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Endangered Animals - Golden Guide 1995 PDF
Endangered Animals - Golden Guide 1995 PDF
BIRDS
DINOSAURS
ENDANGERED ANIMALS
EXPLORING SPACE
FISHING
FLOWERS
INDIAN ARTS
INSECTS
PLANETS
FISHES
FOSSILS
GEOLOGY
MAMMALS
POND LIFE
STARS
TREES
VENOMOUS ANIMALS
WEATHER
WEEDS
Endangered
Animals
140
by GEORGE S. FICHTER
illustrated by
KRISTIN KEST
GOLDEN PRESS
NEW YORK
FOREWORD
CON TENTS
INTRODUCTION
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E ndangerment
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Mass Extinctions
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Biodiversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Energy
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Food Webs
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Advancing Human Civi l i zation
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Habitat Loss . . .
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Pollution
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I n troductions of Species
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H unting
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The Endangered Species Act
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National Pa rks and Sanctuaries .
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Modern Zoos .
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Biomes
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GRASSLANDS
DESE RTS
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FORESTS .
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OCEANS
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ISLAN DS
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INTRODUCTION
ENDANGE RMENT i s not a new phenomeno n . Along with
exti nctions, it has been going on for as long as there has been
l i fe on earth . Scientists esti mate that for every species al ive
today, at least a hundred others that once exi sted became
endangered and a re now extinct, gone forever. Looked at
another way, 99 percent of all species that have ever existed
on earth are no longer here.
The d i nosaurs are the classic example of an enti re group
of a n i m a l s that became exti nct. For more than 1 67 m i l l ion
years, they were the dom inant creatu res on earth . Some of
the hundreds of species were no larger than ch ickens. Others
were fearsome beasts of tremendous size. The largest of these
measured more than 1 00 feet long, from snout to tip of tai l ,
a n d weighed more than 5 0 tons. Some species stood 2 0 feet
tall and walked on their h i nd legs.
During the heyday of the di nosaurs, the ea rth was warm,
even in the polar reg ions. Then , about 65 m i l l ion yea rs ago,
the di nosau rs mysteriously died out. Some scienti sts attribute
th is to a genera l drop in tem peratu re, perhaps caused by a
catastrophic col l i sion of the ea rth with an asteroid. The once
wa rm, swa m py l owl a n d s beca me cool a n d d ry. For the
giant repti les (and more than two th i rd s of the exi st i n g
marine life) t h e ea rth became a hosti le envi ronment. Ta king
the d i nosau rs' place were wa rm-blooded creatu res more
suited to l iving i n the cooler envi ronment-mammals.
The ea rth has u ndergone many changes over the
m i l len n i a . There have been periods of exte n sive mounta i n
building a n d intense volcanic activity. There have been great
and sma l l ice ages, with g l aciers adva n c i n g a n d then
retreati n g . The ea rth has been struck by meteorites a n d
comets, and the sun's solar output h a s varied over time. Each
time a g reat cha nge has ta ken place on earth, plants and
animals not suited for survival in the altered envi ronment have
died out and been replaced by others.
10
12
D
D
14
polar ice/tundra
mountain
desert
boreal forest (taiga)
temperate grassland
woodland (dry tropical forest)
temperate forest (deciduous, coniferous)
chaparral (shrubs, low trees)
semiarid scrub forest (evergreens)
savanna (tropical grassland)
tropical rainforest
15
GRASSLANDS
Vast seas of grasses once rippled i n the wind i n the middle
of eve ry conti nent. They were croppe d by g reat herds of
g razi ng a n imals that i n habited these lands sepa rati ng the
d ry deserts from the forests . Along w ith the grazi ng a n i mals
were the flesh eaters, or ca rn ivores, that preyed on them,
scavengers that fi n i shed off the rema i n s , a n d h o rdes of
smal ler, bu rrowing a n i m a l s that fi l led every n i c h e in th i s
world of grass.
In temperate reg ions today, the g rasslands a re mostly
gone, havi ng been converted i n to fields of g ra i n that a re
h a rvested as food for people and the i r l ivestock . Grasses
sti l l g row on the open lands of the tropics and su btropics,
but there the ci nch also draws tighter for wild l 1 fe a s people
cultivate these lands to sati s fy thei r own needs .
"'
...... -
are scrubby trees. Nea rer the desert regions, the g ra sses
are short, and the land i s treeless or has only a spri nkling of
thorny s h r u b s . The sava n n a orig i n a l ly occ u p i ed about 4
m i l l io n sq u a re m i les, or nearly 40 percent of the g reat
African conti nent.
Today the savanna is home to about 40 species of large
a n i m a l s . M i l l io n s of these a n i ma l s once i n ha b i ted the
savanna, but si nce the a rrival of the European s some 300
yea rs ago, the i r habitat has shru n k year by year and thei r
popu lations have decrea sed greatly.
Wildl i fe is th reatened th roughout southeastern Asia, too,
which is popu lated by roughly 600 m i l lion people. A few
l a rge a n i m a l s , i n c l u d i n g some leopards a n d tigers, have
managed to survive, but everywhere wi ldlife is endangered
due to hunting and the destruction of habitats.
Long u nder cu ltivation, the Eurasian steppes to the north
support only scattered popu lations of wild creatures today.
Th i s g rassland a rea, scorched by i n tense heat in sum mer
and then frozen in wi nter, is nevertheless heavi ly popu lated
by people.
Nearly 40 percent of Austral ia's land i s essentia l ly grass
l a n d . H ere ca n be fou n d most of Austra l i a ' s u n u su a l
an imals, many o f which are endangered today.
The hea rtland of South America consists of the pampas,
a treeless pla i n that i n most South America n cou ntries has
been converted into land for grazing l ivestock or g rowing
crops . In B raz i l the g rasslands a re cal led the campos; in
Colombia and Venezuela, the llanos. On ly the most hosti le
of these lands have been left to wi l d l ife-lands where the
temperature is too high, there is l i ttle ra i n , or the winds blow
too strongly to suit the needs of people and thei r l ivestock.
