Humans are the main cause of endangering and the extinction of animals. We have been building on lands that animals call home. Fish live in oceans, beavers in woods, and eagles in trees. A habitat is where something or someone lives. Here is a list of what causes animals to be extinct:
Poaching
Losing Habitat
Overharvesting
Pollution
Invasive Species
Climate Change
We are taking wild animals every day to sell and trade for. Poaching is most severe in Africa where there are many rare species, but poachers are even getting into protected wildlife areas. They want elephants for their powerful ivory tusks, pangolins for their shielded armor scales, and rhinos for their strong horns.
Us humans are moving and creating buildings where animals live. When that happens animals have to adapt to the new habitat or move to a new place. Pigeons had to adapt to live in city buildings instead of forests. The ocean is not only important to animals but for us too. We get fish, water, and even oxygen from the ocean.
The fishing industry is increasing the amount of fish caught because of high demand and high-level fishing gear.
If you look around pollution is everywhere. In the city, there is smoke, pollen, and littering. The ocean is a bit different. Even though there may be more water than pollution, there's enough littering there to harm many animals. Here's a list of what harm they do to the sea life:
Dolphins get stuck in bottle rings and starve to death
Sea turtles mistake plastic for jellyfish and eat that instead
Sea turtles get tangled in fishing nets
Sea turtles get stuck in fishing hooks and sometimes swallow them
Whales are swallowing plastic
Isn't that enough to tell you that there's a lot of pollution out there? Use reusable bottles instead of one-use ones and do not litter wherever you are, it makes a difference! Find out more on my pollution page.
Invasive species don't have to be from another country, but they most often are. For example, trout are native to the Great Lakes but are considered invasive to the Yellowstone River. Fire ants from China have been invading the US by traveling on lumber ships and making small, perfect holes in trees and destroying the forests.
The Earth's average temperature has increased by about 2 degrees Fahrenheit during the 20th century. That may seem like a small amount, but that's a big change to the world. Ice, glaciers and even the frost is decreasing and melting. The amounts of water have been increasing normally since 1900 but some areas have been increasing too much or too little. Create YOUR to-do list and learn how YOU can help the enviornment on my animal to-do list page!
Discover more about animals with my animal quiz here!