WHY DO SPECIES BECOME ENDANGERED?

The purpose of this activity is to raise awareness of different threats that cause plant and animal species to be classified as threatened or endangered. Suitable Grade Level: 4th – 8th

Materials and Resources:• Copies of Endangered Species Scenario Cards (one set per student group)• Index Cards• Markers

Learning Activities…• Divide students into groups of 3 – 4 and provide each group with a set of Endangered Species Scenario

Cards. Explain to students that they need to read each card and, as a group, discuss what each has in common or what similarities are shared based upon the reasons for being endangered.

• Once the students have categorized the cards, ask them to create a label for each category and write the labels on the index cards provided.

• Allow each group the opportunity to share and discuss the way they sort and label their endangered species cards.

• Introduce students to the acronym HIPPO, which stands for the five basic reasons that a species becomes threatened or endangered. Ask students if any of their category labels match these five threats. As a class, sort each card into the category that it best fits. Create a graphic organizer on poster board,paste on the endangered species cards and display in your classroom.

SNOW LEOPARD Panthera uncialEndangered (IUCN Red List)

Snow leopards live in the high, rugged mountains of Asia. Humans moving into the area with livestock allowed their animals to over-graze. This action limited food for wild sheep and goats, which are the main food source of snow leopards.

PYGMY RABBIT Brachylagus idahoensisEndangered (US FWS)Pygmy rabbits are found in the sagebrush plains of the Northwest USA, where loose soil allows them to dig their own burrows. As more and more land is being used for farming, pygmy rabbits are being pushed out of their home range.

LEATHERBACK SEA TURTLE Dermochelys coriaceaCrtitically Endangered (IUCN Red List)The leatherback is the largest turtle in the world. Leatherbacks face many challenges in their natural habitat, both on the beaches where they nest and in the waters where they live. Plastics are often mistaken for food and eaten, causing digestion problems.

LOWLAND GORILLA Gorilla gorillaCrtitically Endangered (IUCN Red List)Gorillas live in the forests of Africa where the trees are being cut down for their wood. The roads made by logging companies provide hunters with access to remote areas where gorillas live. Logging of trees and demand for gorilla meat threaten their survival.

CAPE FEAR SHINER Notropis mekistocholasCrtitically Endangered (IUCN Red List)Native to the Cape Fear River of central North Carolina, the Cape Fear shiner is found in only five small populations. Threat-ened by pesticide and fertilizer runoff into streams and rivers, the Cape Fear shiner numbers appear to be very low.

BALI MYNAH Leucopsar rothschildiCrtitically Endangered (IUCN Red List)Bali mynahs live in a small region on the Indonesian island of Bali. Although they once flourished in their habitat, less than 25 are left in the wild. These beautiful birds are being trapped by poachers for the pet trade and their habitat is being destroyed by logging.

ROAN MOUNTAIN BLUET Houstonia MontanaEndangered (US FWS)A native plant of the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina, Roan Mountain bluet is vanish-ing from its wild habitat. Many people come to these mountains to hike, rock climb and enjoy the beautiful scenery. As a result of the increased human traffic, many plants are trampled.

NORTHERN ROCKHOPPER PENGUINEudyptes MoseleyiEndangered (IUCN Red List)Northern Rockhopper penguins live on the rocky coasts of islands in the Southern Ocean, where fish are an abundant food source. Fishing boats often leak oil into the waters while catching fish. Oil coats the feathers of the penguins, making it difficult to swim and hunt fish.

RED WOLF Canis rufusCritically Endangered (IUCN Red List)

Once hunted to the brink of extinction, scientists have reintroduced red wolves into the wild in coastal NC. Human development and illegal hunting continue to threaten red wolf survival.

CHIMPANZEE Pan troglodytesEndangered (IUCN Red List)

At home in the forests of Africa, the chimpanzee is the closest relative of humans. As the human population continues to grow, more forest habitat is lost as land is cleared for living space and farming. Wood is also cut for firewood and building.

GIANT PANDA Ailuropoda melanoleucaEndangered (IUCN Red List)

Giant pandas live in the forests of central China where they feed on bamboo. Pandas once roamed large areas in search of their prized bamboo. Today, forests are being cleared for farming and living space, often leaving pandas ‘cut off’ from other bamboo sources.

BOG TURTLE Glyptemys muhlenbergiiEndangered (IUCN Red List)The Bog turtle is found in wetland bogs of the Eastern USA. Some plants have been introduced to these wetland habitats that are not native and don’t belong. The introduced plants often grow so fast that they take over native plants that bog turtles depend upon for food and survival.

CALIFORNIA CONDORGymnogyps californianusCrtitically Endangered (IUCN Red List)California condors once lived all along the west coast of the USA. Like other vultures, they eat carrion (the remains of dead animals). The California Condor nearly became extinct because the animals it was eating had been shot and contained lead poisoning from the bullets.

WEST INDIAN MANATEETrichechus manatusEndangered (US FWS)

Manatees can be found living in shallow waters along the coast of Florida and the Caribbean, a popular boating location for many people. Sometimes boaters don’t see manatees swimming below the surface and often hit and injure them.

SEA OTTER Enhydra lutrisEndangered (IUCN Red List)Sea otters inhabit coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean. One threat to sea otters is oil spills from large boats. Since otters don’t have blubber they depend upon their fur for insulation. Oil can coat the fur, preventing otters from staying warm.

POLAR BEAR Ursus maritimusVulnerable (IUCN Red List)

Polar bears live in Arctic areas and depend upon sea ice for hunting and breeding. Warming temperatures are causing sea ice to shrink, limiting opportunities to find food for survival.

Habitat refers to the place where an animal or plant species lives. This habi-tat consists of an appropriate mixture of four elements: food, water, shelter, and space. All species must have adequate habitat in order to survive. Loss of habitat is the number one reason species become endangered. Today, nearly every type of habitat is impacted by changes in land use (e.g. roads, housing, industrial development).

When non-native plants or animals are introduced into an area, they may disturb the natural balance of the ecosystem. Introduced species may over-populate an area, compete with native species for food, carry diseases for which native species may have no immunity, and prey upon native species that have no defense against the invader. This often drives out other species and causes numerous other problems.

Pollution from pesticides, burning coal, oil and gas, industrial plants and automobile emissions all impact wildlife populations. The Bald Eagle, our national symbol, is just one example of how pollution can cause a decline in wildlife populations. Bald Eagles became endangered largely due to the pesticide DDT. The pesticide caused eagles and many other birds to lay thin-shelled eggs that could not survive and often cracked. This pesticide is now banned in the United States. Deformed frogs are being discovered around the world. Scientists have several theories to explain the malformations and declines in frog populations, includ-ing one implicating pollution. Damage to the earth’s ozone layer allows increased amounts of ultraviolet radiation to enter the earth’s atmosphere. Scientists fear that the additional UV light could be damaging not only to frogs but to humans as well.

It took the entire history of humankind for the population to reach 1 billion around 1810. By 1930, this doubled to 2 billion people. Today there are over 6 billion people. As human population continues to grow so does the need for space for housing and food to accommodate needs. Wild animals and wild spaces in the United States, which were formerly isolated, must now cross paths with humans who have moved into their former territories.

Because of human over-consumption of the earth's resources, the world is losing wild places and wildlife as the demand for food, minerals, lumber, and other resources increases. We are using Earth’s natural resources in an unsus-tainable way, meaning we are using the resources faster than the Earth can produce them.It is important for us to be aware of the difference between our wants and needs. We should consider how our consumer choices can lessen our negative impact on the environment. If we want to protect nature, then this could be a “want” we prioritize over our desire of material goods we don’t really need.

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