Here many wild creatures escape the ravages of natu re by
l iv i n g i n b u rrows most of the ti me or m i g ra t i n g to more
temperate c l i mates when conditions become u n bearable.
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/,
Whooping Crane
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Eastern Gray
Kangaroo
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predators . When the bison herds came and tra mpled down
the grass, the pra i rie dogs could spot predators more easily.
If there was any sign of danger, a pra i rie dog wou ld give a
s h r i l l a l a rm "wh i stle" that wou l d send a l l of the a n i m a l s
d iving i n to their bu rrows . Predators such a s badgers a n d
t h e Black-footed Ferret often fol l owed them i n to thei r
bu rrows, but th is was pa rt of the natural scheme.
Settlers became the greatest th reat. T he burrows were a
menace to horses, wh ich could easi ly break a leg by step
ping into one of the holes. Fa rmers plowing the pra i rie land
did not l i ke the m o u n d s a n d holes or the hordes of l i ttle
rodents eati ng thei r field a n d vegeta b l e cro p s . Shot,
poisoned , or s i m ply driven away, the Black-ta i led Pra i ri e
Dog just about d i sa ppeared , l i ke the bison . T he magn itude
of the event was less noticeable only becau se of the longer
time involved and the smal l er size (about 1 2 inches) of the
a n i m a l s . Once u n be l i eva bly plentifu l , th ey n ow exist i n
greatly d i m i n ished numbers, as d o some o f the a nim a l s that
either p reyed on them or, l i ke the Bu rrow i n g Owl , l ived
peacefully with them in thei r bu rrows .
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30
Pampas
Fox
Maned
Wolf
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32
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Pampas Deer
Giant Sable
Antelope
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White-tailed Gnu
WHITE-TAILED
GNUS, also known
as Black Wildebeests,
were once common 1 n
Africa from the Cape to
the Transvaal. Standing
less than 4 feet tal l at
the shoulders, the
animal's bristly mane
and tufts of hair on its
nose make it look fero
cious-which it can be.
However, it i s rare for
grazers of thi s type to be
combative. H u nted a lmost to
exti nction for their meat and h ides more than a century ago,
Wh i te-ta i led G n u s a re now protected a n d a ppear to be
i ncreasing aga i n , from a low of a few hundred a n i m a l s in
the late 1 800s to perhaps severa l thousand today.
P RONGHORNS roa med the Great Pla i n s with the b i son .
Before the a rrival of wh i te settlers, the population of th i s
swift g razi ng a ni ma l i s esti mated to have been nearly 40
m i l l i o n . The Pronghorn ra n fa st enoug h-more tha n 50
m i les per hou r-to escape the wol f a n d the coyote, but i t
could not escape bul lets. The settlers also brought with them
plows and began putting up fences . D i m i n ished i n n u m ber
by sport a n d meat h u n ters, and w i th wide- open spaces
36
Pronghorns
38
American Bison
40
African
Elephant
Asian Elephant
DESERTS
Deserts a re l a n d s with a n a n n u a l ra i n fa l l of less tha n 1 0
i nches. I n hot deserts the dayti me temperatu re com monly
rises to more than 1 00 F and may soa r to over 1 50 F i n
spots . N i g hts a re usually coo l . I n m i d - latitude deserts, the
dayti me temperatu re i s genera l ly cool and becomes bitter
cold at n ight. If a desert were defined as just a place with
low ava i lability of water, then much of the tu ndra and also
the polar regions might be classified as deserts.
Despite seem i ngly u n l ivable cond itions, many kinds of
an ima l s th rive i n deserts. When the rai n s come-generally
i n downpours-a desert qu ickly explodes with an amazing
va riety of colorfu l flowers . Plants m u st p roduce thei r fru its
and seeds in the short ti m e water is ava i l a b l e . The
remai nder of the year they a re dormant, or nearly so.
The Sahara, largest of the world's hot deserts, extends
across northern Africa from the Atla ntic Ocea n to the Red
Sea . It is an a rea equal in size to the United States. On the
eastern side of the Red Sea , the desert continues through
Asia Mi nor as the Syria n and Saudi Arabian deserts and is
connected through northern India to the cool Gobi Desert of
Mongolia. On ly parts of th is massive desert a re sa nd, but in
these a reas the sa nd may be p i l ed to depths of severa l
hundred feet. Swept by the wi nd, the sa nd l i es i n crescent
shaped dunes, l i ke giant waves in the sea . In other places
the strong wi nds have scou red the ea rth clea n , leavi ng only
gravel and ba re rock.
Two other deserts in southwestern Africa a re the Namib
and the Kalahari . The Kalahari is noted for its fog l ike m i sts.
A large part of the southwestern United States and western
Mexico a re d esert reg ions, too . South America n deserts
include the Atacamba, along the Pacific coast of C h i le, and
the Gran Chaco i n western Argenti n a . I n add ition , most of
centra l and western Austra l ia is a desert, u n i n ha bitable by
humans except a long its fri nges.
42
American Southwest
desert scene. The right
side shows the desert
in bloom.
44
Desert Tortoise
45
47
48
Arabian Oryx
Bantebok
FORESTS
The worl d' s largest forest circles the ea rth in the Northern
Hem i sphere in a broad belt commencing j ust south of the
tu ndra . It con sists almost wholly of needle- leaved trees, such
as pi nes, hem locks, fi rs, spruces, and other con i fers . Along
its northernmost fri nge, the trees straggle i n to the tu n d ra,
dwa rfed a n d wind -wa rped i n the i r efforts to g row i n the
cold land. Everywhere the forest has a sameness of a ppear
ance. Where the trees form a dense forest, a th ick ca rpet of
need les has built up on the floor over the centu ries, and a
gray soi l has slowly formed .
In E u rope th i s fo rest, ca l l ed the taiga, occupies a vast
lowland created du ring the Great Ice Age. The glacial ice
gouged deeply in many pl aces to form bog s , swa m ps ,
ponds, a n d l a kes. I n North America t h e con i ferous forest
50
great cities and towns, and the open a reas between them
are either fa rmed or broken up into smal ler living tracts.
