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WHITE RHINOCEROS

THE WHOOPING CRANE

The whooping crane (Grus americana), the tallest North American bird, is an endangered crane species named for its whooping sound. In 2003, there were about 153 pairs of whooping cranes. Along with the sandhill crane, it is one of only two crane species found in North America. The whooping crane's lifespan is estimated to be 22 to 24 years in the wild.

The whooping crane was declared endangered in 1967.

 

· Hunting. During the past two years, five of the approximately 100 whooping cranes in the Eastern population have been illegally shot and killed.

· Loss of wetlands. The biggest threat – loss of wetlands – persists. Though the areas where the birds are frequent are protected, they are isolated and make the entire population vulnerable to any disastrous ecological event or change.


WHITE RHINOCEROS

The white rhinoceros or square-lipped rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) is the largest species of rhinoceros that exists. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species. The white rhinoceros is generally considered the largest land mammal after the elephants; however no measured weights exist to confirm this. White rhinoceroses are found in grassland and savannah habitat. Herbivore grazers that eat grass, preferring the shortest grains, the white rhinoceros is one of the largest pure grazers.

· Poaching. Now poaching for their horn is the primary threat. The white rhino is particularly vulnerable to hunting, because it is a large and relatively unaggressive animal and generally occurs in herds. Mozambique, one of the four main countries the white rhino occupies, is used by poachers as a passageway to South Africa, which holds a fairly large number of white rhinos.

· Killing for preparing medicine.

· Smuggling the horns out from the country.


Date: 2015-02-03; view: 1540


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