What is the man without the beasts?

If all the beasts were gone, man would die from a great loneliness of the spirit.

For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man.

Attributed to Chief Seattle, 1784–1866 Chief of the Duwamishand

Suquamish tribes, USA

ENDANGEREDSPECIES: SAVING OUR FUTURE

learn TO

• interpret maps and statistics

• use information technology to present your ideas and fi ndings

• communicate using role play, class debate, a campaign.

In pairs, decide whether these statements are TRUE or FALSE. Briefl y explain your answers, and compare them with others in the class.

learn ABOUT• the habitats of

endangered species• the threats to their

survival

• what you can do to help.

7chapter

What do you know about ENDANGERED SPECIES?

1 Grey Nurse sharks spew out their stomachs.

2 Snow leopards prey on blue sheep.

3 Grey Nurse sharks are near the bottom of the food chain.

4 African elephants can eat the weight of three grown men each day.

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Map 1

There are endangered species all over the world. 1 Cheetah; 2 Grey Wolf; 3 Gorilla; 4 Orangutan; 5 Bird of Paradise; 6 Giant Panda; 7 Przewalski’s Horse; 8 Tiger; 9 North American Bison; 10 Jaguar; 11 Macaw; 12 African Elephant; 13 Aye Aye; 14 Greater Bilby; 15 Helmeted Honeyeater; 16 Pygmy Possum; 17 Whales; 18 Giant Brazilian Otter. (Source: Heinemann Atlas Third Edition.)

Figure 1

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Endangered species – an overview

More than 12 000 of the world’s animal species face extinction. This means they have so few numbers they cannot reproduce enough to survive as a species. In this unit, you will enter their habitats, you will discover why they are endangered and fi nd out what people and organisations around the world are doing to save them.

Snow leopard. African elephants.Grey Nurse shark.

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Extract 1

Dirty old bags[Plastic bags] are lethal to marine life [as they] kill livestock and trap birds. According to Planet Ark, an international environmental group that has taken a leading role in the push to reduce plastic bag use, at least 100 000 birds, whales, seals and turtles are killed by plastic bags each year worldwide.

Plastic bags cannot be digested or passed by an animal — they stay in the gut, causing pain and certain death. When dead animals decay, the bags are freed and often eaten again by other animals for many years to come …

Many countries around the world have implemented measures to curb the use of plastic bags. Ireland … has placed a levy equivalent to 27 cents [on each bag, reducing] single-use plastic bag consumption by 90–95 per cent over one year …

Sushi Das, the Age (29 June 2004).

activities

HOW ENDANGERED? Each year, animals and plants are classifi ed on the ‘Red List’, published by the World Conservation Union, according to the degree of endangerment of extinction they face. This list defi nes the various levels:

extinct The last individual of the species has died.extinct in the wild All surviving members of the species exist in a cultured or captive environment.critically endangered The species has an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.endangered The species faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.vulnerable The species faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.near threatened The species is likely to qualify for a higher category in the near future.data defi cient (DD) There is inadequate data to classify the species.

G Investigating environmental issues1 Create a thermometer chart showing the

degrees of endangerment from high to low. Use the Internet and library to fi nd one endangered animal at each point of endangerment, and add them to your chart.

2 Use Map 1 and the information on page 180 to identify which continent seems to have the most endangered species. Compare the results and suggest why this might be the case.

G Evaluating and presenting information3 There are many reasons why animals

become endangered. In small groups, consider the following reasons and order them from the most likely to the least likely reason. Add some reasons of your own and share your views with the class.• hunting and killing • zoo collections• loss of habitat• pollution• domestication of wild animals• feral cats • overfi shing• wild animals on restaurant menus

4 Read Extract 1 then do the following activities:

a List the information in this article which you think is factual.

G Communication: writing a formal letterb As a class, write a letter to your local

council urging them to pass a by-law to ban free plastic bags in all stores. You could add a petition with signatures from people in your area.