Along the equator and i mmed iately to its north and south
are the world's evergreen ra inforests . There the ra i n fa l l is no
less than 80 i nches annual ly-a nd much more i n a na rrow
belt near the equator. One ra i n forest, for exa mple, reg u
larly gets a bout 400 i n c hes of ra i n every yea r and
someti mes more. T h roug hout most of the tropics and
su btropics, the ra i n comes all i n o n e sea son . For the
rem a i n i ng months-the d ry season-there may be l i ttle or
no ra i n . At the edges of the tropics and with the c l i mate
controlled largely by the preva i l ing winds, the jungle g rades
i n to d ec i d uous trees or i n to thorny s h ru b s . Along the
seacoasts a re dense mang rove th ickets .
The abu ndance of ra i n and the yea r- round wa rmth-the
tem peratu re in a tropical ra inforest ra nges from a h i g h of
about 1 00 F to a low of a bout 70 F-result in a g reat
va riety of a n i mals and pla nts. Litera l ly hundreds of species
of trees may be found in a sma l l a rea , wh i l e a deciduous
forest of the same size i n temperate cli mates, for exam ple,
wi l l conta i n only a dozen or so species. A northern con if
erous forest conta i n s only one or two.
When a tropica l ra i n forest is mature, the ta l l trees form
an a l most sol i d canopy 1 00 feet or more off the g rou n d ,
blocking o u t the sunl ight. F o r th i s reason t h e floor o f a trop
ical ra i n forest is usually ba re of plants, or nearly so, except
at i ts edges, where the s u n can reach the g rou n d . Many
woody vines, or l ianas, lace thei r way th roug h the ta l l est
trees, wh ich may also be fi l led with clumps of pla nts cal led
epiphytes, which l ive on the tree branches and have no root
connection to the ground below.
Cold-blooded a n imals tend to reach their la rgest size i n
the tropics. Here, for exa mple, a re t h e g i a nts among the
snakes, crocod i les, toads, and moths . Most wa rm -blooded
animals, in contrast, a re smaller than the i r nea rest relatives
that l ive in temperate-cli mate regions.
53
ra i n and the warm sunsh ine. I n an undi stu rbed forest either
canopied h ig h a bove the g ro u n d o r covered with dense
vegetation lower down-the fa l l of the ra i n is broken, and
the sunlight i s filtered before reaching the ea rth . But where
j u ng l e s have been cleared for fa rm i n g o r fo r h a rvesti n g
timber, th i s process is interrupted . Di stu rbed, too, i s t h e th ick
l i tter conta i n i n g i m porta n t kinds of fu n g i that h a sten the
decom pos i n g a n d recyc l i n g of n utrients. The so i l i tself is
poor, for a bout 80 percent of the nutrients i n the jungle a re
either i n the growing plants or i n the forest litter.
Jungles a re usually clea red for farm ing by the primitive
technique of cutti ng and burn i n g a l l the vegetation . Th is i s
fa st, b u t i t a l so destroys t h e reservoi rs of n utrients. C rops
usual ly g row wel l for only one or two sea sons; the pioneer
fa rmers then h ave to move on to new l a n d . There they
repeat thei r s l a s h - a n d - b u rn devastation ag a i n , leavi n g
55
Heath Hen
58
Carolina
Parakeet
Red-cockaded
Woodpecker
59
Passenger Pigeon
60
Bald Eagle
61
62
Variegated
Tinamou
63
Kirtland's
Warbler
65
66
BATS a re the only mammals with wings and thus the capa
b i l ity of true flight. About one i n four mammal species in the
world is a bat, ran king bats next to rodents i n abundance.
They can be fou n d everywhere i n the world except in the
pol a r reg i o n s , on remote ocea n i c i s l a n d s , a n d on ice
ca pped mounta i n s , but they a re most n u me rous in warm
cli mates.
Some k i n d s of bats a re strictly fru it and necta r eaters.
These bats, which have large eyes and good vision, are a l so
the l a rgest, some with wingspa n s of 5 feet. Two k i n d s of
bats eat fish exc l u s ively. They m a ke thei r catches by
swooping down from above and snatc h i n g the fi sh out of
the water. The greatest number of bats, however, a re i n sect
eaters. These a re the mouse-sized bats com monly seen on
thei r feed i n g fl i g hts on wa rm even i n g s i n temperate
c l i mates. Typically they roost i n hol low trees, u nder rock
ledges, in the attics of b u i l d i ngs, or in s i m i l a rly p rotected
a n d out-of-the-way places duri ng the day. Some of them
migrate to wa rmer climates in winter wh ile others h i bernate,
often congregati ng i n uncountable thousa nds i n caves.
Bats a re generally not popu lar with people. Most have
small eyes a n d wri n kled pug faces. The wri n kles serve a s
sound traps, for bats navigate and a l so sea rch for food by
echolocation . Th i s consi sts of emitting h ig h - p itched sou nds
beyond the range of human heari n g . These sou nd p u l ses
bounce off a nyth i n g in the i r path and a re p i c ked up as
echoes by the bats' sensitive ears.
A n u m ber of species of bats are cu rrently endangered ,
due pri m a r i ly to destruction of thei r habitat. I n the centra l
U n ited States, as a n example, the wood l a n d - lovi ng Gray
Bat i n habiting the middle of the conti nent is now l i sted as an
endangered species. Once it was one of the most abundant
mammals in its range, but its population has been red uced
to an esti mated m i l l ion. The bats are no longer safe even i n
caves. Human visitors cause the females to drop their young
68
Gray Bat
70
Bengal Tiger
72
73
Leopard
with prey
74
TAPI RS a re shy and reti ring creatu res that look l i ke a type of
pig because of thei r long snout but a re really more closely
related to rh inoceroses and horses. Tap i rs live m a i n ly a long
waterways. Th ree species a re found in Central and South
America and one in Malaysia . Both the Mou nta i n Tap i r and
Ba i rd's Tapir l ive in South America's mounta i n forests up to
elevations of more tha n 1 2 ,000 feet. The B razi l i a n Ta p i r
a n d the Ma laya n Tapir i n habit tropical lowlands. A mature
Brazi l i an Ta p i r may weigh as much as 800 pou nds; other
species weigh less.
