The document provides information about several endangered species in the USA, including the California condor, Florida panther, red wolf, Kemp's ridley sea turtle, and whooping crane. It describes their physical characteristics, historic ranges, causes for their endangered statuses such as hunting and habitat loss, and conservation efforts like captive breeding programs and protected areas.

1. A brief description about the endangered species in
U.S.A

2. THE LIFE OF A CALIFORNIA CONDOR
California condor is one of
the largest birds in the
world and the largest bird
of North America. This
beautiful animal once
inhabited almost whole
North America.
Today, California condor
lives only in southern and
eastern parts of California
and Arizona.
The number of California
condors dropped drastically
in the 20th century due to
illegal stealing of eggs and
poisoning. In 1987, only 22
California condors were left
in the wild.
Scientists collected all
remaining animals from the
wild and started a program
of captive breeding. Today,
less than 300 California
condors live in the world.
Around 130 of them can be

3. COMMON NAME : CALIFORNIA
CONDOR
SCIENTIFIC NAME : GYMNOGYPS
CALIFORNIANUS
TYPE: BIRDS
DIET: CARNIVORE
AVERAGE LIFE SPAN IN THE
WILD: UP TO 60 YEARS
SIZE: BODY : 3.5 -4.5 FEET
WINGSPAN : 9 -10 FEET
WEIGHT : 18 to 31
POUNDS
ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA CONDOR

4. California Condors eat carrion, or
predators' leftovers. They have a
hooked beak for digging into
carcasses. They are scavengers,
they
do not hunt. California condors
also
do not have a good sense of
smell,
and they use their superior vision
to
spot prey. They enjoy eating
deer,
goats, sheep, donkeys, horses,
HABITAT
California condors used to be found
throughout Baja California, Nevada, Arizona,
Utah, and California. Currently, they are only
found in the Grand Canyon area in Arizona,
southern Utah, and Central California around
Sacramento and the Sierra Nevada mountain
range.

5. Lead is the number one cause of death for California condors.
While other lead exposure sources may exist (e.g., paint
chips), science has clearly shown that condors are primarily
exposed to lead by ingesting lead shot or fragments of lead
bullets when feeding on carcasses. Lead rifle bullets fragment
into hundreds of tiny pieces when they strike an animal and
are left behind in the gut pile.
When the animal remains are fed upon by condors and other
scavengers, ingestion of these lead fragments result in lead
poisoning. Many condors have died after ingesting lead in this
way and many more have been medically treated for lead
toxicity. Zoos that participate in the California Condor
Recovery Program are being overwhelmed with lead-poisoned
condors from the wild. In fact, nearly every bird in the wild
will require emergency treatment for lead poisoning before
reaching breeding age.
Power lines also pose a threat to condors. A number of condors
have been killed as a result of collisions with power lines and
electrocution from perching on power lines or poles. The Service
and other California Condor Recovery Program partners
participating in captive condor rearing have developed power line
aversion training on condors before releasing them into the wild.
The power line aversion technique has proven successful in
reducing the number of deaths from power lines.
While condors are given power pole aversion training to keep
them from landing on poles and becoming electrocuted, chicks
fledged in the wild are not exposed to this training. Young newly
released or fledged birds who are inexperienced in flight have a
greater potential for collision with power lines.
A .270 lead bullet and fragments after
impact on left, and on right, a copper
bullet.
High voltage power lines that criss-cross
southern California are a major threat to
condors.

6. “PROTECT THE
PANTHER”

7. FLORIDA PANTHERS
The Florida Panther is a unique subspecies of cougar that has adapted
to the subtropical environment of Florida. Schoolchildren picked the
panther as the state animal in 1981. This large charismatic umbrella
species is the mascot for dozens of schools across the state and tens of
thousands of residents have paid a premium for a specialty “Protect
the Florida” Florida license plate, sold to pay for the state’s panther
research.

8. Habitat and range
 The Florida panther is mostly
confined to Southwest Florida,
usually in pinelands, hardwood
hammocks, and mixed swamp
forests.
 Adult males may range over an area
of 200 square miles, while females
range over a 70 to 80 square mile
area. A male panther’s home range
is very large and averages 275 square
miles and overlaps with the smaller
home ranges of females.
 Panthers maintain boundaries by
marking with scents. They rarely
fight over territory.
Food web
 Panthers are born to hunt live prey.
Deer and wild hogs are their
preferred food, but, when these are
not available panthers will eat
raccoons, armadillos, snakes and
even alligators.
 Interestingly, panthers eating a diet
of small animals are not as healthy
as those with plenty of deer to
hunt.
 While they are good sprinters,
panthers rarely chase prey for long
distances. Instead, prey is singled
out, stalked and ambushed.

