What are endangered species? Causes, effects & solution

It’s been a part of nature’s story that plants and animals are born and die. We can’t see many animals these days, which existed, like dinosaurs and woolly mammoths, because they are extinct. Nowadays, species are going extinct quicker than expected. And in many cases scientists think they are dying off because of human actions. So, what are the endangered species? And what are the main causes, effects & solution to save them?

What is an endanger animal

If we lost a large number of species and their numbers get seriously low. And if conditions make it hard for survival of an animal varieties after some time, so endangered species they are. When we state about endangered creature, that doesn’t generally imply that the creature is in threat of being harmed. Rather it is a reference to all creatures of similar species being in danger of going extinct. Imagine awakening one day, the home you’ve lived is gone. The streets are different. This situation would be miserable, incredibly overwhelming, and many individuals would not survive. However, this is the thing that happens each day to wildlife and underwater species as destroyed their habitats.  Habitat loss is also known as habitat destruction. And it occurs when we destroy the natural shelters that are home to wildlife. 

Most Famous Endangered Species

There are some famous endangered species over the world, which are given below;

1- Orangutan

Due in large part to logging and capture for the exotic pet trade. The orangutans restricted to the Southeast Asian islands of Borneo and Sumatra fewer than 60,000 per a 2004 study.

2- Gorilla

All gorillas seen as endangered. There are probably only around 220,000 left in the wild. There are either two species of gorilla, the eastern (Gorilla beringei) and western (Gorilla gorilla). Or three subspecies, the eastern lowland, western lowland, and mountain gorillas.

3- Sea otter

The expensive waterproof coat that insulates sea otters from the chilly waters that they inhabit almost led to its extinction. A target of the commercial fur trade, the species was almost wiped out. And with only some 2,000 of an estimated 300,000 left by 1911.

4- Blue whale

Blue whales are found in all of the world’s oceans save the Arctic. There are fewer than 25,000 blue whales, the largest animals on the planet. The current population reduced by up to 90% by whaling in the 20th century.

5- Tiger

Slash and burn agriculture, along with logging, and human encroachment, have hugely diminished the tiger. Probably fewer than 4,000 are left in the wild.

6- Tasmanian devil

The population of Tasmanian devils dropped some 60% due to a contagious cancer known as Devil Facial Tumour Disease. There may only be 10,000 wild individuals remaining.

7- Snow leopard

The snow leopard is actually more closely related to the tiger.  Probably fewer than 6,500 remain in the wild. And the farmers who depend upon the animals shoot the “problem” leopards.

8- Asian elephant

The IUCN’s best guess on the current population of Asian elephants, which inhabit 13 countries, is around 40,000–50,000. That number may be far lower.

9- whooping crane

Only 29 whooping cranes remained in the wild. Three years later, only 16 were left.  The only self-sustaining population migrates between Alberta, Canada, and Texas, U.S.

10- Giant panda

Panda is a beautiful creature. Everyone loves a panda. China, which is home to the remaining wild population of fewer than 2,500 individuals. But, they has since the late 1980s instituted more stringent habitat protections and poaching has all but ceased.

Causes for endangered species

The death of wildlife and negative environmental impact are the results of habitat loss. So, the main causes of endangered species are as follow:

1- Habitat Problems

The most widely recognised reason for creature danger in present day is habitat destruction. A habitat is the location where an animal lives, and it is part of the larger regional ecosystem. when a creature loses part or the majority of its habitat, it resembles you losing part of your home. You probably won’t have a spot to rest during the evening, or you probably won’t almost certainly eat all of your favorite foods. Or you may experience considerable difficulties getting down to business or school in light of the fact that your standard way to arrive harmed. This would make a lot of both mental and physical pressure, especially the loss of a food source. 

In North America, monarch butterflies loss their habitat, because their food supply, the milkweed plant, destroyed by urbanization and pesticide use in agriculture. Due to lack of food, resulting endangerment of this species.

