Endangered Animals 6 Articles

ARTICLE-A-DAY

Check articles you have read: Leaping Lemurs! 233 words

Panda Power! 292 words

Elephant Tales 466 words

Reefs at Risk 237 words

Reef Rescue 466 words

America's Bird Soars 335 words

Trouble in the Ocean 329 words

Deadly or Dead?: Animals in Lake Turkana 209 words

Endangered Animals at a Glance 337 words

Bear Care 914 words

Leaping Lemurs!

Robert Zingg

A new Lemur has scientists jumping.

Scientists are thrilled about some tiny, furry finds. They have discovered two new species of lemurs on Madagascar, an island located off the southeast coast of Africa.

The endangered animals are found only in Madagascar and a few of the country's nearby islands. Madagascar is home to some of the world's most exotic, or unusual, plants and animals. Lemurs live mainly in forest trees and are nocturnal, or active at night.

One of the newly discovered creatures has wide eyes, is small enough to fit in a hand, and bounces from tree branch to tree branch in the dark. Its name in Malagasy means "good man." Malagasy is the official language of Madagascar. The animal was named after scientist Steve Goodman. He has been studying the tiny creatures in Madagascar for 20 years. It is truly an honor to have an animal named after me," says Goodman.

The other species is a giant mouse lemur with a bushy tail. It was named in honor of Madagascar's children. Its name in Malagasy means "child." The scientists chose that name to remind Madagascar's children to care for the many plants and animals in their country.

Finding a new lemur species is rare because many of the tiny creatures have become extinct. The recent find means that there are now 49 known species of lemurs in the wild.

Panda Power!

Note: This article was first published in 2009. Scientists put on their detective hats in search of giant pandas.

World Almanac for Kids

Giant Panda

Scientists were on the case! They collected clues. The scientists saw paw prints in the mud and fur on the bark of trees. What were they doing? Counting giant pandas!

After four years, the detective work is done. During that time, scientists figured out how many pandas live in China. All wild giant pandas live in that country.

"Pandas are very hard to see in the wild," scientist Colby Loucks told Weekly Reader. "They hide in the thick bamboo forests." That is why scientists used clues to do the count.

The result of the panda count was a surprise to scientists. They learned that hundreds more pandas exist than experts once thought! "We found pandas living in areas we didn't know had any," said Loucks.

Protecting Pandas

Although the news is good, pandas remain endangered. That means they are in danger of dying out.

Panda Fun Facts

· A panda spends 14 hours a day eating up to 83 pounds of bamboo. · A newborn panda weighs 3 to 4 ounces. That is about the weight of a hamster. · A panda's front paws have a wrist bone. The bone works like a thumb. The panda uses it to grasp bamboo.

The main threat to pandas is habitat loss. A habitat is a place in nature where an animal lives. Panda habitat is lost when people cut down parts of the forest for wood and farming.

Currently, China has more than 40 giant panda nature centers. People are not allowed to cut down trees there. Scientists want to create more nature centers to give pandas a better chance for survival.

Elephant Tales

Note: This article was first published in 2009.

NOAA.gov

Scientists are trying to find out how elephants communicate.

Shirley, a 4-ton elephant, has something to say. She opens her mouth and gurgles. The nearby elephants understand the sound, but it's just noise to me.

What exactly is Shirley saying? Scientists are not sure, but they are trying to find out how elephants like Shirley communicate. I visited Shirley at the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee. A sanctuary is an area in nature where wildlife is protected. The sanctuary is home to Shirley and five other elephants-Bunny, Jenny, Sissy, Tarra, and Winkie. All six animals were once in zoos or circuses. Now they roam freely on 2,700 acres of grassland and woods.

A Noisy Group

Not all the elephants at the sanctuary gurgle like Shirley. Tarra barks like a sea lion when she is happy. Bunny speaks in squeaks. I soon got used to hearing the different "voices" of the

ReadWorks.org Copyright © 2003 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission.Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation. Page 5 of 21 Elephant Tales elephants. When one gray giant came close to me, I wondered which elephant it was. Then I heard the thwap sound of her trunk slapping the floor. "Aha!" I said to myself. "That's Sissy clapping." I also learned that the elephants share a special language of screeches, rumbles, and trumpet-like sounds.