Tap i rs have never been abundant and a re now endan
gered . They have long been a favorite food of most l a rge
predators and have a l so been hunted heavi ly by h u m a n s .
Most damag ing, however, has been the destruction o f thei r
habitat. Long ago thei r range included North America, but
now they a re found only i n the tropics. However, that world
is fa st d i sa p pea r i n g , too . Ta p i rs may be spa red by the '
establishment of pa rks and reservations and by the fact that
they do reasonably wel l in captivity.
DUI KERS a re s h o rt- legged forest-dwel l i ng a n te lopes of
centra l a n d southern Afri ca . A l l of the rou g h ly dozen
species a re rather sm a l l , some on ly a bout 2 feet l o n g .
Usua l ly they travel alone or i n pai rs. Most a re secretive a n d
a l so rare, d u e pa rtly t o t h e destruction of t h e forests a n d
sava n n a s where they l ive; some, however, exi s t i n l a rge
n u m bers even in settled a rea s . The i r name i s D u tc h for
"d iver" a n d refers to the speedy way these shy l i ttle
antelopes can litera l ly d ive out of sight into the u n derbrush.
OKAPIS, which l ive i n the j u ngles of Za i re, a re close rela
tives of gi raffes but have short necks and stand only about 5
feet tal l at the shoulder. Li ke g i raffes, they have skin-covered
knobl i ke horn s, and they use their tongues to pluck leaves
from trees . Their legs have wh ite stripes, l i ke a zebra's, but
76
Malayan
Tapir
78
81
82
83
84
Leopard Frog
88
92
Snowy Egret
93
Eskimo Curlew
Piping Plover
94
95
97
OCEANS
The ea rth is bathed i n a solution of salt water that covers
a bout 90 percent of the Southern H e m i sphere a n d 60
percent of the Northern Hem isphere. H idden beneath the
su rface a re deep canyons, h i g h mounta i n s , broad p l a i n s ,
a n d powerfu l cu rren ts-a l l i n a sca l e that m a kes a n y
com p a ra b l e features on l a n d seem d i m i n utive. Mou n t
Everest, t h e h ig hest mounta i n on ea rth , towers to 2 9, 1 4 1
feet a bove sea leve l , but i f i t were d ro pped i n to the
Ma riannas Trench, the deepest rift in the sea , its top would
sti l l be 1 Y.! mi les below the surface.
Des p i te thei r i m me n s i ty, the seas offe r rema rkably
uniform cond itions for life. The salt content i s the same over
g reat expa n ses, a n d the tem peratu re typ i c a l l y c h a nges
slowly i n any given reg ion, d i fferi ng l i ttle from day to day
and sea son to sea so n . Such u n i form con d i ti o n s d o not
usually result in a great variety of l i fe forms, but individuals
of a n exi sting species often occur i n prod igious numbers.
Yet th is va st ocea n world-so much larger than all of the
land envi ron ments combined-is bei ng despoiled . True, the
seas are safe from the plow and the ax, but h u m a n s a re
ki l l i ng the seas with poisons.
At the base of the food chain i n the ocean s a re plankton ,
extremely tiny plants a n d a n i mals that are s o abundant i n
the great "pastu res" o f open water that they give the sea its
c h a racteri stic color. As the m i n us c u l e one-cel l ed p l a n ts
manufacture food, they a l so release oxygen into the atmo
sphere-one fourth to one th i rd of a l l free oxygen in the air.
Cou ntless kinds of fish and other creatures feed only on
plankton . The Blue Whale, the largest of all sea a n i mals-i n
fact, the largest animal o n earth-is a plankton eater, as a re
the Whale Shark and several other giants of the open sea .
The great schools of herri ng on which enti re nations depend
are also based on plankton . Many plan kton feeders, in turn,
98
serve as food for other animals in the food chains of the sea .
Al ready there a re strong indications that the p l a n kton
pastu res of the open ocean a re bei ng affected by pollutants
washed in from the land. These sma l l l i fe forms a re not on
th reatened or endangered spec ies l i sts, and most people
wou ld consider it strange even to th ink in those terms. But i f
the abundance o f plan kton was sharply reduced , a l l life o n
ea rth would be i m peri led . T h e web o f l i fe i s complex, a n d
t h e oceans a re vital t o susta i n ing life. A t present t h e harmful
effects of pol lution in the seas are most noticeable i n coasta l
a rea s , but there a re m a ny i nd i cations that po l l utants a re
affecti ng ocean l i fe on a broad scale.
99
Great Auk
1 00
Labrador Duck
Sea Mink
1 01
GREEN TURTLES got their name from the bluish green color
of their fat, prized for making a clear-broth soup . Grazing
on tu rtle grass i n the warm shal lows of the Caribbea n gave
their flesh an appea l i ng vea l - l i ke Flavor.
Green Tu rtles were once so abundant i n the Cari bbea n
and el sewhere that they were compared to the America n
Bison on the Great Pla i n s . Mi l l ions were h a rvested . Thei r
nests were destroyed and robbed of thei r eggs by people,
dogs, pigs, and wild a n imals. New hatc h l i n g s ru n n i ng For
water from thei r sandy nests were easy prey.
Li ke the American Bison's, the Green Turtle' s population
began to d i m i n i sh-so rapidly, i n Fact, that it was feared the
tu rtles would soon d i sa ppea r altogether. An i n ternational
org a n ization was formed to aid the Green Tu rtl e, a n d a
hatchery was established that released baby turtles into the
sea . It now appea rs that the Green Turtle wi l l be spared .
Other endangered sea tu rtles i ncl ude the Atlantic Ridley,
the Hawksbi l l , and the giant Leatherback. The Loggerhead i s
n o longer abundant b u t s o fa r is not on the endangered l i st.
