3.6 Endangered Species

3.6 Endangered Species:

Learning Objectives: 1) What it means for a species to be dubbed endangered. 2) The most common causes of extinction. 3) The attempts to replenish different species.

Here’s a scary thought: In the last 40 years, the wildlife population on Earth has been cut in half. This information was found after the World Wide Fund for Nature (previously known as the World Wildlife Fund) observed and studied about 10,000 animal populations across the world. This steep decline also shows that many species are close to, or have already achieved, an endangered status. In its broadest definition, an endangered species is a species of plant or animal that is at risk of going extinct.

To begin this lesson, click here to take a quiz based upon endangered species.

Animals have been going extinct and evolving for a very long time. Some very common extinct species are dinosaurs, woolly mammoths, and the dodo bird. Unfortunately, there are other species that have gone extinct even within the last century. One such example is the passenger pigeon, which went extinct in early 20^th century. Even more alarming than this example is that there are many, many more species that are approaching extinction… and they could go extinct during our lifetime. One of these species is the Panthera tigris sumatrae, or Sumatran Tiger. The Sumatran Tiger, which is known as being one of the smallest tiger subspecies in the world, only has between 400 and 700 individuals left.

Relevant Readings: Below is a list of some recommended readings for you to get a better foothold on this subject matter. These articles go into further depth on information previously mentioned in the lesson.

• Earth Has Lost Half of Its Wildlife (This is the article mentioned in the first paragraph)
• Endangered Species- arkive.org Article (This provides an introduction to several different aspects of endangerment, including what it means, attempted conservation, and causes of endangerment)
• Summary of the Endangered Species Act (This gives a summary of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which helped begin the enforcement of protecting species at risk)

In light of this tragic series of events for wildlife across the world, there is still hope for a resurgence of populations. All across the world, different Conservation groups and Wildlife Protection Activists make sure that both endangered animals and animals up for concern are watched over and kept safe. The Nature Conservancy and the WWF are among these groups. (Here is a link detailing some of the other major conservation/wildlife protection organizations.) Zoos are even beginning to make an effort in not just displaying animals, but also serving as a sanctuary for endangered species. On an even higher note, the technology in today’s day and age is reaching the point where it may be possible to genetically re-create extinct species. Watch/listen to the Ted Talk video posted below, which discusses this very idea of bringing species back from extinction.

Assignment: Create a PowerPoint Presentation about an endangered species of your choice. Please provide the history of its endangerment, where it resides and the areas in which it is endangered, reasons for it becoming endangered, attempts to revive/save the species, and current outlook at its future.