We refer as mammals to all those living beings that at birth feed on breast milk produced by the mammary glands of their mothers. Today, there is a great variety of mammals in danger of extinction, some of them are already extinct in some of the places they used to inhabit, leaving only a few of them today.
Main characteristics of mammals
The main characteristics of mammals are found in the ability to produce milk thanks to their mammary glands, this milk has the function of feeding newborns who are unable to eat any other food at birth. Mammals, for the most part, share the characteristic of being viviparous animals, that is to say, that its gestation takes place inside the mother's womb, however, there are some exceptions. Humans are also part of the mammals.
Let's know other characteristics that mammals present in general:
- They only have teeth in the jaw.
- Its ear is made up of the stirrup, anvil and hammer, these are bones that all of this species share.
- This is the only species that maintains hair on its body in some way throughout its life.
- His blood is hot.
- Their adaptability to the environment in which they find themselves is usually faster than that of other species.
- They are vertebrate beings, that is, their body is made up of bones.
- They have a much thicker and more resistant skin.
- The extremities of their hands or legs have nails, claws, hooves.
- The sex of the specimen can be easily distinguished, females and males have visible differences.
- They can live anywhere on the globe, except in those places where the cold is extreme.
What mammals are extinct?
Over time, mammals have been faced with the task of having to evolve and adapt to the changes that are occurring on the planet, especially in recent decades where climate change has greatly affected the habitats we know. Although these changes affect the extinction of a species, one of the main people responsible for the extinction are humans, since for many years we have treated animals as trophies or toys that can be killed for fun, prestige or money.
At present we can affirm that there is a great variety of species of mammals that are still alive, however, we also find a variety of them that are extinct today and that we will not see again in the future. Among the mammals in danger of extinction we can know:
marsupials
This is one of the groups most affected by extinction, since many of them have already been eradicated from the Earth, either because of their natural predators or because of human intervention, either destroying their habitat or hunting them. Most of the marsupials that are still alive today are found in South America. These are also mammals in danger of extinction, let's meet those that have already disappeared:
- To the red-bellied possum (Cryptonanus ignitus) which became extinct in the 60s. These animals could be found mainly in Argentina, a country located in the southern part of the South American continent.
- The wide-faced kangaroo rat (Potorus platyops) this species disappeared much earlier, specifically in the year 1875. Its original habitat was in Australia.
Primates
According to some theories, the human being comes from primates. This species has a great variety of subspecies that are already extinct. The main reason for this is because they have been taken as entertainment animals, an example is circuses, or as pets. The most affected of this species have been the lemurs, a highly sought-after primate due to its striking physique. The extinct are:
- Pachylemur insignis: it was one of the largest species of primates that existed at that time, they were declared extinct during the course of the fourteenth century.
- Magaladapis edwardsi: This species was progressively extinct, they were giant lemurs, like the others, this one came from the island of Madagascar. The Edwardsi began to disappear during the XNUMXth century, but it was not until the XNUMXth century that they were officially declared an extinct species as some of their species managed to survive until that time.
Carnivores
The Carnivorous animals It is another of the groups that have been severely affected by the extinction of species since in it we can find felines, canines, bears and other mammalian predators. This group has been disappearing due to human intervention, since most of them became extinct due to hunting, which gradually reduced the species until it was eradicated.
- Asiatic Sea Lion: This animal came from the Japanese island and from Korea, its extinction was declared during the XNUMXth century where it was terribly affected until they finally disappeared.
- Java tiger: Indonesia is a country that has a small group of mammals, these were part of them. Then they were declared an endangered species, most of them could only be seen in zoos responsible for preserving the species, however, they became extinct during World War II.
Cetaceans
In this group we find the popular dolphins and whales. These animals have been severely affected by fishermen who have unscrupulously fished them for their benefit.
- In 2012, the Yangtze river dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer) from China was declared extinct. Among the dolphins this was the largest of the species.
- During the twelfth century the gray whale was declared extinct, this animal swam within the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. A beautiful specimen that also died because of the fishermen.
What are the mammals in danger of extinction?
Today there is a large group of people dedicated to the protection and conservation of species, especially those endangered mammal animals. However, it can be seen more and more that this fight is not easy, as there are various factors that put it at risk. One of these is the greed of the human being, who does not care about damaging the ecosystem as long as they obtain monetary benefits.
Despite the negative of all this, we can also certify that now the people involved in this work of protecting the most defenseless beings are more and more, since for a long time the campaigns against illegal hunting, mistreatment and obtaining wild animals as pets, have made a large number of people aware and join the cause.