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It is 8 a.m. The chilly wind sprays icy sea-water into my face as we bounce across a slight swell towards Magic Point at South Maroubra. I had wanted

to do a night dive because that’s when the Grey Nurse feeds, and it’s a lot more exciting, especially with an underwater scooter and a spotlight. But Jane, the dive instructor, was horrifi ed: ‘No! We’re not allowed to dive there at night, we can’t use scooters, we can’t block the entrance to their caves, we can’t touch them or feed them, we can’t even interrupt their swimming patterns. We can only go down there to watch!’

Oh well, it’s probably too scary at night anyway.

It’s hard to believe we are less than twenty kilometres from central Sydney and yet so close to a colony of Grey Nurse sharks. Now

that we are in the boat with open ocean in front of us, I’m glad she set the rules — rules to protect the sharks, not me!

‘Three hundred and counting down,’ Jane shouts in my ear as we speed across the waves. I must have looked puzzled because she adds, ‘There are only about three hundred Grey Nurses left, and we’re going to see nine of them.’

I have been scuba diving before but this is going to be special. I’m itching to get into the water. We gear up and roll backwards into the cool blue sea. Visibility is great. Swimming down the anchor line, we reach the ocean fl oor about fi fteen metres below the surface. It’s only a short swim to a wide cave about two metres high: the home to a colony of Grey Nurse sharks. Grey Nurses love caves and deep trenches; they’ve been known to go down as deep as two hundred metres looking for food. They’re at the top of the food chain, so who knows what will happen if they become extinct.

Several dark, silent fi gures — the largest almost four metres long, the smallest one metre — swim slowly round and round, patrolling the entrance to their cave.

These sharks are beautifully streamlined, grey to bronze on top with white underbellies. The young ones have reddish spots on the lower part of their back but these fade as they get older. Row after row of backward-pointing, needle-like teeth fi ll their jaws. They look ferocious, but I’ve been promised they’re not.

‘They’ll leave you alone as long as you don’t provoke them or get in the way when they’re feeding,’ Jane had said.

Map 1

The Grey Nurse: 300 and counting down

NEWSOUTHWALES Sydney

AUSTRALIA

South Maroubra

Sydney

Magic Point0 5km

Map of Australia, including Magic Point at South Maroubra.

by Meg Davis

The Grey Nurse: 300 and counting down

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Figure 1 Figure 2

activitiesSurvival of the fi ttestThe female Grey Nurse has a uterus on each side of her body. Each uterus contains several babies but usually only one from each uterus emerges alive. The pups are about one metre long at birth.

Hooked!If a Grey Nurse is hooked and then brought to the surface too quickly, the air in its stomach will expand because of the lower pressure. This causes the gut wall to rupture, which, if left untreated, will cause the shark to die a painful death within a week or so, due to peritonitis (infl ammation of the peritoneum).

A Grey Nurse shark.

carbon dioxide + water sugars + oxygen + energy

A food chainFishers

Large fish (e.g. sharks)

Small fish (e.g. whiting)

Small invertebrates (e.g. prawns)

Producers (e.g. algae, mangroves)

Energy from the Sun

The Grey Nurse shark food chain.

1 From the story and photos in this unit, draw and colour a Grey Nurse shark, labelling key features.

G Presenting geographical information using a diagram

2 Look at Figure 2. In pairs, produce a food chain with sketches and labels. Illustrate and explain what might happen to the food chain if the Grey Nurse became extinct.

3 Read Survival of the fi ttest and suggest how this reproductive method aids in the survival of the species.

4 The scientifi c name of the shark commonly known as the Grey Nurse is Carcharias taurus; the family name is Odontospidae.

a Using a dictionary or the Internet, fi nd out what these Latin words mean.

b How do these relate to the description of the Grey Nurse?

5 Read Hooked! Find out the meaning of ‘peritonitis’ and research its effects.

The Grey Nurse shark

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check1 Write down statements a to g. Write ‘true’

next to any statements you feel are correct and ‘false’ next to those you feel are incorrect. Justify your choices. Two examples have been provided for you.

Humans are one of the many threats to endangered species. True. Pollution, poaching, farming, overfi shing and habitat destruction all contribute to the decline of species’ numbers.