Green Turtle
Brown Pelicans
BROWN PELICANS, u n t i l
recently, were i n a serio u s
dec l i ne. Yet these big b i rd s
were not h u nted , either for
food or for thei r feathers .
Occa s i o n a l l y a fisherman
m i g h t become a n noyed by
a Brown Pel ican com peti ng
for a fis h . But typica l ly the bird eats on ly so-called trash fish,
wh ich have l i ttle or no value to sport or commercial anglers.
What k i l l ed l a rge n u m bers of Brown Pel i c a n s ? It wa s
DDT picked u p from the fish they ate. The small dose a b i rd
got from each fi sh b u i l t u p i n the b i rd ' s body-a process
cal led biological magnification. DDT brea ks down i n to a
chemical com pou nd cal led DDE, w h i c h a dversely a ffects
ca lcium metabolism. Eggs laid by females that ingested DDE
were th i n -shel led and broke before hatch i n g . Th is conti n ued
yea r after yea r until the Brown Pel ican's popu lation slumped
to a low from which recovery seemed u n l i kely. But happi ly,
the ban on the use of DDT si nce 1 972 has made recovery
possible. The Brown Pel ican is becoming abundant aga i n .
The major hazard to the bird s today i s enta nglement i n the
hooks, l i nes, and nets of fishermen .
1 03
1 04
The Sea Otter's diet consi sts of sea urch i n s and some fi sh
and s h e l l fi s h . After a food -col l ecti ng d ive, the Sea Otter
su rfaces and floats on its back to eat. Some shellfish can be
opened eas i ly by the Sea Otter' s teeth . For those shellfish
with th icker shells, the Sea Otter fi nds a flat stone, puts it on
its chest, then pou nds the shell aga inst the stone to crack it.
Sea Otters a l so u se stones as ham mers to knock abalones
loose from rocks.
Soon after they were d i scovered by the R u s s i a n s , Sea
Otters began to be pursued for thei r thick, glossy pelts . The
trade lasted for about a century and a half, but most of the
Sea Otters were gone with i n the fi rst hund red yea rs . By the
late 1 800s they were rare, and by 1 9 1 8 they were thought
to be extinct. But just i n case some might be left, the U n i ted
States, Russia, Great Brita i n , and Japan sig ned an agree
ment at that time making it i l lega l to hunt Sea Otters .
Twenty yea rs passed before any Sea Otters were seen
aga i n . Then two breed ing colonies were d iscovered . Given
fu l l protection, Sea Otters now nu mber more than 1 00,000.
But they a re sti l l threatened , this time by com mercial oil from
spills, which destroys the i n sulati ng properties of their hair.
Sea OHer
1 06
1 08
and many people found them tasty fa re. The giant Steller's
Sea Cow (see p. 1 38 ) was eaten into exti nction with i n 50
years of its d iscovery.
The closely related Dugong of the I n d i a n Ocean i s a l so
endangered , a s a re a l l th ree rem a i n i n g species of mana
tees-the West Africa n , Amazon, and West Ind ia n . Those
that have escaped s l a u g hter fin d s u rviva l d i fficult today
beca u se of the loss of the i r habitats and a l so beca use of
i n j u ries i nfl icted on them by the propel lers of boats.
ISLANDS
There a re two basic island types: conti nenta l and ocea n i c .
Conti nenta l islands are close to m a j o r landmasses, and they
share with them the same kinds of soi l, rocks, a n i mals, and
plants. Ocea n i c i s l a n d s , i n contrast, a re fa r from m a j o r
landmasses . Some are volcanic i n orig in; others are formed
of cora l . Beca u se they a re remote, thei r plant and a n i ma l
life is usua l ly d i stinctive.
An i m a l s reached the i r ocea nic island homes orig i n a l ly
by flyi ng, swi m m i ng, or floati n g . Winds and stormy seas
have been responsible for the introduction of some species.
I n recent times many a n i mals and plants have been taken to
islands by human settlers.
The orig inal i n h abitants of ocea nic islands may rema i n
i solated for s o many generations that they lose a l l b u t the
most su perfic i a l resem b l a n ce to the i r m a i n la n d rel atives .
Da rwi n ' s F i nches of the Ga lapagos Islands, for exa m ple,
differ g reatly from the fi nches on the mainland. Some have
extremely long, s l i m b i l l s for s i p p i n g necta r from deep
th roated flowers; others have heavy b i l l s for probi n g i n to
bark a n d holes i n wood for i n sects a n d the i r l a rvae; sti l l
others have sharp hawkl i ke bills and are predators. These
and other such specializations eq u i pped Da rwi n's Finches
for occupyi ng island niches that on the mainland a re i n hab
ited by birds belonging to entirely different fam i l ies .
Remoteness from competitors once provided p rotection
for most island dwel lers. But the appeara nce of humans on
the islands destroyed th is isolation . Even if people do not try
to el i m inate the native species di rectly, introduced domestic
or wild a n i ma l s may ta ke over their food and living space or
prey on the island dwellers. Some of the most trag ic exam
ples of human-caused exti nction have occurred on oceanic
islands.
1 12
Hawaiian
Haneycreeper
1 14
native Maoris .
:::;ii;5;;-
Moo
MAURITIUS KESTRELS are nearly
exti nct. These b i rd s n ested i n trees
on Mauriti u s . When the island was
settled, nearly all the trees were cut
dow n , and m o n keys i n trod uced to
the i sland robbed the nests of the few
remai n i n g bird s . Also, the birds had
fed m a i n ly on l i z a rd s , but when
s h r u b s were added to the i s l a n d ' s
vegetation , t h e l izard s were a b l e to
hide from the b i rds.
Mauritius Kestrel
1 16
Komodo Dragon
1 17
were off the islands for food, the dogs, rots, and pigs
Kiwi
KIWIS m u st certa i n ly ra n k
among t h e most u n usual of
a l l birds. Plump, c h icken l i ke,
a n d u n a b l e to fly, they have
come to symbol ize their native home of New Zealand. Kiwis
l ive in bu r rows a n d do most of the i r feed i ng a t n i g h t,
h u nting for worms and other sma l l crawl ing creatures. Their
eyesight i s poor, but nostri ls that open at the ti p of their long
bill give them a keen sense of smel l . Bri stles at the base of
the bill serve as anten nae, or feelers. Kiwi hens lay eggs that
weigh a bout a fourth of their own body weight. At one time
heavily h u nted and preyed upon by introd uced mammals,
Kiwis a re no longer common . Now protected by law, they
may escape a n n i h i lation .
