10 Animals That May Go Extinct in the Next 10 Years

Leatherback Turtle
Dermochelys coriacea Leatherbacks are the largest of all sea turtles, measuring as long as eight feet and weighing as much as 2,000 pounds. They are also the deepest divers, plunging to depths as great as 1,200 meters as they hunt for jellyfish. Leatherbacks are distributed in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, as far north as British Columbia and as far south as Argentina. They migrate between continents, making both transatlantic and transpacific journeys between feeding and nesting sites. Populations have crashed over the last two decades—the result of poaching for egg and meat consumption, destruction of nesting sites from beachfront development, disorientation of hatchlings from the artificial lighting created by those developments, accidental capture by commercial fisherman and other factors. In 1980 the global population of nesting females was estimated at 115,000. Now that number has dropped to between 26,000 and 43,000.

Iberian Lynx
Lynx pardinus The world’s most endangered cat species, the Iberian lynx once thrived in Spain, Portugal and southern France. Today, its numbers have dwindled to some 120 individuals divided between small populations in Spain’s Andalusia region. Habitat destruction, collisions with vehicles, poaching and a collapsing rabbit population have all contributed to the decline of this feline. As part of a conservation effort, the Spanish government has decided to release rabbits (the lynx’s favorite cuisine) into the wild. If the Iberian lynx disappears, it will be the first feral cat species to go extinct in some 2,000 years.

Sumatran Orangutan
Pongo abelii There are no more than 7,500 Sumatran orangutans left in the world, and they are declining at a rate of roughly 1,000 per year, says Adam Tomasek, director of the World Wildlife Fund’s Borneo and Sumatra Program. At this rate, the species will be wiped out within a decade. The primary cause of this population slide is rampant habitat loss from logging, fires and other human activities.

Why Leopards Can’t Change Their Spots

The leopard cannot change its spots, nor can the tiger change its stripes, but a new research report published in the January 2010 issue of the journal Genetics tells us something about how cats end up with their spots and stripes. It demonstrates for the first time that at least three different genes are involved in the emergence of stripes, spots, and other markings on domestic cats.Researchers have also determined the genomic location of two of these genes, which will allow for further studies that could shine scientific light on various human skin disorders.

“We hope that the study opens up the possibility of directly investigating the genes involved in pattern formation (i.e., the establishment of stripes, spots, and other markings) on the skin of mammals, including their structure, function, and regulation,” said Eduardo Eizirik, a researcher involved in the work from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. “From these studies, we hope to understand how the different coat patterns have evolved in different mammalian groups, and to be able to investigate their roles in adaptation to different environments, such as their importance for camouflage in wild cat species.”

A Six-Legged Deer Discovered

A mutant, six-legged deer was discovered in Everett Springs, Georgia in the US after being viciously attacked by two dogs. The little one has two distinct pelvises and uses one leg from each to walk. It also had two tails but lost one following the attack of the dogs.

The veterinarian treating it said the deer’s case is truly abnormal: the legs are part of a twin that didn’t form all the way. It seems to move pretty well, considering the two central legs almost always get in the way. The owners of the dogs said they realized the mutation right after they separated the dogs from the deer and wanted to release it.

Nonetheless, the little one can barely survive in the wilderness on its own. According to the veterinarian, it will be taken at the deer facility at the University of Georgia once it has recovered. Here is a video of fawn trying to run around.

(source)

The Tiger Temple

When petting a tiger, you wouldn’t get out in one piece. Luckily, there’s one place where you can do just that without getting harmed. Thailand’s Tiger Temple is the place where you can meet some friendly tigers, shake hands, pet them or rub their bellies. 2 hours drive from Bangkok in the Kanchanaburi province, the Tiger Temple has been taking care of tigers singe 1999. Monks are taken care of the animals rescued from poachers, having around 17 fully grown tigers and cubs housed within the temple grounds.