Elephants also communicate in a way that people cannot hear. Infrasound is a sound that is too low in pitch for the human ear to pick up. Scientists believe that elephant infrasound can travel for miles. Elephants in a herd use it to keep in touch when they become separated.

Old Friends

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Asian elephants are endangered.

The elephants speak to one another for the same reasons people talk. Sometimes they even shout with excitement. When Shirley first came to the sanctuary, Jenny looked at her and

ReadWorks.org Copyright © 2003 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission.Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation. Page 6 of 21 Elephant Tales began to roar. Shirley roared back. At first, the animal keepers had no idea what the fuss was about. Later, they discovered that Shirley and Jenny had crossed paths 20 years earlier in a circus. The elephants' roars meant they still recognized each other. They had a lot of catching up to do!

Elephants at Risk

There are two species, or kinds, of elephants-Asian and African. In the wild, both species are endangered. Animals are endangered when so few exist that the species may die out. In 1970, almost 2 million Asian elephants lived in the wild in Southeast Asia. Now only 25,600 to 32,750 live there. Their habitat, or home, is being gradually destroyed. As the population grows, humans are building on more of the land. In Africa, only half as many wild elephants exist today as lived there 20 years ago. Humans have illegally killed the animals for their tusks. Tusks are the long, curved front teeth of elephants.

Reefs at Risk

Hundreds of clownfish dart in and out of the gaps in coral reefs. The reefs are home to thousands of ocean plants and animals. Along with fish, those animals include crabs, turtles, and sea horses.

Those ocean creatures may have no place to live in the future. Many coral reefs around the world have been destroyed, and many more are being destroyed. Some scientists say more than half of the world's reefs may be gone by the year 2030.

What is causing coral reefs to disappear? Scientists say people are largely to blame. Ships and fishing nets often damage the reefs. Other threats include pollution, storms, and disease.

It's Alive! NOAA Coral reefs may look like rocks, but they are actually living Coral reefs are home to thousands of ocean plants and animals. structures. They are made up of tiny sea animals. Those tiny creatures are called coral polyps.

The polyps build hard shells around themselves. When a polyp dies, it leaves behind its shell. Young polyps attach themselves to the old shells. Over many years, the polyps form a coral reef.

Saving the Reefs

Scientists are working hard to protect coral reefs. They are mapping and studying the reefs. Many protected areas are being widened. Fishing is not allowed in those areas. Solving the coral reef problem is a challenge, said one scientist. "It requires us to understand what's going on much better than we do."

Reef Rescue

Leigh Haeger

Australia is often called "the land down under." That's because it lies in the Southern Hemisphere.

The hit movie Finding Nemo follows a clownfish that is scooped up from the Great Barrier Reef.

In real life, clownfish are among the thousands of colorful sea creatures that call the Great Barrier Reef home.

Stretching 1,250 miles along Australia's northeastern coast, the Great Barrier Reef is the longest coral reef in the world. A coral reef is a living underwater structure.

But these days, the Great Barrier Reef has found itself in trouble. Overfishing, pollution, and high temperatures are harming its health. That's why the government in Australia is trying to help rescue the reef.

Underwater Garden

While coral may look like a plant, it is actually made up of tiny sea animals. Those sea animals are called coral polyps.

As polyps die, they leave hard shells behind. Other polyps grow on top of the shells. Over thousands of years, they form a coral reef in warm water that is not very deep.

In many ways, the Great Barrier Reef resembles an underwater garden. Coral can be hard or

ReadWorks.org Copyright © 2009 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission.Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation. Page 9 of 21 Reef Rescue soft. It forms in different colors and in strange shapes. Some coral looks like hardened brains. Other coral looks like fans and lettuces. The reef bursts with schools of tropical fish, darting among gaps in the coral.