CAHOWS a re petrels that once l ived on the C a r i bbea n
island of Bermuda . Their exi stence was peacefu l until the
1 500s, when the early British settlers brought pigs over to
the i s l a n d . The p i g s destroyed the nests a n d eggs of the
Ca how. D u r i n g a fa m i n e in the early 1 600s, the settlers
themselves ate the birds. Later, rats that had arrived with the
settlers attacked the you ng birds and destroyed their nests.
The Cahow appea red to be extinct. Three centu ries passed .
1 20
Cahows
Monkey-eating
Eagle
1 23
1 24
Tasmanian Devil
Javan Rhinoceros
1 27
1 28
lndri
1 31
Sulawesi Macaque
1 34
California Condor
1 39
Trumpeter Swan
1 40
Chinchilla
CHINCHILLAS a re
squ i rrel-sized rodents
that l ive in the Andes.
Long prized for their
luxu rious, s i l ky fur made
into coats and capes, they
are now ra ised on farms. But wi ld
chinch i l las a re sti l l hunted because their fu r i s richer. Also,
gestation for these animals is long, and a female produces
only one to two l i tters per year. Some experts fear that wild
chinch i l las w i l l soon become exti nct. Some fa rm- ra ised ch i n
c h i l la s m i g h t eventua l l y be rel eased i n to t h e w il d t o help
replen ish the stock of wild animals.
VOLCANO RABBITS l ive on the high slopes i n south -centra l
Mexico. They have short ea rs and no ta i l . They com m u n i
cate with each other b y g iving high-pitched squeals. These
interesti ng and u nusual rabbits are d i sappea ring because of
the destruction of the pine forests and the g rasslands where
th ey l ive. T h ey a re a l so h eavi ly h u n ted by people fro m
nea rby Mexico City.
Volcano Rabbits
1 41
1 42
1 44
GFizzly
ears
1 46
Spanish Lynx
1 48
the same a rea to hunt for several yea rs . Often they set the
a n i mals free after shearing them . There were an esti mated
1 to 1 . 5 m i l lion Vicunas then. But the Spaniards and those
who followed them took the Vicuna in massive numbers.
Even so, the popu lation of Vicunas rema i n ed at about
400,000 u nti l 1 950, when devastati ng k i l l s red uced the i r
number t o a few thousa nd. Now they a re protected b y law,
but in the remote a reas where they l ive, enforcing the law is
not easy. Vicunas occupy a habitat that puts them in confl ict
with people and the i r l ivestoc k . Sett in g a s i d e p rotected
lands may be the on ly way to save th is species.
1 51
Musk-Oxen
1 52
APPENDIX
HELPFUL ORGANIZATIONS
1 54
PUBLICATIONS
africana)
(Alligator
mississippiensis)
1 50 Alpine Ibex ( Copra ibex)
38 American B ison !Bison bison)
1 46 Andean Cat (Felis jacobite)
90 American All igator
1 55
48 Arabian Oryx
maximus)
ko
(O
leucoryx)
(E ephos
40 Asian Elephant
madagascariensis)
95 Bachman's Warbler
( Vermivora
( Testudovicino)
brasiliensis)
1 46 Giant Panda
( Hippolrogus equinus)
leucocepholus)
30 Barbary Hyena
(Hyaena
barbara)
nigripes)
( Cynomys ludovicianus)
( Boloenoptero
musculus)
Bantebok (Domoliscus dorcas)
Brazi lian Tap i r ( Tapirus
terrestris)
Brown Hyena ( Hyaena brunneo}
Brown Pelican ( Pelecanus
occidentolis)
Cahow ( Pterodromo cohow)
California Condor (Gymnogyps
californianus)
1 08 Blue Whale
48
76
30
1 03
1 20
1 39
(Ammospizo mirobilis}
{Conuropsis
carolinensis)
Cheetah (Acinonyx ubatus)
Chinchilla (Chinchi/ ufo
sohamoe)
Clouded Leopard (Neofelis
nebulosa)
Colobus Monkey ( Colobus
guerezo)
Common Dolph i n (Delphinus
delphis)
Common Egret (Cosmerodius olbus)
Coucal ( Couo delolondei)
Dodo (Raphus cucullotus)
Duiker ( Cepholophus)
92
1 13
1 13
76
24 Eastern Gray Kangaroo
(Mocropus giganteus)
(Aepyornis
maximus}
20 Emu (Dromoius novoehollondioe)
94 Eskimo Curlew ( Numenius
borealis)
1 1 4 Elephant Bird
( Cheirogoleus medius)
furciler)
1 56
(Ailuropodo
melonoleuco}
bochmonii)
61
1 1 8 Galapagos Tortoise
( Phaner
griseus)
( Tymponuchus cupido)
Green tu rtle (Chelonia mydos)
Grevy's Zebra ( Equus gre i)
Grizzly Bear ( Ursus arctos orribilis)
Hawksbill Turtle ( Erelmochelys
imbricata)
58 Heath Hen ( Tymponuchus cupido
cupido)
1 3 1 lndri (Jndri indri)
1 02
11
1 44
1 02
"l:.
