ENDANGERED SPECIES AROUND THE WORLD By: Bailey Johnston

What does it mean to be endangered? A species of animal or plant that is seriously at risk of extinction. There are many different species of animals around the world that are endangered or are quickly becoming endangered or even extinct. You might think that only the exotic animals are the ones that are endangered but that is not true. There are animals right here in the United States that are endangered animals like grizzly bears and bison. This is a real problem that we are facing today that someone needs to do something about.

Polar Bear- a carnivorous bear that lives in the artic circle. The males weigh from about lbs. and the females weigh about half of that. They can move easily across snow, ice, and open water and their main choice of prey is seals.

Hector’s Dolphin- these dolphins are only found in New Zealand. This species of dolphin is the smallest of all of the dolphins weighing about lbs.

Sea Lion- these animals live in the ocean and are actually categorized as mammals. The males weigh up to 600 lbs. While the females only weigh about 200 lbs. Their diet is mostly made up of fish.

Mountain Gorilla- these primates are count in Central Africa. They weight about 490 lbs. and stand 6 ft. tall. Their diet consists of mainly plants because they are herbivores.

Amur Leopard- a species of leopard that is native to Southeastern Russia and the Jilin Province of northeast China. Male Amur Leopards weigh about lbs. and the females weigh about lbs. These large cats are carnivores.

Chimpanzee- These primates can be found in West and Central Africa. The male chimps weigh about 150 lbs. and the females are a bit smaller. Their diet primarily consists of plants and insects.

Bengal Tiger- these large cats are found in most parts of India. The male Bengal tigers weigh anywhere from lbs. and females weigh anywhere form lbs. They are clearly carnivores and their diet consists of small deer like mammals.

Asian Elephant- these elephants live is southeast Asia. Female Asian elephants weigh about 3 tons or 6,000 lbs. while male Asian elephants weigh 6 tons or 12,000 lbs. Though they are so large their diet consists entirely of plants.

Bonobo- these primates are found in only south of the Congo River and north of the Kasai River. Male bonobo monkeys weigh about 130 lb. and female bonobo monkeys weigh about 65 lbs. fully grown. Like most monkeys their diet consists of plants and insects.

Snow Leopard- this large cat native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. The male snow leopard weigh about 165 lbs. while the female is much smaller weighing only 55 lbs. fully grown. These cats will eat just about any kind of meat from domestic livestock to things much smaller like hares and birds.

Black Rhino- the black rhino is native to eastern and central Africa including Kenya and Tanzania. An adult black rhino usually weighs anywhere from 1,800-3,100 lbs. fully grown, however, the females are smaller than the males. These animals are herbivorous browser that eats leafy plants, branches, shoots, thorny wood bushes, and fruit.

Galapagos Penguins- they are the only penguins to live north of the equator in the wild. These penguins are 19 in. long and 5.5 lbs. fully grown. Their main food source is fish and small sea creatures.

Giant Panda- these mammals are native to South Central China. Females, which are smaller than male, can weigh as little as 150 lbs. but generally all giant pandas weigh about lbs. fully grown. Giant panda’s diet consists almost completely of bamboo.

WE SHOULD ALL DO OUR PART TO HELP SAVE THESE ADORABLE ENDANGERED ANIMALS. November 30, 2015