The reef supplies food and shelter to creatures living in and around the coral. Turtles, sharks, sea horses, and crabs are among its many inhabitants.

Helping Humans

While the reef is important to ocean life, it helps humans, too. People rely on the reef for both food and jobs. It also provides medicine used to treat disease. Each year, the Great Barrier Reef contributes about $975 million to the economy through tourism and fishing.

Stressed Out

Is it surprising, then, that the Great Barrier Reef is under too much stress? Fishing nets and ships break off sections and damage the reef. Air and water pollution are also doing harm. At the same time, warmer sea temperatures have caused coral bleaching on half of the reef. The high temperatures cause the coral to turn white, often killing it.

Reef Rescue

In an effort to help save the reef, the government has limited fishing to two-thirds of it. That plan increases the number of "green zones." Those are areas that are off-limits to fishermen and boats. However, tourists and researchers can still visit them. Many fishermen are upset about the plan because they rely on the reef for jobs.

The Australian government says that its plan will help keep the reef safe from some threats. "It is very important that we give the reef proper protection for the future," said one government official. "The reef is Australia's greatest natural [treasure]."

America's Bird Soars

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Bald eagle.

The bald eagle is flying high! This majestic bird clawed its way back from the edge of extinction, or dying out.

In the middle of the 20th century, the number of bald eagles in the United States was declining rapidly. Thus, the species was put on the nation's list of endangered species. In 2007, however, the bald eagle was taken off the endangered species list.

Trouble Ahead

In the early 1700s, bald eagles were a common sight. There were about half a million of those birds living in what is now the United States.

Over time, their population fell dramatically. In the early 1960s, a very low amount of bald eagles remained.

What caused the number to drop? Hunting and the use of harmful chemicals sprayed on crops were largely to blame. Those chemicals poisoned the birds and their eggs.

Pollution also contributed to the problem. Bald eagles often became sick after eating fish from polluted waters.

In addition, the bald eagles' habitat was being destroyed as people cut down trees to build roads and homes. A habitat is a place in nature where an animal makes its home.

Population Boom

Thanks to laws that helped protect bald eagles and banned harmful chemicals, the birds made a comeback. In 2007, the population of bald eagles living in the United States reached about 20,000, and they were taken off the endangered species list.

Conservation, or protection, efforts have helped their survival. "There is no doubt that it is the single best conservation story the United States has had," bald eagle expert Bryan Watts told Weekly Reader.

A National Symbol

In 1782, the bald eagle was made the national bird of the United States. The nation's founders chose the bird because it symbolized freedom, strength, and courage. At the time, some people disagreed about the choice for the national bird. Benjamin Franklin, for example, thought the turkey would make a better choice because it was "a much more respectable bird."

Endangered Animals at a Glance Back to the Wild

Not all the news is bad about endangered animals. In the United States, dozens of endangered animals have been making a comeback. Here are few of them:

Gray Wolf: By the 1970s, the gray wolf had all but vanished from Yellowstone National Park. In 1995 and 1996, federal biologists brought 66 wolves from Canada and set them free in the wilderness areas of the park and central Idaho. Today, about 285 gray wolves live in central Idaho, and 271 more roam Yellowstone.

Bald Eagle: Before Europeans came to North America, the sky was teeming with bald eagles. As settlers moved west, they destroyed the eagles' natural habitat. Egg collectors and pesticides almost wiped out the bald eagle population.

However, about 30 years ago the federal government passed laws to protect the eagles. Today, more than 7,678 pairs of bald eagles live in the lower United States.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Grizzly Bear

Grizzly Bear: In the 1800s, an estimated 50,000 grizzly bears roamed the West. Today, the

ReadWorks.org Copyright © 2007 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission.Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation. Page 13 of 21 Endangered Animals at a Glance bears are making a comeback in several Western areas, including Yellowstone Park.

Can Zoos Help Save Endangered Animals?

Emi is a crowd-pleasing Sumatran rhinoceros at the Cincinnati Zoo. Why is she so popular? In 2004, Emi gave birth to Suci, a healthy, wide-eyed female calf.

