In pursuit of a better life, a person forgets to take care of our younger brothers. As a result, many species of the nicest animals are on the verge of extinction. It is very sad. They are not to blame for the fact that humanity forgets about the flora and fauna of the planet, ruthlessly destroying it ...
1. American or black-footed ferret
In small quantities, it lives in the central regions of North America. By 1937, it was completely exterminated on the territory of Canada, and since 1967 has been listed in the Red Book of North America. Today, the black-footed ferret is protected by federal and state agencies of the United States along with local farmers. In order to increase their population, these animals are bred in captivity, and then released into the wild.
2. The Little Panda
Well, is not she a cutie? The small panda lives in the forests of Nepal, Bhutan, southern China, northern Myanmar. By the way, this mammal is a bit bigger than a domestic cat. It is interesting that this animal is known to mankind since the XIII century. Today this species is listed in the International Red Book. On the planet there were only 2500 individuals of the small panda.
3. Tapir
This herbivorous animal from the side looks like a charming pig, but at the same time it has a short trunk. To date, tapirs live in warm regions of Central, South America, and also in southeast Asia. Their population declined as a result of attacks on them by tigers, jaguars, crocodiles and humans. By the way, the World Tapir Day is celebrated on April 27. Scientists thus try to draw attention to the problem of protecting these innocent animals.
4. The North Sea Lion Steller, or Steller Sea Lion
It belongs to the subfamily of eared seals. It inhabits the northern hemisphere on the territory, starting from the west coast of North America and ending with the Kuril Islands. In the Red Book, they are listed in a category that indicates that these animals are in danger of disappearing in the near future. The reason for the decrease in their population is, firstly, that the Steller Sea lions were the target of fishing for the USA, Russia, Canada before 1990, and secondly, in the late 1980s, the northern sea lion pups became food for young seals and adult marine animals seals.
5. American pika
And this is a distant relative of a hare. Pikas live in North America. Their thick fur protects the animal from the Alpine conditions, but at the same time, in conditions of global warming, accelerates the death of the animal. This is the reason for the reduction in the number of individuals of American pika ...
6. A spider monkey or Peruvian koata
They live in Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. Their main feature is a long tail, thanks to which monkeys can not only hang on branches, but also pick up all sorts of objects. This is an endangered species for the reason that man not only destroys habitual habitat of cute animals, but also hunts koats for the sake of meat.
7. The Galapagos Penguin
These penguins do not live in the Antarctic regions, but on the Galapagos Islands, which is tens of kilometers from the equator, and some birds live on the islands of Isabela and Fernandina. To date, there are only 1,500 - 2,000 such penguins on the planet.
8. Okapi, or okapi Johnston
Interestingly, these are the ancient ancestors of giraffes. The wool of this artiodactyl to the touch is velvety, and in the light it shimmers with reddish shades. They live in the Congo, but every year as a result of deforestation, their numbers are significantly reduced. In the zooplacies of the okapi world, there are about 140, and at large about 35,000.
9. Bissa, the bisce, or the real carriage
This turtle lives in the waters of the northern (Nova Scotia, the Sea of Japan, Great Britain), as well as the southern hemisphere (southern Africa, New Zealand, Tasmania). It is interesting that most of his life the bissa spends in the water, and on land comes out exclusively for reproduction. By the way, in 2015 it was found out that these turtles have the ability to fluoresce, in other words, they glow in the dark. Unfortunately, the cause of the extinction of these miracle animals is their extermination for the sake of the shell, from which the tortoiseshell is obtained. In addition, in some countries, the eggs of turtle turtles are a delicacy.
10. The Brazilian otter
It lives in the tropical forests of the Amazon basin. Still it is called a giant vydro. Thus, the length of the body can reach 2 m (70 cm - tail), and the weight - more than 20 kg. In the wild, there are less than 4,000 individuals, and only 50 live in zoos in the world.
11. Tasmanian devil or marsupial traits
It was the European settlers who nicknamed this little animal "devil", and the reason for that - black color, sharp teeth and night screams, which scare even the bravest. Currently, the marsupial features dwell only on the island of Tasmania, but previously inhabited Australia. From the mainland, it disappeared about 600 years ago. He was exterminated by dingo dogs, and in Tasmania European settlers killed these animals for the reason that they ravaged the chicken coops. Fortunately, in 1941 the hunting of the Tasmanian devil was banned. By the way, this animal is not allowed to go abroad either. The exception was a couple of predators donated to Frederick, the crown prince of Denmark, the Tasmanian government in 2005. Now they live in the zoo in Copenhagen.
12. Kakapo, the owl parrot
To the list of animals that are on the verge of extinction, this is also the handsome. This is the oldest species of birds among the living on our planet. Their habitat is the forest, places with high humidity of the South Island of New Zealand. Kakapo is a night parrot that can not fly, but can climb to the top of the tallest tree. By the way, he jumps off him, just spreading his wings. The reason for the extinction of kakapo is the destruction of trees, as a result of which the habitual habitat of the owl parrot changes.
