Do you know your extinct and endangered animals? Above is an Amur leopard, a species that is still around but critically endangered. Unfortunately, there are many examples of animals lost forever, or close to the brink of extinction. Take the quiz and see if you know whether these animals are extinct or extant (still living). In the answers below, each critically endangered animal has a link to a conservation organization that is working to save the species.
1. Golden Toad (Bufo periglenes)
2. Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi)
3. Addax (Addax nasomaculatus)
4. Pinta Island Toroise (Chelonoidis nigra abingdonii)
5. Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
6. Hawaiian Monk Seal (Monachus schauinslandi)
7. Caribbean Monk Seal (Monachus tropicalis)
8. Po'ouli (Melamprosops phaeosoma)
9. Baiji (Lipotes vexillifer)
10. Vaquita (Phocoena sinus)
11. West African Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis longipes)
12. Sumatran Rhinoceros
13. Mexican Wolf (Canis lupus baileyi)
14. Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae)
15. Javan Tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica)
16. Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus)
17. Tecopa Pupfish (Cyprinodon nevadensis calidae)
18. Dusky Seaside Sparrow (Ammodramus maritimus nigrescens)
ANSWERS
__ 1. Extinct. __The golden toad lived only in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve in Costa Rica. It was once common, but hasn't been seen since 1989. It's thought that pollution, climate change, and fungal skin infections all contributed to its disappearance.
2. __Endangered. __The Philippine eagle is the national bird of the Philippines, yet its numbers are down to around 500 individuals. The Philippines has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world, with over 90 percent of primary forest already lost. Deforestation and illegal logging are pushing this majestic bird, with a wingspan of over seven feet, to the brink of extinction.
3. __Endangered. __The addax is one of the rarest animals in the Sahara Desert. Its slow speed makes it an easy target for hunters, who use the antelopes for meat and leather.
4. __Extinct. __Lonesome George, the last known Pinta Island tortoise, died on June 24, 2012. He was thought to be over 100 years old.
__ 5. Endangered. __The hawksbill sea turtle depends on coral reefs to survive, but this habitat is vulnerable to pollution and climate change. The sea turtles are also still hunted for their colorful shells, meat, and eggs.
6. __Endangered. __There are little more than 1,000 Hawaiian monk seals remaining. The population is threatened by human encroachment, low levels of genetic diversity, entanglement in fishing nets, and accidental bycatch by fisheries.
7. __Extinct. __The Caribbean monk seal was declared extinct in 2008, after more than 50 years had gone by without a sighting of one. The extinction of this seal also spelled doom for the Caribbean monk seal nasal mite, a parasite that lived only inside the nostrils of this species of seal.
__ 8. Extinct. __The Po'ouli or black-faced honeycreeper, was found only in Hawaii. Habitat destruction, disease, and introduced predators like pigs, cats, and rats are thought to be responsible for the bird's demise.
__9. Extinct. __The baiji dolphin, or Yangtze River dolphin, was last sighted in 2002 and declared functionally extinct in 2006, meaning that even if some individuals are left, there are too few to sustain the species' survival. The baiji's decline is probably due to a combination of factors, including overfishing, boat traffic, habitat degradation, pollution, and poaching.
__10. Endangered. __The vaquita is the most endangered cetacean in the world, with only a few hundred individuals left. This porpoise, whose name means "little cow" in Spanish, wasn't discovered until 1958. Found in the northern parts of the Gulf of California, the threats the vaquita faces include commercial fishing, environmental pollution, habitat degradation, and low genetic diversity.
11. __Extinct. __The west African black rhinoceros was once widespread through central Africa, but was hunted to extinction in 2011. It was a victim of rampant poaching for its horn. The other three remaining subspecies of black rhinos are critically endangered.
__ 12. Endangered. __The Sumatran rhinoceros is the smallest rhino on the planet. Scientists estimate there may be only 275 of them left in the wild.
__ 13. Endangered. __The Mexican wolf is the rarest and most genetically distinct subspecies of the gray wolf. Their decline is mostly due to decreasing numbers of deer and elk, their primary food sources. Today, there are 340 Mexican wolves in over 49 research facilities in the United States and Mexico.
__ 14. Endangered. __The population of Sumatran tigers has declined by half in the last 25 years, with an estimated 500 or so remaining. Loss of habitat to agricultural development and illegal poaching for the black market in tiger parts are the greatest threats to its survival.
__ 15. Extinct. __Common in the 1800s, Javan tigers dwindled as their island home was developed for agriculture and the human population grew. By the 1950s, only 20 Javan tigers remained and by the early 1990s no evidence of any tigers could be found.
__ 16. Endangered. __The Iberian Lynx is found only on the Iberian peninsula (Spain and Portugal). It's the world's most endangered cat species, with only two small breeding populations in southern Spain. The main threats facing the Iberian lynx are loss of food sources and habitat, hunting, and collisions with cars.
__ 17. Extinct. __The Tecopa pupfish was declared extinct in 1982, due to destruction of its natural habitat (the hot springs of the Mojave Desert). It was the first animal declared extinct under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
__ 18. Extinct. __The dusky seaside sparrow, native to the east coast of Florida, was a victim of DDT pesticide spraying and loss of habitat (much of its habitat was destroyed to make room for the Kennedy Space Center). The last known bird died in 1987 and the species was officially declared extinct in 1990.
