Giant Pandas: An Endangered Species Currently, Giant Pandas are highly endangered with only 1,600 living freely in the wild and roughly 300 living in zoos or breeding centers. This low number of existing pandas means the species has a relatively high risk of becoming extinct. The pandas reside mostly in China around the basin area of Yangtze, which poses a major problem, because this area is currently one of China’s most thriving regions with constant destruction and new development. Therefore, the bears are pushed into small areas without the living conditions they are accustomed to. The pandas are continuously fighting for their lives in result of habitat loss, low reproduction rate, food shortage, and poaching. In the last forty years, Panda’s natural habitats have decreased by more than fifty percent. Their habitats get destroyed so quickly that they have little time to adjust and find their necessities to survive. Logging, infrastructure, and fuel development are a few of the many excuses used in attempt to validate this desolation. The panda’s habitats are fragmented as w...
As human advancements obliterate the habitats and influence the lifestyle of the Giant Panda, research is conducted to uncover the cause of the Giant Panda’s current predicament and to improve the methods of conservation to save the Giant Panda. Information gained by researching the Giant Panda and its behaviors will help scientists and conservationists discover just what is hurting the Giant Panda, and what people can do to stop the Giant Panda’s population from decreasing. Habitat, a word that is constantly mentioned when one talks about an animal, yet no one is quite sure just what the word actually means. Habitat is a spatial unit that can be occupied by an individual animal, no matter how briefly (Liu, Skidmore, Wang, Yong and Prins 1623). The process by which the Giant Panda chose its habitat was known as the habitat selection process.
The Arctic region is home to a variety of valuable animals and plants, including polar bear, seal, and so on. The ecosystem of the Arctic region is fragile because these animals are evolved to live in extreme conditions. With the climate change, many animals are endangered. Ice is the habitat of polar animals because they have to rely on sea ices for resting, food, and reproduction. With the climate change and the decrease of sea ice, the number of polar animals is decreasing and their health is threatened. For example, the average weight of female polar bears in 1980 was about 650 pounds, but the number reduced to about 500 pounds in 2004 (Djoghlaf 15). The earlier breakup and later condensation of sea ice shortens the hunting season of polar bears. Polar bears mainly feed on seals that indwell icy land. The melting ice reduces the number of seals and food intake of polar bears. In addition, polar bears are used to living in ice caves. The rising temperature causes the collapse of ice caves, which can kill baby bears. The climate change is negatively affecting the biodiversity in the region and will definitely harm the ecosystem
The characteristics of the grizzly bear as a top predator also make it highly vulnerable to threats. Although it is an omnivore, because it relies heavily on salmon to make it through the winter, it is vulnerable to anything that impacts on salmon runs. It needs wide-ranging habitat and is slow to reproduce. As such, grizzly bears are considered not just a key species but also an ‘umbrella species’ because the protection of their habitats will result in an ‘umbrella of protection’ for a wide range of other species. The protected areas that have been set aside in the Great Bear Rainforest are not enough to sustain healthy populations of grizzly bear so it requires additional habitat set aside from logging. Trophy hunting of grizzly bears also continues to place their population at
The burmese python is decreasing the animal population rapidly. It’s eating large amounts of raccoons, bobcats, and many many many species of birds. “the local animal population is decreasing very rapidly.”
Out of an Ice Age emerged one of our most majestic creatures in the world, the polar bear. From its brown bear ancestry, the predator evolved to be a master of a harsh and unwelcoming ice kingdom. Intelligent, adaptable and fierce, the polar bear learned how to survive in a place that offers few comforts to any creature. But now that very environment is in flux. And so is the polar bear’s fate (Nature).
Pythons have had both positive and negative effects on the environment. They eat pretty much everything in sight, they are bought as pets then thrown out into the wild once they get big, and people have been pretty irresponsible with them.
Hansen, R. L., Carr, M. M., Apanavicius, C. J., Jiang, P., Bissell, H. A., Gocinski, B. L., Maury, F., Himmelreich, M., Beard, S., Ouellette, J. R. and Kouba, A. J. (2010), Seasonal shifts in giant panda feeding behavior: relationships to bamboo plant part consumption. Zoo Biology, 29: 470–483.
Perry, D. A. (1998). The Scientific Basis of Forestry, Annual Review of Ecology and System Thematic 29:435-466, Retrieved July 9, 2005 from: http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/policy/policy_and_events/index.cfm
Figure 4-The giant panda’s primary diet consists of a variety of different species of Bamboo because bamboo is so very low in nutrition, pandas spent up to 12 hours per day searching for and consuming bamboo. The arrows are pointing towards the Snow Leopard and Man as they are the top apex predator of thi...
The sloth population in South America is being decimated by deforestation. If the deforestation is not stopped sloths will lose their habitat and become extinct. Deforestation, if not controlled, will destroy not only sloths but countless other unique species indigenous to the South American rainforests. If the current rate of deforestation continues the worlds rainforests will be completely destroyed in one hundred years. The problem of deforestation needs to be addressed now in order to preserve the worlds rainforests. Steps must be taken in order to insure the survival of the worlds rainforests and preservation of the Earth's bio-diversity.
Most Americans have been to a zoo or aquarium at some point in their lives. They spend the whole day outside with their friends and family looking at all the animals from all over the world. For most people, zoos are the only way they will ever be able to see these amazing animals in person. However one animal that lives in zoos across the country may not be there in a couple years.
According to World WildLife Fund, many ecosystems around the world are being destroyed, eliminating many plant and animal species that inhabit them (“Pollution”).
Obviously, every time an animal dies, the impact could be tremendous. However if the red panda becomes extinct, we would be losing help in the terms of preventing global warming. According to Natasha Freya, she stated that red pandas are very important to the environment because they contribute to clean air and water for over 500 million people. This is because they help maintain a healthy and clean forest. Red Pandas live in bamboo and hollow trees with an average temperature of 10 to 25 degrees Celsius. The forests that the panda’s habitat is in ranges from Nepal to southwest China. If these forests are maintained (by the red panda) and function properly, then we can guarantee a healthy life for the people, animals, and plants of South Asia. Secondly, The Red Panda has a unique biology. The Red Panda is the only species of its kind in the world. Their behavior is unique and they are specialists in their environment. They also have no close living relatives, ultimately making them more unique than most animals! They also play a big role in the food chain. If Red Pandas were to become extinct, the animal’s predators wouldn't have enough of its prey to eat. Also their extinction would disrupt the whole food chain and more animals would die. These Pandas eat insects, bamboo, fruit, eggs, leaves, and plants so therefore, Red Pandas control the growth and population of these animals and species. Red Pandas play a very important role in the ecosystem and it would be a very unfortunate loss if they became extinct.
Red Pandas are on the endangered list, they live in the Himalayas low elevation parts. Their main natural predator is the snow leopard. Mothers can only have up to one to four cubs a life time. Their mothers make nest for the cubs and the cubs are blind for the first three weeks after birth. Red Pandas have similar characteristics to the raccoon. The Red Panda is an omnivore and fills it stomach with two-thirds of bamboo. Red Pandas are an endangered species and slowly disappearing.
What animal is black and white and loved all over the world? If you guessed the giant panda, you're right! The giant panda is also known as the panda bear, bamboo bear, or in Chinese as Daxiongmao, the "large bear cat." Actually, its scientific name means "black and white cat-footed animal." Giant pandas are found only in the mountains of central China. They live in dense bamboo and coniferous forests at altitudes of 5,000 to 10,000 feet. The mountains are covered in heavy clouds with torrential rains or dense mist throughout the year. Giant pandas are bear-like in shape with striking black and white markings.