18th May 2010
Fascinating Endangered Animals
Protection for animals that are on the brink of extinction came in 1973 when Congress passed the Endangered Species Act. Animals move from the threatened list to the endangered list when their survival is at risk in a considerable number of locations that they inhabit. Many of the animals on the endangered list live in North America.
One of these animals is the American alligator that can measure up to 18 feet long and weigh up to 600 pounds. It is a large animal with a heavy round body and short stocky legs. Its head is wide and the tail, which is used to move quickly in water, is about one-half the total length of the alligator. These large reptiles feast on a wide variety of creatures including turtles, birds, fish, and other reptiles. The American alligator is found in southeastern states such as Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Louisiana, but the majority of alligators live in Louisiana and Florida.
The black bear is another endangered animal that is found throughout Mexico, Canada, and the United States with one-half of the approximately 600,000 black bears found in the United States. These beautiful creatures measure about two to three feet high at their shoulders, four to seven feet in length from their nose to the tip of their tail, and weigh from anywhere from 150 pounds to more than 300 pounds. Most of these black bears live to be about ten years old, but they have been recorded to live up to as much as 30 years in their natural habitat. While most black bears are black with some brownish markings, some bears in Canada have white fur with a blue cast. They eat salmon, fruits, small mammals, honey, and plants.
Some freaky weird animals are also on the endangered list such as the narwhal, a rare whale with a unique tusk protruding from the face. They are light in color with dark spots on the top of their bodies and lighter color on the bottom. They frequently lie on their backs and remain very still. Ranging from 13 to 16 feet in length, they weigh a hefty 1.8 tons and live about 50 years. They exist on fish in the Arctic waters from Greenland to Russia. Studying these weird animals that are endangered can be both a fascinating and educational way to learn about these animals and the world around us.
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