1. Extinct and Endangered Animals produce Anastasia Bass. November 2015

2. Extinct and Endangered Animals The extinction of species has always been a natural part of evolution. The fossil record shows that since life originated about four billion years ago the vast majority of species that have existed are now extinct. Extinct species outnumber living ones by a factor of perhaps a thousand to one. Scientists have identified five extinction events in Earth's history, with some so severe that more than 90 percent of all life forms were killed off. The last and most famous extinction was the Cretaceous-Tertiary event some 63 million years ago that killed off the dinosaurs and allowed the rise of mammals/ It is thought to have been caused by an asteroid hitting Earth. Today we are in the middle of a sixth extinction event that began about 50,000 years ago but is now accelerating in an alarming speed! This extinction event is not a natural event, but is caused directly or indirectly by humans. Most recent extinctions extinctions have been associated with European expansion in the 15th and 16th century. However, in some parts of the world some species are known to have become extinct before the arrival of the Europeans. For example, the Polynesians who colonised the Hawaiian Island in the 4th, 5th, and 6th centuries may have been responsible for the loss of around 50 of the 100 or so species of endemic land birds in the period between their arrival and that of the Europeans.

3. Lemur macaco Endangered These shy, usually nocturnal primates once inhabited the northwestern part of the island of Madagascar. There were taboos against killing them, but as natural forests were replaced by plantations, this protection disappeared. They were poisoned, or shot as pests. Today they are an endangered species and are confined to a small area on Madagascar and two small islands off its northwest coast. On one island they have the benefit of a reserve of natural forest. Black lemurs are legally protected and international trade is strictly controlled, but on those plantations where they flourish their capture for zoos is permitted.

4. Strigops habroptilus Endangered This large ground parrot, named kakapo by the Maoris and owl parrot by European colonists, was once widespread in New Zealand � s beech forests and nearby grasslands. Practically flightless, it was easy prey for the Stone Age Polynesians of 1,000 years ago. With European settlement in the 1800s much of the bird � s habitat was destroyed. Introduced predators such at the stoat further reduced kakapo populations, and, finally, deer damaged the bird � s remaining habitat. A critically endangered species, only 52 to 54 kakapos survive today. Some of these birds live on New Zealand � s Stewart Island, but most of them are found on Codfish and Little Barrier Island.

5. Dermochelys coriacea Endangered The largest living turtle, the leatherback can reach a total length of 2.1 m and a weight of 365 kg. Unlike other turtles, the leatherback has no visible shell; instead, it has a carapace made up of hundreds of irregular bony plates, covered with a leathery skin. This rare sea turtle lives in warm sea waters and is known to breed off the West Indies, Florida, the northeastern coasts of South America, Senegal, Natal, Madagascar, Ceylon, and Malaya. Occasionally it has been found swimming in cooler waters such as the Gulf of St. Lawrence, possibly carried by adverse winds or currents. Well adapted to life in the ocean, this reptile's front legs are well developed flippers, which propel it through the water. It feeds on jellyfish and other soft-bodied sea animals as well as plants. Females come ashore in bands and lay their 60 to 100 eggs in holes which have been dug in the sand. Seven weeks later, when the eggs hatch, the babies rush back to the water. Compared to other sea turtles, the leatherback appears to have a better chance at continued survival.

6. Balaenoptera borealis Endangered A smaller relative of the fin whale, the average length of the Atlantic Ocean males is 13 m; females are slightly larger. The largest measured female sei whale was 18 m in length. In the western Atlantic, they migrate from Florida to Labrador and leave northern waters before September. They also occur all summer long off Canada � s West coast. Normally found far off shore, they frequently feed on the surface by trapping schools of small fish or plankton. These relatively small, lean whales are less profitable for whalers than the much larger blue whale. Nonetheless, fewer than 70,000 of the creatures are estimated to remain. They are also preyed upon by killer whales.

7. Panthera onca Endangered The Western Hemisphere's largest cat has disappeared from much of its range, which once extended from the southern United States through Mexico, Central and South America east of the Andes to Argentina. Hunting and trapping for its highly prized fur, and loss of habitat to forest clearing for farms, pastures, roads, and airstrips for mining and exploration have all been factors in the animal's decline. It now survives in non- developed areas south of southern Mexico, especially the Amazon rain forest. The jaguar is protected from illegal hunting and trade in skins, but law enforcement in some areas is difficult. There is also protection in a few national parks and on some large, private ranches, but it may not be sufficient.

8. Save Them, Help Them Nobody Here Nobody here, it is not the fair The lifeless big water, no one in the sky I walk thru the forest I jump under humps And nobody knows, what now spring or the autumn And no one in love, we lost all, we had much more But naw only matt fotos remind about us About us, we are animals and birds, we are fishes we die Many years ago, do you know? What do you know abot us? We hope, we try, we trust. No one else except us At the end of the presentation I would like to say a few words. Animals, fish and birds disappear forever, it's very frustrating for me. This happens so quickly that in 100 years there will be nobody. I'm so sorry, that this is happening. I do not know what can I do now, but when I become an adult I will be sure to do everything to save the animals. I wrote a small poem, I hope it touches your hearts.