ASIAN ELEPHANT AND AFRICAN ELEPHANT ENDANGERED SPECIES. Throughout history, the elephant has played an important role in human economies, religion, and culture.Elephant: an Endangered Species. ASIAN ELEPHANT AND AFRICAN ELEPHANTThroughout history, the elephant has played an important role in human economies, religion, and culture. The immense size, strength, and stature of this largest living land animal has intrigued people of many cultures for hundreds of years. In Asia, elephants have served as beasts of burden in war and peace. An Endangered (EN) species is a species which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as likely to become extinct. Some civilizations have regarded elephants as gods, and they have been symbols of royalty for some. Elephants have entertained us in circuses and festivals around the world. For centuries, the elephant’s massive tusks have been prized for their ivory. The African elephant once roamed the entire continent of Africa, and the Asian elephant ranged from Syria to northern China and the islands of Indonesia. These abundant populations have been reduced to groups in scattered areas south of the Sahara and in isolated patches in India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia. Any species of plant, animal, or other organism that is at risk of extinction because of a sudden rapid decrease in its population or a loss of its critical habitat. Approximately 2,245 species are listed as endangered or threatened under the ESA. Of these species, about 650 are foreign species, found only in areas. World Wildlife Fund - The leading organization in wildlife conservation and endangered species. Learn how you can help WWF make a difference. ENDANGERED SPECIES Understanding the status of endangered species. Woodland Park Zoo is home to more than 50 threatened species. These wildlife ambassadors remind us. Citation: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015-4. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 25 March 2016. Disclaimer: To make use of this information. Get information, facts, and pictures about endangered species at Encyclopedia.com. Make research projects and school reports about endangered species easy with. Demand for ivory, combined with habitat loss from human settlement, has led to a dramatic decline in elephant populations in the last few decades. In 1. 93. 0, there were between 5 and 1. African elephants. By 1. 97. 9, there were 1. In 1. 98. 9, when they were added to the international list of the most endangered species, there were about 6. Asian elephants were never as abundant as their African cousins, and today they are even more endangered than African elephants. At the turn of the century, there were an estimated 2. Asian elephants. Today there are probably no more than 3. Description. At first glance, African and Asian elephants appear the same. An informed eye, however, can distinguish the two species. An African bull elephant (adult male) can weigh as much as 1. Its smaller relative, the Asian elephant, averages 5,0. The African elephant is sway- backed and has a tapering head, while the Asian elephant is hump- backed and has a huge, domed head. Probably the most interesting difference between the two species is their ears. Oddly, the African elephant’s large ears match the shape of the African continent, and the Asian elephant’s smaller ears match the shape of India. Elongated incisors (front teeth), more commonly known as tusks, grow up to 7 inches (1. All elephants have tusks, except for female Asian elephants. The largest of the African bulls’ tusks can weigh as much as 1. Most animals this big, however, are gone; they were the first to be killed for their ivory. Most African elephants live on the savanna, but some live in forests or even deserts. Most Asian elephants live in forests. As herbivores (plant eaters), elephants consume grass, foliage, fruit, branches, twigs, and tree bark. Elephants spend three- quarters of its day eating, and they eats as much as 4. For this task, they have only four teeth for chewing. In the hot climates of their native habitats, elephants need about 5. Elephants boast the largest nose in the world, which is actually part nose and part upper lip. It is a large natural hose, with a six- gallon (2. Role in the Ecosystem. Elephants are considered a Keystone species in the African landscape. They pull down trees, break up bushes, create salt licks, dig waterholes, and forge trails. Other animals, including humans, like the pygmies of the Central African Republic, depend on the openings elephants create in the forest and brush and in the waterholes they dig. Even elephant droppings are important to the environment. Baboons and birds pick through dung for undigested seeds and nuts, and dung beetles reproduce in these deposits. The nutrient- rich manure replenishes depleted soil. Finally, it is a vehicle for seed dispersal. Some seeds will not germinate unless they have passed through an elephant’s digestive system. Behavior. Wild elephants have strong family ties. The females and young are social, living in groups