13. The bowhead whale
It lives in the cold seas of the Northern Hemisphere. He prefers moving in clear waters without ice floes. Although there were cases when whales disguised themselves under the ice crust and pierced the ice with a thickness of 23 cm. Until 1935 these mammals were actively exterminated by man. Since 1935 hunting for them is strictly forbidden, and today there are about 10 000 individuals of bowhead whales.
14. Hawaiian Flower Girl
These birds are not only beautiful, but they are also themselves. Many birds have feathers of red, green, yellow tones. Interestingly, they all have a musky smell. Well, this is a real heavenly creation! Previously, they lived in all Hawaiian forests. Now they are found only in the mountains at least 900 m above sea level. Some species of florists eat nectar. The cause of extinction are diseases introduced to the continent and changes in the habitat of these birds.
15. Far Eastern, East Siberian, or Amur leopard
This cute cat lives in the forests of the Far East, Russia and China. In the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation, this animal belongs to the I category and is the rarest subspecies that is on the verge of extinction. In the world, the number of Amur leopards is about 50 individuals. For his life, the main threat is the destruction of habitual habitat, poaching, and the reduction in the number of ungulates that are the main food of the leopard.
16. Pacific bluefin tuna
It lives in the subtropical waters of the Pacific Ocean. In 2014, the International Union for Conservation of Nature awarded him the status of "Vulnerable". It is a popular object of sport fishing. And to date, the number of bluefin tuna has decreased by almost 95%.
17. The Sumatran Elephant
It inhabits the Indonesian island of Sumatra. In 2011, it was recognized as a sub-species of the Asian elephant, which is on the verge of extinction. In the middle of 2010-ies on the planet there were about 2800 wild animals. Reduction of the population of these elephants is caused by the destruction of forests, and, consequently, the habitat of these animals. Moreover, they are hunted by poachers in order to obtain ivory.
18. The California Toad
Distributed in North and Central America. The California toad is listed in the International Red Book. By 2015, the number of these amphibians decreased by 75%, and today their population is only 3 000 individuals.
19. The Ganges Gavial
Among modern crocodiles, gavial is a unique reptile. After all, he is the last representative of this ancient race. He eats fish. Most of the time he lives under water, and on land goes only to warm up or lay eggs. If we talk about the habitats of such crocodiles, they prefer calm, deep rivers with muddy water. Their habitat range is India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Myanmar. These animals are often entangled in fishing nets, as a result of which they perish. Also, their eggs are collected for medical purposes, and the males are killed for the sake of growths on the nose, which are considered an aphrodisiac. It sounds terrible, but out of 40 young crocodiles of this species only 1 reaches maturity ...
20. Antelope Mendes, or addax
These artiodactyls are listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. To date, their population is no more than 1,000 individuals. These antelopes live in the desert areas of Niger, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Libya and Sudan. It is interesting that most of their life they can do without water. In addition, these animals are better than all antelope adapted to life in the desert, and the necessary water for survival is obtained from grasses and low shrubs. Each year their number decreases as a result of desertification of savannah lands, droughts, and protracted wars.
21. Malay tiger
It is found only in the southern part of the peninsula of Malacca. By the way, this is the national symbol of Malaysia. It is depicted on the emblem and emblems of many state institutions. In the world there are only 700 tigers. The main reasons for the disappearance of predators are poaching (meat, leather, claws and teeth of tigers are in demand on the black market), as well as changes in the habitat habitat of these animals.
22. The Black Rhinoceros
He lives in Africa. Some of its subspecies are already called extinct. An interesting fact: these animals are very attached to their territory and live in the same place for the rest of their lives. Moreover, even a severe drought will not make them leave their favorite home. In 1993, it was known that in the world there are about 3,000 of these ungulates. They are under protection, and therefore the last 10-15 years their number has grown to 4,000 individuals of this species.
23. Pangolins
These are distant relatives of anteaters and armadillos. They live in Equatorial and South Africa, as well as in Southeast Asia. In 2010, they were added to the list of endangered mammals. They are hunted for food (the eating of meat of these animals is popular among Bushmen), and on the black market the scales of pangolins are in great demand (it is bought by healers).
24. Hyphoid dog
It lives in national parks and on the territory of Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe. To date, this is a small species of animals. The main cause of extinction is a change in habitual habitats, infectious diseases and illegal shooting of a hyena dog. Currently, its population is only 4 000 individuals.
25. Mesh Ambystoma
It is also called a salamander. It lives in the humid plain forests of the southeastern United States. In the International Red Data Book this species is under threat of extinction, and all because a man cuts down plain pine forests, drains water by his activity. In addition, during migration, many individuals of this species die under the wheels of cars.