My Science School

            The Western lowland gorilla is the most widespread of all the gorilla subspecies. They are predominantly found in the dense and remote forests of the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea. These gorillas are different from the others by their slightly smaller size and auburn chests. They have shorter hair and longer arms too. Like chimpanzees, gorillas too are smart, and they easily learn human sign language.

            Although they are found in large numbers, the Western lowland gorillas are still an endangered species. There are no data on the number of gorillas surviving, but it roughly comes to a lakh. As one can guess, some of the main reasons for this are illegal poaching, killing and habitat destruction. The gorillas are killed for the bush meat, or captured for pet trade.

            Another reason is the spread of diseases like ebola, which has caused the death of a large number of gorillas and chimpanzees.

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            Of course we have all heard of chimpanzees. But how many of us have heard that they are endangered? Not many.

            Like us, chimps are highly social and caring. They also live to be over 50, unlike many other animals. And guess what? They are the closest cousins to human beings!

            Chimpanzees are mostly seen in the plains and forests of Africa. They spend most of their time on treetops, and when they come down, walk on all four legs. They are clever apes that are even capable of using tools even. Chimps are famous as well for catching bugs using sticks, and cracking nuts using rocks.

            Unfortunately, these apes too face the threat of being reduced in number. The main risks they face are poaching, habitat loss, and diseases.

            Their meat is a primary food source in African countries, and for this reason, poaching has become very rampant in recent years. Besides, infant chimps are sold as pets. Another reason that contributes to the declining chimp population is diseases. The ebola outbreak that killed many humans, also took the lives of thousands of chimpanzees.

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            A Northern quoll, or a Northern native cat, is a carnivorous animal seen in Australia. It is the smallest of the Australian quoll species, with a body length of around 300 mm, and weight up to 1120 gm.

            They are predators that hunt mainly at night, eating small mammals, birds, reptiles, and fruits. Historically, the Northern quoll was common across the country, seen in open forests, or woodlands, or rocky areas. However, in the 1990s their population saw a sharp decline.

            Over the years, the numbers of Northern quolls have come down significantly, and this is likely to continue in the immediate future too.

            Many factors are attributed to the decline in quoll population. This includes wild fire, attack by wild cats, and poaching. And like in all other cases, destruction of habitat is yet another major problem. Then there is the threat caused by the spread of cane toads. Eating them leads to poisoning, and this has killed a large number of quolls, and other native species.

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            A siamang is a black-furred ape found in the forests of Malaysia, Sumatra, and Thailand. It is the largest of the gibbons. The arms of a siamang can spread out for as much as 1.5 metres. This makes them very smart brachiators or primates that use an arm-over-arm swinging motion to move from one tree to another.

            However, in spite of their smartness and agility, the population of siamangs is shrinking at a scary pace. The major threats faced by the apes include loss and fragmentation of habitat, and capture for the pet trade. The forests inhabited by siamangs are destroyed due to logging, developmental activities etc.

            Yet another cause of danger is capture for illegal pet trade, especially of infant siamangs. There have been cases when the highly-protective mothers were shot, just to obtain young siamangs for sale.

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            The West African giraffe, or Niger giraffe, is a subspecies of Northern giraffe found predominantly in the Sahel regions of West African.

            Like many species that are declining in population, the West African giraffe is also facing the threat of being endangered. Experts note that these herbivorous were a common sight across the Sahel and Savanna regions of West Africa until the First World War. But as the human population increased, farming and hunting became widespread and this in turn, affected the giraffes.

            However, the main reason attributed to the decline in the giraffe population is the cutting down of trees. This destroys their habitat, forcing them to move out, and sometimes, separates them.

            The giraffes are also hunted for their tails, pelt, and meat. Their tails are highly prized symbols of authority in African culture. Their thick skin has been used for making clothing, shoes, bags, belts, hats and cover for drums, and their hair, for making bracelets, necklaces and other jewellery items among African tribes.

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            Asiatic lions are among the endangered animals that face the risk of extinction due to human activities. They are also known as Indian lions.

            Asiatic lions are found only in the Gir forests of Gujarat today and the approximate population here is between 400 - 600. The government and many animal welfare organisations have worked hard to conserve this dying species for the past two decades.

            As a result, the population of Asiatic lions in the Gir Forest National Park has increased. These animals are still vulnerable to epidemics. Yet another reason that contributed to their decline is poaching. Because some of the lions live outside the protected areas, they rarely enter nearby villages, causing conflicts with human beings.

            The lion is one of five big cat species in India, along with Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, snow leopard and clouded leopard.

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            The Bengal tiger or the royal Bengal tiger is a subspecies in the tiger family found predominantly in parts of India, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.

            This wild cat is known for its power and strength. It mainly hunts animals like wild boars, deer, water buffaloes, and sometimes, rhino calves.

            However, despite their strength, Bengal tigers too, are close to being extinct. The main reasons are massive poaching and habitat loss. The tigers are killed for their skin and body parts, including bones and teeth for money and medicinal purposes. Habitat loss, which is a reason for the extinction of many animals, has caused tigers to come down to nearby villages in search of prey. This has increasingly led to a conflict between Man and tigers, as a result of which, the latter gets mostly killed.

            Bengal tigers in the Sundarbans are the only tigers that inhabit mangrove forests.

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            The Siberian or the Amur tiger is a tiger subspecies that lives mainly in the Southeast corner of Russia in the Sikhote-Alin mountain range, east of the Amur River. These were once found in Northern China, Mongolia, and the Korean peninsula too, but not much anymore. This is because of the sharp decline in their population, due to human activities.

            These tigers are characterized by their aggressive behaviour. They are powerful hunters that travel many kilometres to find preys like wild boars, or elk.