under the leadership of an older female or matriarch. Adult males are solitary, although they stay in contact with the females over great distances, using sounds well below the range of human hearing. Family groups communicate with each other using these low- frequency vibrations. It is an eerie sight to see several groups converging on a waterhole from miles apart, apparently by some prearranged signal, when human observers have heard nothing. The natural lifespan of an elephant, about 7. Elephants reach breeding age at about 1. Females generally give birth to one 2. Elephants and Humans. Humans first tamed Asian elephants more than 4,0. In the past, humans used elephants in war. Elephants have been called the “predecessors to the tank” because of their immense size and strength. They were important to military supply lines as recently as the Vietnam War in the 1. Although African elephants are harder to train than Asian, they too have worked for humans, mostly during wartime. For example, the elephants that carried Hannibal’s troops across the Alps to attack the Romans in 2. B. C. were African. In modern times humans use elephants primarily for heavy jobs like hauling logs. An elephant is the ultimate off- road vehicle and can get tremendous traction even on slippery mud. An elephant actually walks on its toes, aided by a great flesh- heel pad that can conform to the ground. In some remote areas of Southeast Asia it is still more economical to use elephants for work than it is to use modern machinery. Scientific researchers use elephants for transportation in the hard- to- reach, swampy areas they study, and tourists ride elephants to view wildlife in Asian reserves. Elephants are the ideal mobile viewing platform in the tall grass found in many parks. Asia has always had a strong cultural connection to the elephant. In Chinese, the phrase “to ride an elephant” sounds the same as the word for happiness. When Thailand was called Siam, the sacred White Elephant dominated the flag and culture. According to Thai legend, in the beginning all elephants were white and flew through the air, like the clouds and rain. Thousands of years later, a white elephant entered the side of Queen Sirimahamaya as she lay sleeping. Later she gave birth to Prince Siddhartha, the future Guatama Buddha. Among the predominantly Buddhist kingdoms of Southeast Asia, the most auspicious event possible during a monarch’s reign was the finding of a white elephant. Causes of Endangerment. Habitat Loss. Elephants need a large amount of habitat because they eat so much. Humans have become their direct competitors for living space. Human populations in Africa and Asia have quadrupled since the turn of the century, the fastest growth rate on the planet. Forest and savanna habitat has been converted to cropland, pastureland for livestock, and timber for housing and fuel. Humans do not regard elephants as good neighbors. When humans and elephants live close together, elephants raid crops, and rogue elephants (aggressive male elephants during the breeding season) rampage through villages. Local people shoot elephants because they fear them and regard them as pests. Some countries have established culling programs: park officials or hunters kill a predetermined number of elephants to keep herds manageable and minimize human- elephant conflicts. Overexploitation. Hunting has been a major cause of the decline in elephant populations. Elephants became prized trophies for big- game hunters after Europeans arrived in Africa. More recently, and more devastatingly, hunters have slaughtered elephants for their ivory tusks. The ivory trade became a serious threat to elephants in the 1. A sudden oil shortage caused the world economy to collapse, and ivory became more valuable than gold. In fact, ivory has been called “white gold” because it is beautiful, easily carved, durable, and pleasing to the touch. Most of the world’s ivory is carved in Japan, Hong Kong, and other Asian countries, where skilled carvers depend on a supply of ivory for their livelihoods. Hunting elephants is no longer legal in many African countries, but poaching was widespread until very recently. For many the high price of ivory, about $1. Local people often had few other ways to make a living, and subsistence farmers or herders could make more by selling the tusks of one elephant than they could make in a dozen years of farming or herding. As the price of ivory soared, poachers became more organized, using automatic weapons, motorized vehicles, and airplanes to chase and kill thousands of elephants. To governments and revolutionaries mired in civil wars and strapped for cash, poaching ivory became a way to pay for more firearms and supplies. Poaching has caused the collapse of elephants‘ social structure as well as decimating their numbers. Poachers target the biggest elephants because their tusks are larger. They often kill all the adults in the group, leaving young elephants without any adults to teach them migration routes, dry- season water sources, and other learned behavior. Many of Africa’s remaining