On the brink
- POSTED ON: 12 May, 2020
- TOTAL VIEWS: 665 Views
- POSTED BY: Madhuvanti S. Krishnan
- ARTICLE POINTS: 150 Points
Leopards, tarantulas, salmon, oryx… these fascinating creatures have far more in common than just being members of the animal kingdom. They have the unfortunate distinction of also being highly endangered. Here are some of them who have made it to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) list of endangered species, in recent years.
Try your hand at this shuffle puzzle to see if you can put the picture in order.
The Mexican Orange beauty
It is a species of tarantula in Mexico, recognisable by its striking orange markings. Even as early as 2013, it was found in the country’s wild coastal region. Sadly, urbanisation coupled with how popular it is, as a pet, has led to dwindling numbers, and it officially entered the IUCN Red List as endangered, in 2018.
African oryx
Also known as the East African Beisa oryx, it was easily spotted in the bushlands and grasslands, but by the mid-1990s, it was estimated there were only 26,000 left. Until 2018, it was listed as near threatened. However, incessant hunting, livestock farming, and urban development led to its population further declining by more than 50 per cent. It is now officially endangered.
Mako shark
These fast-moving sea predators which were once vulnerable, have been move to the endangered list, since last year, largely due to excessive fishing. Although mako sharks range oceans across the earth, its population is estimated to have declined by 60 percent according to the IUCN.
Dakota skipper
This North American butterfly, currently listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, made the move from vulnerable to endangered on IUCN’s Red List last year. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, its prairie habitat has been degraded due to agriculture, controlled and wildfires, and overgrazing, and it has lost 85 to 99 percent of its original tall-grass prairie in the U.S, and Canada. Flooding, due to climate change is also a threat the species face.
Red-capped mangabey
A combination of forest destruction and heavy bushmeat hunting has pushed these beautiful, ombre-furred creatures to the brink of extinction. The red-capped mangabey moved from vulnerable to endangered in 2019 and there are barely a few thousands of them left.
Amur leopard
The Amur Leopard has been in danger for some time but more recently it’s become the rarest cat in the world as it is now listed as critically endangered: There may be as few as 40 of them left. Although they used to live in China and Korea, it’s now extinct in those areas and can only be found in remote parts of eastern Russia. Habitat destruction, poaching and climate change are primary reason for dropping numbers.