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Leatherback Sea TurtlePicture a turtle that is 6 feet (1,8 m) long and weighs 1,400 pounds (636 kg)! That's the size of a large leatherback sea turtle, the largest turtle on earth. It is called «leatherback» because its shell is covered with a leathery skin. Leatherbacks live in the warm waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Males spend all of their time at sea, and females come on land only when it is time to lay their eggs. Loss of nesting habitats is a serious problem for leatherbacks. Females build their nests on remote sandy areas along the coast. Because many coasts are being made into beaches, leatherbacks often cannot find a safe place to lay their eggs. Other problems are fishing and hunting. Leatherbacks get caught in fishing nets, and in some parts of Asia they are hunted for food and oil. Only about 100,000 females are alive today. It is hard to know the number of males since they never come ashore. Asian Elephant Asian elephants used to live in the forests from Iraq to southern China. Since these forests were cut down to make room for farms and villages, the elephants have been confined tosmall, hilly regions where they have little contact with humans. These tiny areas of land cannot supply enough food for the elephants. An adult elephant eats about 331 pounds (150 kg) of grasses, leaves, and other vegetationeach day. When forests were larger, Asian elephants migratedwith the seasons. In this way, they found fresh food supplies. The plants and trees could also regenerateafter the elephants left. Today there is nowhere for the elephants to go. Experts say that the Asian elephant population is about 55,000, living on a habitat of about 19,000 square miles (30,400 sq km). In contrast to this, the African elephant population is about 10 times this size and lives on almost 3 million square miles (4,8 million sq km) of available habitat.
Manus Island Tree Snail Manus Island, north of New Guinea, is covered with rain forest. The Manus Island tree snail, a small animal with a bright green shell, lives in the tops of the trees in this forest. Overcollecting has been a serious problem for these small animals. Many people like to collect the shells of Manus Island tree snails because of their beautiful color. The 1.6 inch (4 cm) long shells are often used for jewelry. Another big problem for these snails is the loss of the forests where they live. Loggers are cutting down more and more trees of the Manus Island rain forest. Little is known about the habits of this little animal. If the logging and collecting continue, soon there will be no Manus Island tree snails left to study.
Kagu Many birds sing or whistle. Others – such as myna birds and many parrots – talk. The kagu is a bird that barks! These barking birds live in the forests of New Caledonia, an island about 900 miles (1,450 km) east of Australia. Kagus are big birds. They are 20 to 24 inches (51 to 61 cm) long and weigh about 1,9 pounds (0,9 kg). Their loud barking noise is becoming rare because only about 650 kagus are alive today. One problem for kagus is the animals that people have brought to New Caledonia. These dogs, pigs, cats, and rats eat kagus or their eggs. Another problem is hunting. Some people kill kagus for their meat. The biggest problem for kagus is the loss of habitat. The forests of New Caledonia have been cleared for mining and agriculture, leaving only a few small valleys where the kagus can live.
Date: 2015-12-17; view: 1264
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