59 Ivory-billed Woodpecker
( Campephilus principalis)
brownti)
sondaicus)
virginionus clavium)
kirtlondii)
Kiwi (
leryx australis)
Kodko ( Felis guigno)
Koala (Phosocolarcfos cinereus)
Komodo Dragon ( Voronus
komodensis)
Labrador Duck ( Camplorhynchus
lobrodorius)
Langur ( Pygothrix nemaeus)
leopard ( Ponthero pordus)
Leopard Frog ( Rona pipiens)
80
74
88
22 Lesser Pra i rie Chicken
( Tymponuchus pollidicinctus)
Leo)
(Anoo
depressicornis)
33 Lion ( Ponthero
1 28 Lowland Anoa
IDreponis pacifica)
( Chrysocyon
brachyurus)
Morgay (Felis wiediij
Markhor ( Copra lolconerij
Mauritius Kestrel ( Fa/co
punctotusj
Moo (Mega/apteryx didinus)
Mongoose lem u r ( Lemur
mon oz)
30 Maned Wolf
75
151
115
1 15
1 33
( Pithecophaga iefferyi)
1 52
1 22
66
75
76
1 34
20
34
30
60
78
13
28
( Dipodomys heermanni
morroensis)
Musk-Oxen ( Ovibos moschotus)
Nene (Branta sandvicensis)
Nu mbat (Myrmecobius losciotusj
Ocelot (Felis pordalisj
Okapi ( Okapia iohnstonij
Oran utan ( Pongo py moeusj
Ostric ( Struthio come us)
Pampas Deer ( Ozotoceros
bezoarticus)
Pampas Fox ( Dusicyon culpoeusj
Passenger Pigeon ( Ectopistes
migratorius)
Pere David's Deer ( Eiaphurus
davidianus)
Peregrine F alcon ( Falco
peregrinus)
94 Piping P over
96
1 42
1 07
36
34
73
78 Py my H ippopotamus
{ C oeropsis /iberiensis)
Ti
( Oryx
dammahj
101
(Beffongio Iesueur)
parodoxusj
1 06 Southern F u r Seal
(Arctocepholus
townsendij
ornatus)
1 3 8 Spectacled Cormorant
( Pholacrocorax perspicillotusj
62 SpaHed Owl ( Strix occidentolisj
1 3 8 Steller's Sea Cow ( Hydrodomolis
gigas)
1 27 Sumatran R hinoceros
(Dicerorhinus sumotrensis)
imperotor)
1 25 Tasmanian Devil
( Sarcophilus
1 25 Tasmanian Wolf
( Thylacinus
harrisii)
cynocephalus)
( Crypturellus voriegotusj
diozij
manatus)
( Logorchestes hirsutusj
( Connochaetes
blumenbachiij
( Dendrocopos borealis)
Red Kan aroo (Megaleia rulo)
Red Wol ( Canis rufus)
Rhea ( Pterocnemia)
Rhesus Mon key {Mocaco
mulaffa)
59 Red-cockaded Woodpecker
24
70
20
84
48 Scimitar-horned Oryx
gnou)
americana)
(Brachyteles orachnoidesj
1 53 Yak ( 8os grunniens)
1 57
INDEX
Chi nese, 90
Alpacas, 1 48
Amazon River, 56
Amph ibians, 88
Animals, cold-blooded and
worm-blooded, 5 3
Anoos, 1 28
lowland, 1 28
Antarctic, 1 36 , 1 37, 1 37
Anteaters, ban ded . See
N u m bots
Antelopes
Blue, 35
Giant Sable, 35, 35
Apes, Black. See
Macaques, Sulawesi
Arctic, 1 36, 1 42
Armadi l los, P i n k Fairy, 28,
28
Nubian, 48
Somal i , 48
Atocombo Desert, 42
Auks, Great, 1 00, 1 00
Aye-ayes, 1 30, 1 30
Bachman, John, 95
Bats, 68-69
Gray, 68-69, 69
Bears
Grizzly, 1 44, 1 45
Polar, 1 42 , 1 43
Spectacled, 1 42, 1 4 3
Biodiversity, 7
Biomes, 1 4- 1 5, 1 4 - 1 5
Bison, American, 1 7, 3839 38-39, 1 02
'
Blackbucks, 32
1 58
Bonteboks, 48, 4 9
Buffalo. See Bison,
American
Cohows, 1 20- 1 2 1 , 1 2 1
Campos, 1 8
Cape Hunting Dogs. See
Dogs, African Wild
Cots
Andean , 1 46, 1 46
Chilean Mou ntain, 1 46
Geoffroy' s, 1 46
Cecropia trees, 66
Chocholoco, 63
Cheetahs, 32, 32
Chickens
Greater Prairie, 22
Lesser Prairie, 22, 22
Chinchil las, 1 4 1 , 1 4 1
Condors, 1 39
Andean, 1 39
California, 1 39, 1 3 9
Coniferous forests, 50-52,
50-5 1 , 53
Continental islands, 1 1 2
Cormorants
Galapagos, 1 1 9
Spectacled, 1 38, 1 38
Coucols, 1 1 3, 1 1 3
Cougars, 73
Cowbirds, Brown-headed,
65
Coyotes, 46, 71
Crones, Whooping, 2223, 23
Cuckoos, Thick-billed, 1 1 3
Curossows, Red-billed, 63,
63
Key, 1 28 - 1 29, 1 28
Pampas, 34, 35
Pere David's, 78, 79,
1 46
Red, 34
White-toi led, 1 28
Delolondi's Coucols, 1 1 3,
1 13
Deserts, 42-49, 43
Devi ls, Tasmanian, 1 25,
1 25
Dinosaurs, 4, 5
Dodoes, 8, 1 1 3, 1 1 3
Dogs, African Wild, 29,
29. See a l so Pra i rie
Dogs
Dolphins, 1 07
Bonlenose, I 07
Dorcases, Moroccan . See
Bonteboks
Dragons, Komodo, 1 1 7,
1 17
Ducks, labrador, 1 0 1 , 1 0 1
Dugongs, 1 1 1 , 1 38
Dui kers, 76, 77
Eagles
Bald, 6 1 , 6 1 , 1 2 1
Monkey-eating, 1 23,
1 23
Ecosystem, 7
Egrets, 92
Common, 92, 93
Snowy, 92, 93
Elephant Birds, 1 1 4, 1 1 4,
1 15
Elephants, 40- 4 1
African, 4 0 , 4 1
Asian, 40, 4 1
Emus, 20-2 1 , 2 1
Endangered Species Act
{ ESA), 1 0- 1 1 , 1 3 , 7 1
Energy, 7
Extinction
causes of, 5-6
rote of, 6, 1 5
Falcons, Peregrine, 1 3, 1 3
Hutios, 1 26, 1 26
Jamaican, 1 26
Hyenas, 30, 3 1
Barbary, 30, 3 1
Brown, 30, 3 1
Striped, 30
Ibexes, Alpine, 1 50, 1 50
lndris, 1 3 1 , 1 3 1 , 1 33
Islands, 1 1 2 1 35
Jaguars, 7 1 , 71
Kogus, 1 24, 1 24
Kokopo, 64, 64
Kalahari Desert, 42
Kangaroos, 24
Brush-toiled Rot, 25
Eastern Gray, 24, 25
Red, 24, 25
Short-nosed Rat, 24,
25
Hummingbirds, 54
Hunting, 1 0
Kestrels, Mauritius, 1 1 5,
Sulawesi, 1 34, 1 34
Macaw, Spix' s, 64.
