In 1986, it was realized that drastic measures would be needed if humans were going to save the California condor form extinction. With only three males remaining in the wild and 22 others left in captivity, an aggressive approach was necessary to save these majestic birds. Standing at nearly 5 feet tall, weighing up to 31 lbs and with a wingspan of up to 10 feet, the California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is one of the largest flying birds in Northern America. Surpassed only in weight and wingspan by the Trumpeter (Cygnus buccinator ) and Mute (Cygnus olor ) Swan. The California condor has an average life span of 60 years, with some documented ones surpassing 80 years; it is also one of the longest living birds. Recognized by its …show more content…
Habitat and Behavior The California condor lives in rocky scrubland, forested regions, mountains, canyons and gorges. “The species’ current range includes California’s southern coastal ranges from Big Sur to Ventura County, east through the Transverse Range and the southern Sierra Nevada, with other populations in northern Baja California and in the Grand Canyon ecoregion in Arizona.” (Defenders of Wildlife, 2013) The California condor uses its keen sight in search of large carcasses, such as deer or cattle, although they have been known to eat the carcasses of smaller animals like rodents and rabbits for food, when necessary. Due to their eating habits and having to reach into dead carcasses for their food, they have adapted to having featherless (Bald) heads as a way to prevent food from sticking to it and defend against bacteria or germs from growing. “Condors catch thermal air currents that rise up as the sun heats the ground, and with those huge wings they can stay aloft for hours, soaring through the skies as they scan the fields below. They can reach flying speeds of up to 55 miles per hour (88 kilometers per hour), and they can fly to altitudes of 15,000 feet (4,600 meters).” (San Diego Zoo, 2014) Through adaptive radiation, G. californianus also have a very poor sense of smell, which
Wolves have unique features; they are smart, sly, and curious, but for many hunters they kill them for their fur. Hunters take wolves and kill them for their fur. For example, the residents of Alaska have the idea that killing wolves are okay. Well, this horrendous and vile act that they are committing should be illegal. This act that they are doing is putting the fate of wolves in a dangerous place and they will be promoting their extinction if they continue doing this. “Killing Wolves”, by Sherry Simpson will give some examples of the acts these people do in order to kill many of these wolves that are defenseless, and yet get killed; almost to
The bald eagle is the most well known endangered species because it is the nation's symbol. It is suppose to stand for freedom and the American way, but if we allow the bald eagle to become extinct how can we let something that doesn't exist anymore stand for freedom and the American way. Being the symbol of the nation, the bald eagle was put on the endangered species list faster than most species. When the bald eagle reached its low point in the 1960's (400 pairs), it was put on the endangered species list. The many federal acts or programs, the "Endangered Species Act" being the most effective, that were created for the bald eagle show how much the government cares about the symbol of our
Bald eagles live only in the United States and Mexico. Bald eagles will only live near lakes and rivers. A bald eagle's nest is about 70 feet above the ground in tall pines or deciduous trees. Nests are almost 7 feet wide and five feet deep. The territory of a Bald Eagle has a carrying capacity of 10 to 40 square miles, per eagle.
Some birds here include the dove, duck, and perdiz, which looks like a partridge. The giant condor, Chile's national bird, is sometimes seen in the Andes, while the vulture of Tierra del Fuego preys upon the sheep of the far southern region of Chile.
One of the biggest reasons for the reintroduction of wolves back into Yellowstone was that they had originally roamed from Yellowstone all the way down to Mexico. While a lot of people were in favor of the reintroduction of the wolves, there were many who were against it. The main people who were against the reintroduction of the wolves back into the park were the ranchers who made a living in the areas surrounding the park.