Now we are going to know which mammals are in danger of extinction and it is about to disappear from our ecosystem.
Armadillo
The armadillo is a mammal from the American continent. There is a great variety of subspecies of this animal that are now extinct.
From the 90s to the present, these mammals have been disappearing little by little, their observers affirm that the population of armadillos has been reduced by at least 30%.
Iberian lynx
As its name indicates, this animal belongs to the Iberian Peninsula. Currently there are around 100 of these animals, the mimes are protected within the Doñana National Park, located in Andalusia, Spain.
Their physical appearance and hunting skills have made them a very important species for Spain because they form an essential part of the Spanish ecosystem.
Spider monkey
This is a unique primate of its kind, the reason for this is because it does not have thumbs like its close relatives, due to this rarity today it is in serious danger.
Currently only a few of these Latin American monkeys remain. Due to this, attempts have been made to take some of them to take them to the southern region of America, specifically Panama, with the intention that a relocation will help their conservation.
Grizzly
Considered one of the most beautiful and imposing mammals in the animal kingdom, the brown bear comes from North America, Asia and Europe, the latter being the place where the greatest decline of the species has been seen.
A few years ago they could be found even in countries like Spain and France, however, they are now extinct in those two countries. In Italy it seems that the species is going the same way, since only about 40 of them remain.
Snow Leopard
Beautiful and eccentric feline belonging to the Panthera family, its population has been declining slowly but progressively, with at least 20% of them no longer alive.
Today their number does not exceed 9.000 specimens. Mongolia is the place where the largest number of specimens of these cats have been sighted and they are declared a protected species.
Mountain gorilla
To the sadness of the world, these mammals are one of the most at risk of near extinction, since there are only two populations of the same in the world, which are located in Central Africa and Uganda.
Only around 1.000 of these animals have been counted among the two remaining populations, which makes them extremely vulnerable and at risk of disappearing.
black rhino
African mammal that is one of the species with the largest extinct subspecies during the last century. According to their students, it is estimated that there are at least 4.000 of them, the last report being made during the year 2011.
Since that same year, various forms have been created to conserve the species and protect them from hunters. These are considered one of the endangered land animals larger, which is why they are usually a reason for attention both for those who want to observe them scientifically to learn about the species, and for those who, regardless of whether they decline, want them to obtain benefits.
Iberian wolf
Another of the mammals belonging to the Iberian Peninsula, this is grouped with the most dangerous carnivores of the animal ecosystem. These animals have been hunted and hunted since the XNUMXth century, which has caused the species to be in great danger today.
Around the 80s it was when the seriousness in which the species was found was made known, since it is said that there are around 2.000 specimens left. If their persecution continues, the extinction of the Iberian wolves will be inevitable.
Asian elephant
As their name indicates, these are animals that come from Asia, this species is considered the largest in the entire continent.
El Endangered Elephant it was declared in the year 1086, because its population at that time had already decreased considerably. Around the world, only 50.00 of these majestic animals have been counted. Although they are one of the ones with the most copies for now, it does not take away from the fact that they could disappear if something is not done about it.
mexican badger
And tendangered mexican ejonn is a carnivore that is in danger, as its four subspecies have been declared vulnerable mammals that can quickly disappear.
It is one of the animals with the highest predators found on this list, however, they continue to struggle to survive, being one of the animals with the largest number of specimens still alive along with the Asian elephant.
What are the main causes that there are animals in danger of extinction?
- Habitat loss: let us take into consideration that once again the human is the main cause of the possible extinction of a species, since it is this one who has taken its habitat and destroyed it for its own benefit. Large vegetative areas where these species usually live have been eradicated and they have even been forced to fight for their lives by introducing other animals that are their predators into their ecosystem.
- Poaching: one of the most deplorable and cruel reasons that have led many mammals to this dangerous situation because it is not only due to their consumption but also to obtaining their skin or parts of their body as trophies that they use to show off their greed and lack of conscience.
- Illegal commerce: This reason goes hand in hand with illegal hunting, since it is the hunters themselves who are in charge of capturing and even selling these animals, alive and dead, to sell them for dirty purposes that only endanger the species.
- Climate change: Of all the other causes, this is the only one that is of natural origin, since it is due to the constant climatic changes that bring with them great rains, droughts, deforestation due to fires or floods of water that put the different species in constant danger. residing in that habitat.