Mammals, 5
Mama, 1 1 4
Manatees, 1 1 0 1 1 1 , 1 1 0
I l l , 1 38
Morgoys, 75, 75
Marian nos Trench,
98
Morkhors, 1 5 1 , 1 5 1
Mink, Sea, 1 0 1 , 1 0 1
Moos, 1 1 5, 1 1 5
Monkeys
Colobus, 8 1 , 8 1
Red-backed Squi rrel,
82
Rhesus, 84, 84
Woolly Spider, 82, 82
Mounta i n Lions, 73
Mountains, 1 36 1 53
Mount Everest, 98
Musk-Oxen, 1 52, 1 52
1 53
1 15
Fork-marked Mouse,
1 32, 1 33
Mongoose, 1 32 , 1 32,
1 33
leopards, 7475, 74
Clouded, 75
Snow, 74, 75
lions, 33, 33
lizards, Beaded, 44
Llamas, 1 48
Llanos, 1 8
lynxes
European, 1 48
Spanish, 1 48, 1 48
Macaques, 84
Namib Desert, 42
Notional parks, 1 2
Nene, 1 2 2, 1 22
Numbots, 66-67, 67
Rusty, 67
Oceanic islands, 1 1 2
Oceans, 98- 1 1 1
Ocelots, 75, 75
Oil spills, 1 05
Okopis, 76-77, 77
Orangutans, 1 34, 1 35
Borneon, 1 34
Sumatra n , 1 34
Oryxes
Arabian, 48, 4 9
Scim ita r- horned, 48
Ostriches, 20, 2 1
Otters
Giant, 97, 97
Sea, 97, 1 0 1 , 1 04
1 05, 1 05
Owls
Burrowing, 27
Soumogne' s, 1 1 3
Spoffed, 1 3, 62, 62
Pampos, 1 8
Pandas, Giant, 1 46, 1 47
1 59
Panthers, 73, 74
Parakeets, 64
Carol ina, 58, 58
Parrots, 56, 64
Owl, 64, 64
Pel icans, Brown, l 03, I 03,
1 21
Penguins, Galapagos, 1 1 9
Pesticides, 86
Pigeons, Passenger, 58,
60, 60
Plankton, 98-99, 99, 1 37
Platypus, 96, 96
Plovers, Piping, 94-95,
94
1 60
Shark, Whole, 98
Sifokos, 1 33, 1 33
Sloths, 54
Three-toed, 66, 67
Snakes, 54
Solenodons, 1 26, 1 26
Sparrows
Cope Sable, 95, 95
Dusky Seaside, 95
Spheno dons . See Tuotaras
Stel ler, Georg, 1 38
Streams, 85-97
Swans, Trumpeter, 1 40,
1 40
Taiga, 50
Tokohes, 1 24, 1 24
Tomaraw, 1 29, 1 2 9
Tomorins, 80, 80
Tapirs, 76, 77
Baird's, 76
Brazilian, 76
Malayan, 76, 77
Mountain, 76
Teal , Madagascar, 1 1 3
Thylocines. See Wolves,
Tasmanian
Tigers, 72, 72
Benga l , 72
Siberian, 72
Tinamous, 62
Barred , 62
Block-headed, 62
Variegated, 63
Topsoil, erosion of, 85-86
Tortoises, 45, 45
Desert, 45
Galapagos, 1 1 8- 1 1 9,
Tuoto ros, 1 1 6, 1 1 6
Tu rtles
Atlantic Ridley, 1 02
Green, l 02, 1 02
Hawksbill, 7, l 02
Leatherback, 1 02
Loggerhead, l 02
Uakoris, 83, 83
Vertebrates, 6
Vicuiios, 1 48 - 1 49, 1 4 9
Wallabies
Hare, 24, 25
Rock, 24
Warblers
Bachman's, 95, 95
Ki rtland's, 65, 65
Wetlands, 85-97, 86, 87
Whales
Antarctic baleen, l 06
Blue, 98, 1 08 - 1 09,
1 08- 1 09
Gray, 1 09
Wildebeests, Black. See
Gnus, Wh ite-to i led
Wolf, Gray. See Wolves,
Timber
Wolves
Maned, 30, 3 1
Red, 70-7 1 , 70
Tasmanian, 1 25, 1 25
Timber, 70, 7 1
Wombat, Hairy-nosed, I 0
Woodpeckers
I m perial, 59
Ivory-bil led, 59, 59
Pileated, 59
Red-cockaded, 59, 59
Yaks, 1 53, 1 53
1 1 8- J 1 9
Zebra, Grevy's, I I
Zoos, modern, 1 2
A B C D E F
ENDANGERED ANIMALS
A GOLDEN GUIDE
GEORGE S . FICHTER authored, co-authored, or edited a
number of Golden Guides and Golden Junior Guides, as well as
many other adult and j uvenile nature and science books.
KRISTIN KEST has been painting for over ten years and has
illustrated a number of nature guides for children. Her work on
by
the
Society
of
Children's
Book
Illustrators .
A GOLDEN GUIDE
24501
Ti