Amur Leopard Animal Extinction

The Panthera pardus orientalis or the amur leopard is often called “The Rarest Cat in the World”. Do you know why this is so? Well, let's just say this is not for a very content reason. Amur leopards go by this title because they are endangered. You might think, though, that there probably about maybe 2,000 or more left, but if you think that then you are way off. Do you know how many there are? Take a wild guess. Don’t know? Well, I’ll tell you. According to WWF, there are only an estimated 60-70 left in the wild. There are approx. 220 in zoos across North America, Europe, and Japan. As you can see this species is on the verge of extinction, but there is still hope for this species.The only way this species will be able to survive is if we help. First here is some information about my species.

Extinction: Most species become extinct because they can’t cope with the environmental change, and also because of introduced species that turned into competitors for

Summarize: The result of one species extinction could potentially be fatal to the environment. In the animal kingdom, there is a food chain. Keystone animals, are the key ingredient to the food chain. When that keystone animals goes extinct, it sets off a chain reaction on the other animal’s food source. This causes one species to flourish and another to dwindle. The environment needs a healthy checks and balance system to keep each animal population under control (Stuart, 1990 ). Humans can cause the keystone animal to become extinct and therefore, responsible for rise and decline of other species, ultimately, throwing the food chain off balance.

In Christine Hauser’s article in the New York Times called “The Snow Leopard Is No Longer Endangered. It’s Still at Risk.”, highlights that in recent studies the snow leopard population is no longer an endangered species. However, the article states that the population still needs to be monitored closely because although they are no longer a “very high risk” they still pose a “high risk”. The approximate number of snow leopards in the wild is about 4,000. This number is up from recent years, obviously, but this doesn’t mean the snow leopard is safe. Numbers could potentially fall again because of several factors including habitat loss and poaching (Hauser, Christine). Some reasons they are so sought after by poachers is because they possess

The main cause of endangerment is deforestation. Deforestation is the clearing of trees and transforming a forest into clear land. This leads to habitat loss. Although it is very harmful to many species, the government does not punish anyone for deforestation. Poaching is also a huge problem. Jaguars are being poached for their unique coats. Also, jaguars are being taken into public zoos which results in death. If the jaguar did ever go extinct, the domino effect could go into action and the same thing would happen to other

Over the course of its 4.5-billion-year history, the Earth has seen the rise and fall of many populations of organisms. However, in Earth’s history, there have been five big mass extinction events, characterized as “periods in Earth's history when abnormally large numbers of species die out simultaneously or within a limited time frame.” (BBC) These events are cataclysmic enough to wipeout at least 50% of all organisms living during that period. The causes of mass extinction are many from the asteroids that sealed the fate of the dinosaurs to the volcanoes that choked out air to 96% of the organismic population during the Permian extinction, however one of the most recent yet potent mechanisms of bringing upon a mass extinction are humans.

E. O. Wilson, a famous American biologist, describes the main causes of extinction with a simple acronym: HIPPO or habitat, invasive species, pollution, population, and over-harvesting. Each of these causes traces back to humans. Habitat loss is when organisms lose their “homes” mostly due to human urbanization. Human cities have grown exponentially and it does seem to be slowing down. Due to this organisms have lost their natural habitats and are forced to leave and find new ones. Invasive species are organism that are placed in locations where they do not naturally occur. Humans have helped the growth of this problem due to the desire of extotic pets. Invasive species become an enormous problem because the location they are introduced to do not have the proper needs to help control the

Many of America’s most important species, including the Bald Eagle and Amur Leopard, are in danger of becoming extinct. The amount of extinctions have exceedingly increased during the late 1900s and early 2000s. Humanity has taken most of the blame for some of the species to become threatened, endangered, or extinct. On the other hand, more species develop when others die. Even though the extra space is filled with new wildlife, it’s tragic to lose a small scale but important species. Once a species dies out, it’s gone forever with no point of return. Human activities, including hunting and fishing, are critical factors considered for the explanation of the exotic animal population decline. Progression could be the biggest factor to the endangerment and extinction of different species. Construction and manufacture destroys their habitats, which causes the species to migrate to another habitat. The safety and preservation of endangered and threatened species improved when legislature and the world took a stand to protect their beloved animals.

Amur leopards have been known to live in temperate forests in Russia. Not only do they live through hot summers, but also some very harsh winters with extremely cold winds and deep snow.

The amur leopard or panthera pardus orientalis is a rare subspecies that lives in temperate forests of Far Eastern Russia. They are also found in the Jilin Province in Northeast China. An amur leopard’s life span is about 10 to 15 years in the wild and 20 years in captivity. As you can see the leopard lives longer in captivity. A male amur leopard usually weighs around 82 to 198 pounds and a female usually weighs 62 to 132 pounds. An amur leopard’s diet consist of roe deer, sika deers, small wild boars, hares, badgers, and raccoon dogs.

“It’s frightening but true: our planet is now in the midst of a sixth mass extinction of plants and animals” (Greenwald). I know what you are thinking. Does this include humans too? No, not yet at least. But, animal species from all over the world are struggling to survive in their own habitats. Why? Well, because of you, and by you, I mean the human race. Animal extinction is caused by humans because we cause climate change, poach endangered species, and we destroy habitats.

The earth has been around for 4.6 billion years, and over this time 99.9% of all of the species that have existed on earth have gone extinct. (Barnosky, et al) Palaeontologists characterize mass extinctions as times in Earth’s history when the Earth loses more than three-quarters of its species in a geologically short period of time. This has occurred 5 times over the past 540 million years, and scientists are now suggesting it is happening a 6th time. We are in the midst of a sixth mass extinction that has the potential to wipe out many species of importance, and humans have a profound impact on it.

Since the beginning of life itself, some species have lived and prospered while other species have gone extinct never to be seen again by mankind. Because of this, some would claim that extinction is natural and not significantly problematic to the world that we live in. Others, however, understand that due to climate change, habitat loss, and poaching, more and more species are becoming endangered which leads to a chain reaction that can be devastating to ecosystems. Species such as the Chinook salmon, gorillas, tropical sharks, and polar bears are all directly affected by climate change, species such as northern spotted owls, Sumatran tigers, and lemurs are greatly harmed due to habitat loss, and species such as the sea turtle, Javan rhinoceros, African elephant, and the Red-Fronted Macaw are all affected by poaching driving them all closer and closer to becoming extinct.

There have been five well known extinctions on this earth. The one most well known is the mass extinction that ended the dinosaurs. Mass extinction is often described as the elimination of a large number of species in a short period of time. Despite what many think, the elimination of species is almost commonplace at this point. The Earth is currently in the middle of a sixth mass extinction, and it’s been caused by the human race.

An endangered species is “any species… that is at risk of extinction because of the sudden rapid decrease in its population or loss of its habitat” (Dublin, par. 1). An animal that falls under this category is the “Panthera Uncia” (Dublin, par. 1) –more commonly known as the snow leopard. This animal is seen as a threat to many people in Central Asia –the natural habitat of the leopard. However, the conclusion is inaccurate. The snow leopard is a rare creature that is hardly seen by humans. This animal is insulated by thick fur and has tremendous paws that act like snow shoes. Snow leopards have powerful legs that allow them to jump up to at least fifty feet. Along with their unique body style, they have a long tail that helps keep