Although most visitors to the zoo enjoy gazing at Emi and Suci, scientists are happy for another reason. Suci's arrival brings scientists a step closer to pulling the Sumatran rhinoceros back from the edge of extinction.

As the populations of wild animals dwindle, conservationists are hoping that they can breed animals in zoos and later release them into the wild.

Scientists have reintroduced at least 19 species to the wild from captivity. For example, by 1985 only nine wild California condors were living in that state. Biologists captured all nine and began a captive breeding program. sxc.hu As of July 2005, the number of condors increased to 280, Sumatran rhinoceros with more than 120 living in the wild.

Bear Care by Stephen Fraser

Lisa Stevens oversees two of the Smithsonian zoo's most popular residents: the giant pandas.

No more than 2,000 giant pandas exist in the world. So Lisa Stevens has one of the most specialized and critical jobs in her field. She is the curator of pandas at the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. The zoo is home to two giant pandas: Tian Tian, a 13-year-old male, and Mei Xiang, a 12-yearold female. Current Science spoke with Stevens about the challenges of keeping giant pandas and what has been learned at the zoo about the species.

Current Science: Did giant pandas fascinate you as a child? Lisa Stevens: I was fascinated by animals in general, though mostly insects and reptiles. I grew up in Thailand and Japan in tropical environments.

CS: What was your major in college? Stevens: I have a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology Jessie Cohen/National Zoo [the scientific study of animals] from Michigan State Lisa Stevens feeds one of her celebrity charges. Giant pandas will eat carrots, apples, sugarcane, and sweet University. potatoes in addition to bamboo.

CS: How did you get the job at the zoo? Stevens: I was volunteering at the Smithsonian insect zoo and contemplating veterinary school or graduate studies in entomology [the scientific study of insects] when I heard about a panda keeper position at the zoo.

CS: Are giant pandas considered bears? Stevens: Yes, giant pandas are bears. That was established in 1987 through DNA analysis.

CS: What features make giant pandas like, and unlike, other bears? Stevens: Like other bears, giant pandas have the same body structure and are primarily solitary as adults. Unlike other bears, which are primarily omnivorous [eat plants and animals], pandas feed almost exclusively on bamboo.

Most bears consume high-energy foods that enable them to slow down and stay in their dens throughout the winter. But bamboo is a low-energy food, so pandas have to eat all year round. They can't hibernate.

Giant pandas are also unique in terms of the presence of a broadened skull and molars [teeth that have deep grooves and ridges for crushing or grinding food], as well as pseudo-thumbs. A pseudo-thumb is not a finger but a bony extension of one of the wrist bones. It assists the panda in grasping and manipulating bamboo stalks.

CS: Mei Xiang and Tian Tian have produced only one surviving cub. Why is it so difficult to breed giant pandas in captivity? Stevens: They are difficult to breed because females ovulate [release eggs] only once a year and are fertile [able to conceive] for just two days. Some mammals have more than one period of fertility in a year. Human females are fertile once a month.

CS: What has been discovered about giant pandas at your zoo? Stevens: Giant pandas regularly experience false pregnancies. A false pregnancy is a state in which a female exhibits symptoms of pregnancy but is not pregnant. We looked at hormones in the urine, which showed that the female panda's body goes through the same hormonal changes whether she is pregnant or not. There is still not a test to tell whether a panda is truly pregnant. Scientists are still working on this.

We also learned how to monitor the health of newborn cubs by counting their vocalizations. Newborn pandas are noisy when they are healthy. We counted the number of squeals and grunts to monitor their activity. This is important because panda cubs are tucked under their mothers' large arms and are difficult to see.

CS: Are you allowed to interact with the pandas? If so, how do the pandas respond to you? Stevens: Yes. I interact with them through protective barriers. They are comfortable with the keeper staff and me. They are primarily interested in us as food providers.

CS: Why are giant pandas rare in the wild? Stevens: The giant panda evolved its specialized bamboo diet during a time when the bamboo forests were plentiful throughout China and Southeast Asia. That specialization has made the species vulnerable to habitat loss due to human activities.