Because sharks are the perfect killing machine the Grey Nurse Shark will never die out. False. The Grey Nurse does not reproduce quickly, is hunted by humans, its natural habitat is being destroyed and its numbers are declining already.

a Snow leopards are only endangered in Nepal.

b Vulnerable species are not as threatened as critically endangered species.

c Female African elephants are pregnant for about two years.

d Grey Nurse sharks are at the top of their food chain.

e Mount Kilimanjaro is in South Africa.

f Snow leopards sold on the black market bring in very little money.

g Farmers pose very little threat to the African elephant.

2 Construct food chains that include the three endangered species, their predators and prey.

3 Imagine you are a worker for the WWF. List the fi ve things that would be your priorities once you started work.

4 What value do conservation groups have in today’s society? Do you think that they and their aims and objectives are worthwhile or a waste of public resources and money?

5 Imagine you are living 100 years in the future. Create a written, oral or visual presentation to answer the following questions.

a Which endangered species might still and might not exist and why?

b You open up a time capsule from 2006, which gives details about what was being done to protect endangered species. List what you would fi nd.

c Predict how you think future society might protect endangered species.

6 Design a poster showing why we should protect not just endangered species but all species.

7 A number of Australian species are on the Red List. Create a written, oral or visual presentation to outline the impact that the extinction of such animals as the koala, the northern hairy-nosed wombat, the wedge-tailed eagle or the Grey Nurse shark would have on Australia.

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Chapter 7 ENDANGERED SPECIES

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time to refl ect1 a Which part of this unit made you feel you

would like to learn something about an endangered species?

b We all learn in different ways. Which activity in this unit suited your learning style best? Which activity did you most enjoy?

2 List the things you would add or drop from this unit. Give reasons for your suggestions.

3 Suggest two other species not included in this unit that you would like to study. Give reasons.

4 Suggest an additional activity (draw something, investigate, hear a speaker, etc.) you would like to be included in a study of endangered species.

5 a Explain the value of doing fi eldwork on endangered species.

b What sort of fi eldwork would you suggest? Explain.

6 What aspects of learning about endangered species are valuable to society in general?

PL

WB • G, H, J, I, C, D, E TRK • FW, ET, CT, AT

CD • MG, MC, RW, AQ, FG

glossary

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Place chapter opening photo here and increase photo height to start 5mm from last line of glossary text. Photo must remain this width, it is ok for the photo to be cropped.

alpine the mountain environment

bull a male elephant

carcass the body of a dead animal

cow a female elephant

critical habitat a habitat that is essential for the survival of a species

critically endangered facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild

data defi cient (DD) inadequate data is available

domestication the adaptation of an animal for use by humans; taming

dry season the time of the year when there is little rain

electroreception the sense that allows sharks to detect very weak electrical currents

endangered facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild

exterminate to get rid of something by completely destroying it

extinct no longer existing

extinct in the wild only surviving in a cultured or captive environment

feral wild or untamed

food chain a chain of organisms indicating which living things are eaten by others

gestation the period of time needed to produce a living offspring

habitat the area and its surroundings in which a species lives

herd a large group of four-legged animals of a single species

Himalayas the mountain chain in south-central Asia (including Mount Everest and nine of the world’s ten-highest peaks) that extends for about 2414 km

ibex a mountain sheep that lives in the Himalayas

ivory hard whitish dentine (tooth material) of which animals’ tusks are made

national park an area of land set aside by a government for the conservation of natural features

near threatened likely to qualify for a category of endangerment in the near future

offspring a descendant of an animal or plant

peritonitis infl ammation of the peritoneum, the membrane that lines the stomach walls

poaching illegal hunting or fi shing

ranger a person who is employed to protect areas such as national parks

sanctuary a place which provides protection of wildlife

savannah an area characterised by grasslands and scattered trees, and having a wet season and a dry season

scavenger an animal that feeds on dead or decaying matter

species a class of organisms that are grouped because they have common attributes

steel tracer steel used for the fi rst 2 metres of a fi shing line, near the hook, to avoid having the rough skin of a shark break the line

strychnine a poison that affects the nervous system, and usually leads to a slow and painful death

trench a long, steep-sided valley on the ocean fl oor.

uterus the cavity in the bodies of some female animals in which offspring develop before birth

vulnerable facing high risk of extinction in the wild

whistleblower a person who informs authorities of an illegal activity