Posts on Endangered Species

By Holly Shaftel, contributing writer In China’s Yangtze River, a shy, finless “Smiling Angel” glides through the water, echolocating with others of its kind. This is the Yangtze finless porpoise, the world’s only known freshwater porpoise. It once shared its habitat with the Baiji dolphin, however that species was declared functionally extinct* in 2007. Now, the porpoise faces its own …

By Holly Shaftel, contributing writer Deep in the dense rainforests of Central and West Africa, a quiet giant roams — smaller than its savanna cousin, but just as vital to its ecosystem. The African forest elephant, a master gardener of the jungle, spreads seeds and shapes the land with every step. Yet, despite its importance, this elusive creature is critically …

Deep in the snowy forests of Russia and China, a secretive cat moves like a ghost. This is the Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis), the rarest big cat on Earth. Sadly, only less than 60 remain in the wild, putting them at risk of extinction. Amur leopards are a "critically endangered", which means they are in serious danger of disappearing …

Did you know that more than 46,000 endangered species and nearly 4,000 critically endangered species? Rhinos are amazing animals, but many types of rhinos are in danger of disappearing forever. They are critically endangered because of problems like poaching (illegal hunting), losing their homes, and other threats caused by humans. Let’s learn about the different kinds of rhinos and why …

Imagine a world without mountain gorillas, orangutans, elephants, rhinos or sea turtles. Hard to picture, right? Sadly, many of the animals and plants we love are either disappearing or critically endangered. These are called "endangered species," meaning their populations are so low that they could vanish forever. But why are they endangered, and how can we help save them?

The vaquita is a very shy porpoise and the most endangered marine mammal in the world. There are only about 9 or 10 vaquitas left, and they will go extinct unless we completely stop using gillnets in their habitat. In 2023, the International Whaling Commission sent out its first-ever "extinction alert" to warn people that the vaquita was in serious …

I always dreamed of seeing orangutans in the wild. I knew that they are probably the most intelligent of all the great apes because of their ability to innovate and problem-solve. However, problems with palm oil production greatly threaten their habitat. In 2007, I finally scraped together the money to travel to Borneo. Little did I know, at 53 years …