CS: What is the National Zoo doing to help panda conservation? Stevens: We are working with our Chinese colleagues to establish wildlife management and research programs in the reserves in China so that there is effective conservation for giant pandas, their habitat, KRT/Newscom and all the other animals that depend on that forest. We also provide funds to help build roads and provide offices, laboratories, and housing so that park staff can live near and actually get into the reserves to study and monitor animals.

CS: What is the most difficult part of your job? Stevens: When animals get sick or die.

CS: What is the most rewarding part of your job? Stevens: It's rewarding to go home in the evening and know that your animals were given the best of care. It's rewarding to light a fire for conservation in a person's heart, whether it is a child or an adult.

CS: What would you tell a young person who wants to pursue a career in zoos? Stevens: Study the sciences, and get lots of hands-on experience-at riding stables, humane societies, vet clinics, and the like. Read, read, read, and watch animal-related programming. Volunteer in your spare time to help a conservation or animal-care group.

AP Images

Above: Mei Xiang and her cub Tai Shan, who now lives in China. Left: Tai Shan eating bamboo

Trouble in the Ocean Save the Ocean Animals

Some sea creatures need help.

Many kinds of animals live in the ocean. Some of those animals are endangered. That means they are in danger of dying out. Only a few are left in the world. Scientists are trying to keep endangered animals safe.

Green Sea Turtle

The green sea turtle lives in warm waters. An adult green sea turtle eats mostly plants. It can weigh up to 440 pounds. Its shell can grow to 4 feet long. A green sea turtle can't pull its head into its shell the way some turtles can.

Why are green sea turtles endangered? People hunt them for their meat and eggs. The turtles also get trapped Pacific Stock/SuperStock in nets used to catch fish. Pollution hurts the turtles too. If turtles eat trash, it can kill them.

Blue Whale

The blue whale is the largest animal in the world. It is as big as an airplane. The whale can grow to 90 feet long and weigh more than 100 tons. A ton is equal to 2,000 pounds.

The blue whale lives in all the oceans. It eats tiny animals Denis Scott/Corbis called krill. A blue whale can eat about 4 tons of krill each

day.

Blue whales are endangered. People once hunted them for their meat and fat. The fat was used to make oil for lamps. Special laws now protect blue whales. People no longer hunt them.

Great White Shark

The great white shark is the largest meat-eating shark. It grows to about 15 feet long. It weighs up to 5,000 pounds. The shark has rows of long, sharp teeth. It eats fish, dolphins, seals, and other ocean animals.

Great white sharks are often found in waters near the coast. A coast is land next to the ocean.

People are a threat to great white sharks. People hunt them for their teeth, jaws, and meat. The sharks also get Stephen Frink/Science Faction/Corbis caught in fishing nets.

Deadly or Dead?: Animals in Lake Turkana by ReadWorks

Photo Credit: User:Doron, CC-BY-SA-3.0

photograph of Lake Turkana

Lake Turkana is a lake in Kenya's desert. Dry land surrounds the lake. Lake Turkana is very important because it is where many people get their water. It is also a place where some animals breed. Breeding is when animals mate and have babies.

One animal that breeds in Lake Turkana is the Nile crocodile. Nile crocodiles are large and deadly animals. Every year, around 200 people are killed by these crocodiles! Venomous snakes also breed in Lake Turkana. Like Nile crocodiles, venomous snakes can be deadly. Their bites can kill people. Since deadly animals live in Lake Turkana, it is not the best place to go for a swim.

photograph of a Nile crocodile

These animals are in danger, though. Lake Turkana might dry up! The Omo River sends water to Lake Turkana. But Ethiopia is building a dam that might stop Omo River from going into Lake Turkana. Many people are upset that Ethiopia is building the dam. They are afraid that the animals in the lake will die. They are also afraid that the land will get too dry to farm on.

Photo Credit: wfeiden, CC BY-SA 2.0

photograph of land around Lake Turkana