For this week’s forum, I choose to talk about the bald eagle. The scientific name for the bald eagle is Haliaeetus leucocephalu and comes from the accipitrine family. With the bald eagle growing three feet tall had having a wing span of seven feet, this magnificent bird has few predator’s. Crow’s enjoy harassing the bald eagle, but pose very little threat. Animals such as the; great horned owl, squirrels, raccoons and ravens will try to snatch the eggs from the nest of the bald eagle. The one major predator of the bald eagle is humans, in the past farmers would kill eagles to protect their crops and livestock, bring the eagles almost into extinction. The bald eagle is no longer on the endangered species list, but it’s still illegal to
Eagles have an external naris on both sides of their beak. An eagle's lungs and air sac system are adequate for its size.
California's gray wolf was hunted in the 1920s by settlers who killed them off in order to protect stock raising and use their coats. In 1924, California's gray wolf population went extinct and in 1973, the species was listed as endangered. However, even though there were no wolves known to be in California, last year the authorities added
“California has it’s own list of endangered species of animals.” Like all states, California is home to many species of animals that are listed and protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. (http://www.allaboutwildlife.com/endangered-species/californias-endangered-animals/6037)
Full-grown Bald Eagles have wingspans up to seven feet. They fly up to 30 miles an hour and can dive at 100 miles an hour! Eagles feed primarily on fish, supplemented by waterfowl, and carrion. The Eagle is one of the biggest and the strongest and what could possibly be more American than that! The adult bald eagle is a striking dark brownish black bird with a white head and tail. Juvenile birds are a mottled brown with white blotches. They do not obtain the full distinctive
Lack of water makes regular activities such as washing dishes, bathing, cooking, etc., much more difficult. Not only is California affected negatively by this drought, but our whole nation is suffering. Being our country’s leading producer of food, it has become less simple for California’s farmers to grow mass amounts of fruits and vegetables. The scarcity of water for food production has caused the prices of food to rise. Since the drought keeps vegetation dry, it has become vulnerable to intense wildfires. These wildfires create many issues within the ecosystem such as air pollution, destruction of habitat, and wildlife death. Though most of California’s wildlife is adapted to short-term dry climate, living in these conditions for an extensive period of time has increased perishability and reduced reproduction of
These were all key factors to their near extinction. In 1974 the wolves were placed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), but were not protected for long. Many environmentalist agreed with this act because environmentalist knew how crucial this keystone specie was to the ecosystem. Without the grey wolves existence, the whole rest of the ecosystem would not function properly. Unfortunately, around the 1960s, the gray wolf population was basically extinct, which resulted in a huge controversy. Luckily, “In 1995, the first 14 wolves were introduced to the Yellowstone National Park to increase the wolf population”(Transplanted) that had been decreasing gradually. Over the years more Canadian wolves were introduced to the Yellowstone National park to increase the wolf population. This procedure was successful because the wolf population throughout the Yellowstone region was on the rise. The long term goal for the environmentalists and Yellowstone park rangers would be to have around 1,000 wolves roaming the region.
While Death Valley is home to many species, the Golden Eagle is the most amazing in beauty, and in flight, graceful, and adroit. “May nest in the niches of cliffs, escarpments, and bluffs” Golden eagles hunt early in the day and in the late evening, soring in flight at low height above the terrain, they hunt for small to mid size mammals. Mexico considers this amazing bird their National bird. This bird usually mates for life. With their unique ability to sore close to the ground to capture its pray, the eagle uses it talons to dig into its pray and pick it up” (Patchen, 2013).
The wolves have always been a hard discussion on whether to hunt them or to save them. But, it has escalated since 1970’s when they started to get hunted down more then ever. The 1970’s made a huge difference to the wolf population cause they were cut down severely. Then in 1973 the population of wolves were so low the government protected them by putting them on the endangered list(C).
The chain of events is continuous once a high order predator is eliminated. Reintroducing wolves into California may help restore the balance and diversity of plants and animals in our ecosystem. However, the return of wolves would not be without problems. California is very different now from the environment it once was when wolves lived here. They would have to contend with the growing human population, development, and livestock industries. Politics and public opinion might also be against them.