9. Humans are one of the panther’s greatest threats
Road kills, habitat loss and development in panther are huge threats. Florida panthers are still
inching back from the brink of extinction. The construction of new houses, roads, and airports
in Southwest Florida continue to squeeze the panthers out and fragment their habitat,
increasing the likelihood that cats will be hit by cars.
 Florida panthers are killed by cars and trucks, particularly on State Road 29 and Alligator
Alley , and although it is against the law hunters also still shoot panthers occasionally. In
2016 a record 34 Florida panthers were killed by vehicle collisions. Road kills took 23
panthers in 2017 and as of April 2018, 14 dead panthers have been discovered 2018.
 Florida panthers have an unusually large number of health problems. Most are related to
poor habitat conditions and genetic defects. Around the Everglades, panthers have been
contaminated with mercury (at least 1 has died from mercury poisoning) by eating raccoons
high in mercury, which passes through the aquatic food chain. The mercury’s origin is being
debated and is uncertain.
 Florida panthers have an unusually large number of health problems. Most are related to
poor habitat conditions and genetic defects. Around the Everglades, panthers have been
contaminated with mercury (at least 1 has died from mercury poisoning) by eating raccoons
high in mercury, which passes through the aquatic food chain. The mercury’s origin is being
debated and is uncertain.
 Panther habitat is being lost at a rate of about 1 to 2% annually and panther range counties
are among the fastest-growing areas in the nation.

10. PLANS AND MESURES TAKEN TO
SAVE THE FLORIDA PANTHERSPLANS TO PROTECT THEM
 Additional habitat must be
secured and enhanced.
 Programs are underway to
breed panthers in captivity
for later release back in the
wild.
 Scientists are exploring
ways to increase the
genetic variability of
panthers through cross-
breeding with closely
related subspecies
MEASURES THAT ARE BEING TAKEN
 Many of the remaining
panthers live in or near Big
Cypress National Preserve and
Everglades National Park
 The National Park Service is
cooperating with the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, the
Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission,
the Florida Department of
Natural Resources, and other
organizations to try to bring
about the recovery of the
Florida panther

11. “I am in danger please help me”

12. About red wolf
 The Red Wolf is a canine native in the southeastern
U.S.A. The subspecies is the product of ancient genetic
admixture between the gray wolf and the coyote,
however it is regarded as unique and therefore worthy
of conservation. It weighs about 23-39kg. The red
wolf’s behavior is typically of the genus canes.

13. Red wolf’s habitat
 The originally recognized Red Wolf range is extended
throughout the southeastern United States from the
Atlantic and Gulf coasts, north to the Ohio River
Valley and central Pennsylvania and west to central
Texas and southeastern Missouri. They are originally
found in the states of, Dare, Hyde, Tyrell, Washington,
and Belfort and including three wildlife refuges, U.S
Air force bombing range and private land.

15. Food web of red wolf
 Red Wolves are predatory canines that primarily hunt
deer, rodents, and rabbits. However the wolves
extremely opportunistic and they will eat whatever
prey they can find, including raccoons, pigs, nutria
and muskrats.

16. Reason behind getting endangered
 Red Wolves are endangered because of humans. They
are listed as an endangered species under the
Endangered Species Act,1973 and is protected by law.
The red wolf was nearly driven extinction by the mid-
1900s due to aggressive predator control programs,
habitat destruction and extensive hybridization
with coyotes. Presently in 2019 only 40 red wolves
are left.

17. Preventive measures taken by the
u.s.a
 After passage of the Endangered Species Act of 1973,
formal efforts backed by the U.S Fish and Wildlife
service began to save red wolf from extinction, when a
captive-breeding program was established at the Point
Defiance Zoological Gardens, Tacoma, Washington.
Four hundred animals were captured from
southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas from
1973 to 1983 by the USTWS.