2- Agricultural industry

When little areas of land utilized to develop crops for families and nearby communities, cultivating is currently a major business that can be kept running by large corporation. And it requires the large scale manufacturing of food that can rapidly be sold for benefit. Extra land expected to develop increasingly edible goods and must be more land cleared to meet these needs.

3- Overpopulation

People didn’t realize how much their actions impacted the environment or that they could cause so much damage to plants and animals. We decide to clear out land for large buildings and to make room for attractions that are profitable. For example, utilized the trees to make different paper items and wood is additionally utilized for the creation of furniture. In the event that you consider what number of stores, homes, and different spots of business are in presence. At that point you realize that these spots spread a gigantic measure of land. Huge numbers of them presently stand where there was once just wildlife and natural habitats.

4- Diseases

A species might become endangered because a particular bacteria or virus is killing off large numbers of animals. When there are fewer healthy animals in a population, it is harder for them to successfully breed and raise enough young to replace the sick and dying members of the population. Sometimes, caused by problems within the population of that species or because of humans.

Tasmanian fiends, Darwin’s frogs, and different species have all turned out to be endanger because of diseases infecting their populations or  illnesses.

5- Natural events

Like a volcano erupting, can kill an entire species. Other times, extinction happens slowly as nature changes our world. For example, after the Ice Ages, when the great glaciers melted and the earth became warmer, many species died because they could not live in a warmer climate. Newer species that could survive in a warmer environment took their places.

6- Competition from other species for food and other resources

People can also endanger plants and animals by presenting new species. Some of these species do so well in their new habitat. But when brought some fishes into a lake or stream, they may go after the local fish or eat their food. The local species may then need to find a new source of food or another home. Else they could face becoming endangered or extinct.

Effects of endangered species

1. Death to a large population of a plant or animal species can cause changes in the food web. 
2. Habitat destruction is the leading cause of extinction for various species 
3. Upsets the biodiversity of its habitat
4. As displaced the wildlife, it changes their entire way of living
5. They have to protected from predators 
6. Many of our food crops depend on bees to pollinate them and produce seeds
7. The nutrients and the space that plants need to grow
8. Affect other living creatures that depend on those plants for food or shelter
9. Global warming and climate change.
10. Plants and animals serve many beneficial purposes to humans, including 

• • medicinal
  • agricultural 
  • ecological
  • commercial
  • aesthetic 
  • recreational

Solution for saving endangered species

There is the possibility of keeping plants and creatures from leaving for eternity. And there are normally cautioning signs. So, if we watch those signs, we can save them before a species becomes extinct. Which are as follows:

1. We ought to be  just as willing to put forth the effort to reconstruct and attempt to replace the lost.
2. Awareness raised with education.
3. We can combat habitat misfortune by safeguarding assets. And figuring out how to utilize them in a manner that does not require such frequent destruction of habitats. 
4. Protect species from extinction.
5. Give them shelter.
6. We should also teach others the importance of biodiversity.
7. Development by humans can also impact a species, by causing changes in their physical habitat.
8. Not allowed the people to use DDT and the bald eagle.
9. We should not pollute the environment.

Conclusion

Large-bodied species, rare species and habitat specialists are particularly prone to extinction as a result of rapid human modifications of the planet. Sometimes it isn’t a disease or a lack of habit that causes a species to become endangered. It can also occur as a result of new species. Species need to be save and protected so that all of earth’s different habitats can thrive and future generations can enjoy their presence and experience their value.

Deforestation is also a major cause for most of the species to be extinct.

Here are some more good reads for you.

• National Geographic The Photo Ark: One Man’s Quest to Document the World’s Animals
• Endangered Species
• All About Endangered Species – Science & Research Study Guide: Learn All About Rare and Beautiful Animals – Homeschooling – Level B (Fun-Schooling – Endangered Animals) (Volume 1)