5. Pangolin – Status – Critically Endangered:The
Pangolins usually inhabit forested areas or
grasslands and are nighttime animals which
tend to stay in secluded areas. They can be
distinguished by their full armor of scales,
which they use as protection from predators.
When they are startled they may roll into
a ball and use their scales as a weapon. Their
diet mainly consists of ants and their dwindling
numbers is mainly due to illegal wildlife
crimes. There are eight species of Pangolin
which include The Black-Bellied Pangolin,
The White-Bellied Pangolin, The Giant Ground
Pangolin, The Temminck’s Ground Pangolin,
The Indian Pangolin, The Phillipine Pangolin,
The Sunda Pangolin, and the Chinese Pangolin.
All eight of these Pangoling Species Are Protected
Under National and International Laws since
their entire species is at risk of dying out.
4. Saola (sow-la) - “Only recently discovered,
saola are already extremely threatened. At
a time when species extinction on the planet
has accelerated, we can work together to snatch
this one back from the edge of extinction.”
Dr. Barney Long, WWF Asian species expert.
Status – Critically Endangered: The Saola
usually inhabits Evergreen forests with little
or no dry season. The species was discovered
in 1992 during a joint survey carried out
by Vietnam’s Ministry of Forestry and The
World Wildlife Fund in North Central Vietnam.
The team which went out found a skull with
very unusual long and straight horns and at
once knew it was something amazing. The Saola
was the first large mammal to be discovered
in 50 years and one of the most spectacular
zoological discovery of the 20th century.
The Saola’s horns are parallel to each other
and can grow up to 20 inches in length. They
are only found in the Annamite Mountains of
Vietnam and Laos. Very little is known about
this rare species and its population is thought
to be dwindling mainly because of illegal
poaching.
3. Amur Leopard – “Amur leopards are teetering
on the brink of extinction. With the establishment
of the Land of the Leopard National Park,
in conjunction with other conservation efforts,
we can now start to focus on how to begin
bringing them back.” Dr. Sybille Klenzendorf
, Managing Director, Species Conservation.
Status – Critically Endangered. Amur Leopards
usually inhabit temperate broad leafed and
mixed forests. This subspecies of Leopard
can run at speeds of up to 37 miles per hour,
and it has been reported that they can leap
more than 19 feet horizontally and up to 10
feet vertically. Their usual lifespan in the
wild is 10-15 years and they can live for
up to 20 years if bred in captivity. The main
cause of the population decline of this species
is poaching which has had a devastating effect
on the amount of Amur Leopards still alive.
2. Hawksbill Turtle – Status – Critically
Endangered - Hawksbills are named for their
narrow, pointed beak. They also have a distinctive
pattern of overlapping scales on their shells
that form a serrated-look on the edges. These
colored and patterned shells make them highly-valuable
and commonly sold as "tortoiseshell" in markets.
They are found throughout the world’s tropical
oceans, mainly near coral reefs. Their diet
consists of animals such as Sea Sponges, Sea
Anemones and Jelly Fish. They are a fundamental
link in marine ecosystems and help maintain
the health of coral reefs and sea grass beds.
They are threatened by Illegal Trading, Selling,
and Killing despite their current protection
under the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
and many national laws.
1. Vaquita – Status – Critically Endangered
– The Vaquita is an aquatic species which
inhabits the Northern Gulf Of California.
The Vaquita is one of the rarest marine mammals
in the world and it was discovered in 1958,
but just about 50 years after it’s initial
discovery, the species was in danger of being
lost forever. Vaquita are often caught and
drowned in gillnets used by illegal fishing
operations in marine protected areas within
Mexico's Gulf of California. The population
of the species is calculated to be less than
one hundred. Some of the Species’ notable
characteristics include large dark rings around
its eyes and dark patches on its lips that
form a line from the mouth to the pectoral
fins. The vaquita may be extinct, possibly
by 2018, if fishery bycatch is not eliminated
immediately. Nearly one out of every five
vaquita get entangled and drown in gillnets
intended for other marine species like the
totoaba, a critically endangered fish also
found in
the upper Gulf of California.