18. THE KEMP’S RIDLEY SEA TURTLE
 THE KEMP’S RIDLEY SEA
TURTLE , ALSO CALLED THE
ATLANTIC RIDLEY SEA
TURTLE , IS THE RAREST
SPECIES OF SEA TURTLE AND
IS CRITICALLY ENDANGERED.
IT IS THE SMALLEST OF THE 8
SPECIES OF SEA TURTLES
AND IS THE SMALLEST OF
ALL. IT HAS ADULTS
REACHING ABOUT 2 FEET IN
LENGTH AND WEIGHING UP
TO ABOUT 100 POUNDS

19. HABITAT
KEMP’S RIDLEY SEA TURTLES
GENERALLY PREFERS WARM
WATERS AND SHALLOW
AREAS WITH SANDY AND
MUDDY BOTTOMS,BUT
INHABITS WATERS AS FAR
NORTH AS NEW JERSEY .
THESE TURTLES MIGRATE TO
THE GULF OF MEXICO AND
THE WESTERN ATLANTIC ,
WHERE THEY OFTEN
INHABIT THE WATERS OFF
LOUISIANA , AMONG OTHER
STATES THAT BORDER THE
GULF.
 FOOB WEB
.THEY HAVE POWERFUL JAWS
THAT HELP THEM TO CRUSH
AND GRIND CRABS , CLAMS,
MUSSLS AND SHRIMP.
.THEY ALSO LIKE TO EAT FISH,
SEA URCHINS, SQUID AND
JELLYFISH.

20. WHY ARE THE KEMP’S RIDLEY SEA
TURTLE BECOMING ENDANGERED
 THE KEMP’S RIDLEY IS
MOST ENDANGERED
OF ALL THE SEA
TURTLES.ITS NUMBERS
PRECIPITOUSLY
DECLINED AFTER 1947,
WHEN OVER 40000
NESTING FEMALES
WERE ESTIRATED IN A
SINGLE ARRIBADA. THIS
LOCAL IS THE ONLY
PLACE IN THE WORLD
WHERE LARGE
NESTING
AGGREGATIONS OF
THIS SEA TURTLE WERE
AND ARE KNOWN TO
OCCUR .

21. HOW CAN WE SAVE THE KEMP’S
RIDLEY SEA TURTLE
SOME OF THE STEPS TO PROTECT THE RIDLEY SEA
TURTLE ARE AS FOLLOWS:-
1. REDUCE MARINE DEBRIS THAT MAY ENTANGLE
OR BE ACCIDENTLY EATEN BY SEA TURTLES.
2. MINIMISE BEACH LIGHTING .
3. NOT DISTURBING NESTING FEMALES.
4. AVOID BEACH FIRES DURING NESTING SEASON.
5. PARTICIPATE IN COASTAL CLEAN-UPS AND
REDUCE PLASTIC USE TO KEEP OUR BEACHES
AND OCEANS CLEAN.

23. ABOUT THE WHOOPING CRANE.
IT IS THE TALLEST NORTH AMERICAN BIRD. IT HAPPENS TO BE 5 FE
TALL. IT HAS A LIFESPAN OF 22 TO 24 YEARS.AS OF JULY 2010 THERE
WERE ABOUT 383 WHOOPING CRANES LIVING IN THE WILD,AND
ANOTHER 152 LIVING IN CAPTIVITY.IT IS IDENTIFIED BY A RED PATC
ITS FOREHEAD. IT IS LISTED AMONG THE MOST ENDANGERED SPEC
IN THE U.S.

24. FOOD WEB
It feeds on plants , small fish, acorns , fish, crabs, and
insects .It an omnivore.

25. The Whooping Crane has suffered major population decline due to
habitat loss and over-hunting. The population fell to only 15
individuals in the 1940s. Whooping Cranes were classified as
endangered in 1967.
WHAT CAUSED THE WHOOPING CRANE TO BE ENDANGERED?
They have been hunted, both for their meat and plumage.
Humans have also robbed crane nests because collectors pay
high prices for rare eggs. And while shooting the endangered
cranes is now against the law, the bodies of Whooping Cranes
are occasionally discovered after being shot.

26. HOW CAN WE SAVE THEM?
Whooping cranes need wetland stopovers during their migration.
But wetlands are being filled in, paved, dried up, and built on , so
protecting whooper habitat for migratory stopovers is more
important than ever. You can help protect wetlands by volunteering
at a National Wildlife Refuge in your area.