            The main reason for the decline in the population of Siberian tigers is poaching. They are primarily poached for their fur and body parts for money or to be used in traditional Chinese medicine. To control this, the Chinese government declared the use of tiger bone illegal in 1993.

            However, there are other reasons too, including habitat loss.

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            Tasmanian devils are small-sized carnivorous animals found in the state of Tasmania in the state of Tasmania in Australia. Like many other animals, these animals too presently face the threat of extinction.

            The uncommon name ‘devil’ is believed to have arisen from the animal’s ferocious screech, and tendency to eat carcass meat. A devil’s jaws are powerful enough to crush our bones! However, a large number of them are dying due to a contagious form of cancer that is affecting their species. Known as the devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), it is a rare tumour large in size, which forms on the face and neck of the animal. The disease was first seen in 1996. Experts have discovered that the cancer transmits from one devil to another through bites.

            There are many programmes being conducted by the government to reduce the impact and spread of the tumour. The famous one is the ‘Save the Tasmanian Devil Programme’.

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            The red panda is a mammal that lives mainly in the mountains of Nepal, Northern Myanmar and in Central China. They are also spotted in the North Eastern Indian states like Assam and Sikkim. Like many animals, red pandas are also endangered due to many reasons.

            Slightly larger than a domestic cat in size, red pandas have markings of both pandas and raccoons. They are known to be very solitary, but are skillful and stay most of the time on trees.

            The main reason for the decline in the red panda population is the loss of nesting trees and bamboo. The latter is their main diet, but red pandas also eat a variety of other foods like fruits, flowers, seeds etc.

            Apart from the destruction of their habitat, these animals are also trapped and killed in large numbers so that their fur can be used to make hats.

            With their population less than 10,000, red pandas have been listed as ‘endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

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            The Eastern lowland gorilla is a subspecies of gorilla that can be found mainly in the rain forests of the Congo in Africa. They are also spotted in the Kahuzi-Biega and Maiko National Parks, and their adjacent forests, the Tayna Gorilla Reserve, the Usala forest, and on the Itombwe Massif.

            The other name of this subspecies is ‘Grauer’s gorilla’. It is the largest of the gorilla subspecies with a huge body weighing up to 250 kg. Until the mid 1990s, there were around 17,000 of these gorillas alive. But recent surveys show that the population has come down to around 4000.

            One of the main reasons for the decline in the population of the Eastern lowland gorilla is illegal poaching. This means hunting, capturing or killing of animals. Yet other reasons include the trade of their body parts, destruction of habitat due to mining, agricultural expansion, logging etc.

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            The saiga antelope is a striking variety of antelope that originally inhabited large stretches of the steppes in Central Asia.

            They are animals that have evolved to survive in extreme temperatures. Physically, the antelopes have a distinctive appearance, with an enlarged nose that hangs down over the mouth. In summer, their coats are said to become cinnamon-buff in colour, but turn white, and become very thick in winters. Mature antelopes usually have vertical horns that are ringed in the bottom.

            At present, these uncommon animals can be spotted only in a few areas in Kazakhstan and Russia. They have become extinct in China and Mongolia. Due to their shrinking population, saiga antelopes were declared as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List.

            Habitat degradation, poaching, and human interference are some of the main threats the animals face.

            Besides, droughts, severe winters, predators and diseases too have worsened their fight for survival. Although measures were taken immediately, this is still a concern among conservationists.

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          Blue whales, as most of us know, are the largest animals that ever existed on Earth. They are incredibly huge and weigh as much as 150,000 kg, which is almost equivalent to the weight of 30  elephants!

          Blue whales are known to be found worldwide. Larger individuals grow up to 33.5 metres in length. Typically, they have long bodies with mottled gray colour patterns that appear to be light blue when seen through water. Krills, a kind of Small crustacean, form the major diet of blue whales. These marine animals can eat about four tonnes of krills every day.

          There are numerous other interesting facts about blue whales, but the saddest one is that they are endangered. The animals were almost extinct at a point, when the International Whaling Commission declared them a protected species in 1966.

          The main threat then was commercial whaling, but today, it is climatic changes. The changes in marine environment have badly affected krills, and this in turn, has led to a fall in the blue whale population too. The presence of toxic substances in waters is another factor contributing to this.

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            Fin whales are the second largest mammals in the world, after blue whales. They are also among the fastest of rorquals that can reach up to 37 kilometres in an hour. Hence, a fin whale is also called the greyhound of the sea.

            In physical appearance, fin whales are light grey to brown-black colour on the upper surface, and white on the lower.

            Another important feature is their dorsal fin which can be as long as 60 cms in length. It is said that these mammals that grow up to 26 metres in length and 114 tonnes in weight can dive to depths of 230 metres! Typically, females in this species are larger than their male counterparts.

            Fin whales are known to have a global distribution but they are mainly seen in the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic Oceans. However, due to their slim population, these whales are classified as endangered. The major threat before the species is hunting.

            Besides that chemical pollution too largely contribute to the decline of their population.

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            By scientific classification, the African wild ass is a member of the horse family. But it can be best defined as an ancestor of domestic donkeys. These are animals that live in the deserts, and other arid areas of Africa, mainly Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia.

            The most important characteristic of this wild animal is that it can survive water loss of up to 30 per cent of its body weight, and drink enough water to replace it in under 5 minutes! Typically, these animals have stocky bodies with smooth coats in light grey to fawn colours. Wild asses can eat hard and dry plants too. However, in spite of thou ability to survive tough conditions, these animals are reducing in their number. They have been classified as critically endangered. The main reasons for this situation are inter-breeding, poaching, hunting and competition for food.

            Another reason is poaching for food and traditional medicine, which is quite common in African countries. Then, there is the competition with domestic livestock for grazing, as well as water. This is caused by agricultural development, which poses further threats to the survival of these wild asses.

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