2. Definition
An endangered species is “a species whose
numbers are so small that the species is at risk of
extinction.” This means that they if they don't
continue to have babies, these animals will not
longer exist on the planet ("Endangered
Species").
3. Examples
There are many, many plants and animals that
are currently on the endangered species list.
Some of the animals are giant pandas, polar
bears, and African elephants (“Protecting”).
4. Causes
There are many reasons why some species
become endangered. One cause is water
pollution; when the animal's water gets polluted,
that animal cannot continue to live without fresh,
clean water (“What Causes”).
Another cause is that the animal's habitat gets
destroyed. The “habitat is the ecosystem a
species needs to live in - a swamp, rainforest,
woodland, limestone bog, desert” (library
thinkquest). Sometimes building new places to
live can ruin an animal's habitat, and then it has
nowhere else to go (“What Causes”)
5. Causes
Diseases also affect animals and can cause them
to become endangered. These diseases can
come from the animal's natural habitat, or they
can come from man. They might be chemicals
that people use which makes the animals very
sick (“What Causes”).
A final reason why animals might become extinct
is because they are being killed illegally.
Sometimes it is against the law to hunt certain
animals, but people do it anyway, and that causes
them to become endangered (“What Causes”).
6. Help
To help animals that are on the endangered
species list, people can stop using chemicals that
pollute water. They can also make sure they
recycle so that plastic and garbage don't get into
the animals' habitats. One more thing a person
can do is to join an organization that helps fight
against people who hunt endangered animals
illegally (“Protecting”)
7. Works Cited
"Endangered Species." The American Heritage
Science Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin, 2005.
Web. 25 Mar 2012.
<http://www.thefreedictionary.com/endangered
species>.
"Protecting Wildlife." WWF. World Wildlife Fund, 2012. Web.
25 Mar 2012. < http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/>.
"What Causes an Animal to Become Threatened
or Endangered?" Oracle Think Quest. Oracle
Education Foundation, June 2010. Web.
25 Mar 2012.
<http://library.thinkquest.org/5736/causes.htm>.
