction of elephants in captivity dates to nearly 5000 years ago. Asian elephants inhabit forest regions throughout Asia and are often found in small family groups that combine and engage with other groups to form large collectives at times. They live up to 60 years in family groups that are run by an older, experienced female. Elephants are losing their natural habitats because of deforestation and agricultural land development. They are often still used as beasts of burden in logging and transportation industries, and the methods of capture and conditions in captivity often lead to early deaths. While Asian elephants are not often as poached for their tusks to be used in the illegal global ivory trade, they are often killed for their skin and other body parts, which are believed to have magical or medicinal qualities.

Giant panda Named for their incredible size, giant pandas are bears that inhabit mountainous areas throughout western China and are critically endangered—there are only about 1,800 left in the world after a serious rapid decline in the 20th century. Males can be up to 5 feet long and 350 pounds, while females are significantly smaller at only around 150 pounds. Despite their weight and proportions, giant pandas are excellent tree climbers. Their large size and gentle disposition make them easy targets for poachers interested in their thick black and white patterned fur, which sells for high prices around the world. The giant panda subsists on a diet of only bamboo and must eat up to 80 pounds of it per day to survive. They are the only herbivore bears and have developed large, flat molars designed for grinding the bamboo’s harsh stalks. Because this limited diet grows only in very specific conditions, pandas have inhabited some of their lands for centuries, but now they are often driven out of these areas when humans develop land for commercialization or agriculture. Adult pandas are territorial and roam the hillsides to feed on bamboo. Baby pandas in the wild are very rare, as pandas don’t often meet each other and engage in mating. There is more success with mating attempts in captivity, leading researchers to understand more about giant pandas’ mating habits. They live to around 30 years old in captivity, but only about 20 years old in the wild. Conservation efforts concentrate on expanding their natural wild habitat as well as providing resources to better maintain their numbers in captivity.

Tiger There are only 8 subspecies of tiger currently remaining in the world, 4 of which are endangered and 2 of which are critically endangered. The remaining types of tigers in the world are: Bengal, Indochinese, Siberian, Malayan, South China, and Sumatran. A water-friendly cat, tigers also climb trees and are found throughout the forests of India, China, Russia, and other areas of Asia. They are the national animal of five countries. One of the most recognizable of the big cats, tigers are easily identifiable by their orange and black stripes, although albino or “white tigers” occur naturally. Tigers can grow up to 850 pounds, depending on their species, and run up to about 40 miles per hour. Their natural habitats range from wooded and jungle areas to snowy mountainous regions. Tigers’ stripes are evolved for their lurking through tall grasses to stalk prey, and they may work with other tigers when on the hunt. Tigers are largely solitary, but they can also be social as adults after learning social skills as cubs. Tigers are closely associated with many societies’ folklore and ancient tales and are often involved in religious ceremonies. In some places, the appearance of a rare white tiger is considered a good omen, but in other places it may be unlucky. Poaching tigers for their beautiful fur and human expansion into the tigers’ habitat reached critical levels for tigers in the 19th and 20th centuries. Some areas of Asia also believe that tiger body parts are potent medicinal ingredients, which has created a high demand even through today. During the 20th century, three species of tigers became extinct, prompting conservation efforts to begin in the 1960s.

Green sea turtle After losing over half their numbers in the last century, the 85,000 or so remaining green sea turtles in the world are listed as endangered. Huge and gentle creatures, the green sea turtle can be up to 4 feet and weigh an average of 350 pounds, but some have been measured as large as 700 pounds. Named for the color of its skin rather than its large shell, green sea turtles range from olive brown to lighter green, with brown and white patterns on their head and shades of white and yellow on their undersides. Their lifespan is about a century, and green sea turtles spend most of their lives in the water. They inhabit the shallow waters along the coasts of Florida, Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, feeding on the plant life in coastal waters. The green sea turtle will come on land to sunbathe and to nest their eggs, but they don’t reach mating maturity until about 10 years old, and they spend the majority of their adolescence in the water. Green sea turtles may travel far from the beach on which they were born, and they will swim across entire oceans to return to that same beach during the annual mating season. Although adult males can mate every year, females return to their natal beaches about every 3-4 years. The males arrive first and wait along the coasts for the females. After females arrive, they lay nests of about 150 eggs and return to the sea, leaving the hatchlings to find their own way across the beach. This is the most dangerous time in a green sea turtle’s life.  Many baby sea turtles are preyed upon on their short run to the waves, and others are confused by light pollution near the beaches. The turtle hatchlings move toward the light rather than the ocean, which contributes to their high mortality rate and their endangered species status. Amur leopard The critically-endangered Amur leopard has been hunted to near extinction because of the demand for its beautiful spotted fur. The leopard’s spots are wider with more solid edges and crisper patterns—their coat becomes longer and golden in the winter, with a shorter, redder coat in the summer. It is because of its striking fur that leopard pelts continue to drive high prices around the world. Sometimes called the Korean leopard, the Mongolian leopard, or the Far East leopard, the Amur leopard is native to the mountain and forest environments in regions of Russia and China. In the wild, Amur leopards are generally solitary and nocturnal. They tend to be protective of their kills and will hide meat for themselves for later. Males are also territorial, and several males will follow and fight over one female. Sometimes, the males have been known to remain with the females after mating—even helping to protect and hunt for them while the cubs are small. Amur leopards are skillful hunters, averaging around 80 pounds. In addition to illegal poaching, the Amur leopard suffers from a drain on its natural resources. The land where the leopards reside is under strain; as humans contaminate the habitat and poach the region’s deer, the leopards cannot adequately hunt enough prey. Amur leopards generally live 10 - 15 years, but some have lived as long as 20 years in captivity. There are currently about 60 Amur leopards alive, which is double the population from less than one decade ago. Conservationists have been encouraged by recent worldwide interest in saving the leopards and by the success of the population increase at Russia’s Land of the Leopard National Park and other leopard safe havens.