elephant groups are leaderless subadults and juveniles. Conservation Actions. There are many national parks or reserves in Africa where elephant habitat is protected. Many people believe, however, that the parks are not large enough and are too isolated from each other to allow elephant populations to recover. See Island Biogeography). Some countries are developing refuges linked by corridors to allow seasonal migration and genetic exchange. Human use of the same land to grow crops, however, makes it difficult to create linkages between reserves without increasing conflicts between humans and elephants. Sometimes reserves are too successful. When there are too many elephants in a reserve for the available vegetation, they destroy the habitat. They also forage outside the park and destroy crops. One factor that has convinced African governments to take strong measures to protect elephants is the rising importance of the tourist trade to their economies. Kenya alone receives $5. Endangered Species - Woodland Park Zoo Seattle WAUnderstanding the status of endangered species. Woodland Park Zoo is home to more than 5. These wildlife ambassadors remind us what’s at stake in a world under pressure, and inspire us to take action. While browsing this website, you’ll encounter the following terms used to describe the state of species populations in the wild: When terms such as "endangered", "threatened" or "extinct" are used, they refer to the current state of conditions a population of a species exists in in the wild. Categories used for status on this site. Known only to survive in captivity or in an introduced population outside its natural range. Facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. Facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild. Facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. Does not qualify for one of the other categoires, but is close to qualifying or likely to qualify in the near future. Does not qualify for any other category and is currently widespread or abundant. Not evaluated, or not enough data exists to make an accurate determination of status. Endangered Species at the Zoo. Birds. Bali (Rothschild’s) mynah (Leucopsar rothschildi) Brown eared- pheasant (Crossoptilon mantchuricum)Blyth's tragopan (Tragopan blythii blythii) Cabot’s tragopan (Tragopan caboti) Edward’s pheasant (Lophura edwardsi)Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) Himalayan impeyan pheasant (Lophophorus impeyans)Hooded crane (Grus monacha)Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboltdi)Manchurian (red- crowned) crane (Grus japonensis)Northern helmeted curassow (Pauxi pauxi pauxi)Northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina)Palawan peacock pheasant (Polyplectron emphanum) Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus)Red- breasted goose (Branta ruficollis)Red- crowned crane (Grus japonensis)White eared pheasant (Crossoptilon crossoptilon) White- naped crane (Grus vipio)Mammals. Anoa (Bubalus depressicornis)African elephant (Loxondonta africana) Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) Brown bear (grizzly) (Ursus arctos horribilis) **Golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia)Gray wolf (Canis lupus)Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis)Jaguar (Panthera onca) Lion- tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) Lowland anoa (Bubalus depressicornis) Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus)Matschie’s (Huon) tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei)Ocelot (Leopardus (Felis) paradalis) Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) Red panda (Ailurus fulgens styani)Red ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata rubra) Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus)Snow leopard (Uncia uncia) Southern pudu (Pudu pudu) Visayan warty pig (Sus cebifrons)Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) Wolf (Canis lupus)Reptiles and Amphibians. Aruba Island rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus unicolor) Black- breasted leaf turtle (Geoemyda spengleri)Dumeril’s ground boa (Boa dumerili) Egyptian tortoise (Testudo kleinmanni) Indian rock python (Python molurus molurus) Komodo dragon (Varanus komodensis) Louisiana pine snake (Pituophis ruthveni)Madagascar tree boa (Boa mandrita)Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) ** Panamanian golden frog (Atelopus zeteki) West African dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis tetraspis)Western pond turtle (Emys marmorata)** Yellow- spotted side- necked turtle (Podocnemis unifilis)Golden poison dart frog (Phyllobates terribilis)Asian box turtle (Cuora)Yellow- margined box turtle (Cuora flavomarginata)Yellow- spotted Amazon River turtle (Podocnemis unifilis)Invertebrates. Tahitian tree snails (Partula nodosa) +Oregon silverspot butterfly (Speyeria zerene hippolyta)Plants. Nepenthes spp.) 2. Orchidaceae)This list may change at any time.** Listed as endangered in Washington state but not by IUCN, USFWS or CITES+ Extinct in the wild.
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