Poison dart frogs are endangered because of habitat loss. Just like most animals in the Amazon, many species are losing their habitats from trees being cut down and used for houses, tools, etc. These frogs are highly poisonous and are very unhealthy to eat. By showing off their neon coats, predators know not to eat them. The poison dart frog’s only predator is the Leimadophis epinephelus, a type of snake. This snake is not harmed when eating the frog because it has developed a resistance to the frog’s poison. The poison dart frog’s diet consists of insects and spiders. They find their prey on the forest floor by using their excellent vision and using their long sticky tongues to capture their prey. A female poison dart frog lays her eggs on leaves, covered in a slimy gel that keeps them fresh. When they hatch, the tadpoles go onto their father’s back so he can carry them to the nearest pool of water.
Hyacinth Macaws are parrots, which means they have strong beaks that can crush nuts, and strong toes that can pick up and hold things. Macaws live in groups of ten to thirty birds and are very social. They love to clean each other’s feathers and “chat” with one another. When Macaws pair up with another bird to have children, they become partners for life. They are excellent parents, who stay with their chicks until they can fly and find their own food.
Three-toed sloths spend more time hanging upside than bats. These slow creatures barely move at all and male sloths might even spend their whole life in the same tree. Sloths sometimes sleep up to twenty hours a day, so they don’t have to eat as much food. Unlike most animals, sloths cannot control their body temperature very well. This means they can only live in tropical rain forests, where it is always warm.
Golden lion tamarins are small, orange monkeys that only weigh about a pound. They live in family groups of two to nine monkeys and babies learn from their experiences with brothers and sisters. A Tamarin’s diet consists of insects, fruit, and lizards. At night, they go to sleep in borrows inside of trees. The golden lion tamarin’s habitat has been divided into small areas of forest that don’t touch. Only a small amount of their forest habitat remains. Unfortunately, these monkeys don’t have big enough patches of land to live.
There are many different options for humans who wish to help these endangered animals. Some of the most common ways are to go to the zoo, read and write, visit a nature reserve, make a bird feeder, turn off lights, and recycle. If your family goes on a trip to the zoo, be sure to pick up programs so you can learn as much as possible about the animals you visit. By learning about these animals, you can discover ways to save them! There are tons of books, shows, and websites that can teach you about endangered animals. Learning is fun, and also an important step to helping wildlife. By learning about these animals, you can share your knowledge with others! Around the world, governments have created nature reserves and national parks, where animals are protected from threats like pollution and poaching. While at these parks, you can ask rangers about local species, and how they are being protected. Make a pinecone bird feeder for your backyard! This way, you can watch local birds form a window, and learn all about how they eat, move, and communicate. All you need are some pinecones, string, peanut butter, a bowl, and bird seeds. The electricity we use to light our homes is made by power plants that pollute the environment. Since animals need a clean habitat to live, wasting electricity harms them. When ever you leave a room, be sure to turn off the lights! Lastly, recycle daily! Paper is made of trees, and by recycling paper, you will help save trees. This will also help save the animals who build their habitats in these trees.
Thousands of plant and water species, and hundreds of reptiles, most of which are endangered, are affected by even the slightest things humans do. There are many different ways we can help these poor animals in finding habitats and increasing their population. So let’s start the process now!
Resources:
Amazon Rain Forest: Endangered Animals. (2016, January 12). Retrieved from http://www.sheppardsoftware.com.
From Rainforests to Reefs. (2016, February 12). Retrieved from https://www.worldwildlife.org.