- Many of the animals that we know and love are on the edge of complete annihilation in their natural habitat. The black rhinoceros is one such creature, hunted because of its horn. The mountain gorilla, its habitat wrecked by war and deforestation, is also facing extinction. Several species of spider monkey, native to South America, are considered critically endangered. In North America, the rRed wolf was extinct in the wild by 1980. A new population was reintroduced by the government, but it is all that remains.
- Only a few dozen blue-throated macaws, a very popular pet bird, exist in their native Bolivia. The numbers of the Puerto Rican parrot, one the few parrots native to the United States, have been steadily declining. The ivory-billed woodpecker hasn't been seen for certain in the wild in 50 years, although new evidence suggests that it might still exist. Conservationists, birdwatchers and other citizens are still searching and hoping to find it.
- Because amphibians and reptiles are harder to find and identify, unknown species of them could be going extinct each day. The axolotl, a bizarre salamander from Mexico, is near extinction because of agricultural runoff. We are close to losing the meterlong Chinese giant salamander, the largest amphibian in the world. The hawksbill sea turtle lives in oceans worldwide, and some lay their eggs on American coasts. Because of predators and human presence on beaches, their numbers are declining.
- We don't think very often about the fish we consume, but many species are close to extinction because of overfishing and pollution. Many species of sturgeon native to Europe are critically endangered because their eggs are prized for caviar. One animal to watch for on menus is the northern bluefin tuna, a massive fish that has been tremendously overharvested. Discourage hunting by not ordering from restaurants that use bluefin tuna illegally. This is one way you can personally help out a critically endangered species.
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