Endangered+Species+Desert

__**Introduction **__

Some of the general reasons that cause species in the desert biome to go endangered, or even extinct, are Population Growth, Unsustainable Groundwater Extraction, and Climate Change (J1).

__Population Growth-__ Resources, especially water, can be hard to come across in desert landscapes. Growing human populations put increasing pressure on those resources (J1).

__Unsustainable Groundwater Extraction-__ Water is a precious thing in a desert, and many have stores of it deep underground. But these stores are overused and are likely to have a problem of over-extraction because they receive a small amount of water to refill them each year (J1).

__Climate Change-__ Rising temperatures could make deserts an even more uncomfortable place to live than they are now. Precipitation will become even scarcer. Drinking water for 500 million people who live in deserts is either disappearing or becoming too salty as snowpacks and glaciers that feed desert rivers melt. And deserts will expand towards communities as evaporation increases and dust storms multiply (J1).

__**Black Rhino **__ Mostly hunting and Poaching. Due to the excessive amounts of hunting, especially in the season of poaching (where it is legal to hunt), the Black Rhino population is declining greatly. This is because the population is being wiped out quicker than the rhinos are able to reproduce and replenish their own population.
 * What Caused their Decline?**

They are a critically endangered species
 * Status-**

Diceros Bicornis
 * Scientific Name-**

They stand at around 5 feet 2 inches tall, at the shoulder, and weigh somewhere between 1,760-3,080 pounds. They are a dark grey color, but this can change depending on the color of the soil because they tend to wallow in mud and/or dust. They have Black hair on their ears, tails, and eyelashes. They have two horns that grow throughout their lifetimes (J5).
 * Identification-**

(J2)

Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, Deserts, and Xeric Shrublands
 * Habitat-**

Black rhino are browsers (i.e., they eat trees, bushes and shrubs), compared to their cousins, white rhinos: which are grazers.
 * Diet-**

 They can occur throughout Southern and Eastern Africa, including: Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe (J4). (J3) __**African Wild Dog **__
 * Range-**
 * What Caused their Decline?**

Major threats to the survival of wild dogs include accidental and targeted killings by humans, viral diseases like rabies and distemper, habitat loss and competition with larger predators like lions. Conflicts occur when wild dogs come in contact with people whose livelihoods rest largely on livestock and agriculture. Problems arise when expanding human activities decrease the habitat for available prey for wild dogs. Hence, the decline of African Wild Dogs has occurred primarily due to human activity, heightened by poaching and hunting by humans. Additionally, although it may not be a direct effect, viral diseases due to human life on earth have caused the habitat loss of African Wild Dogs. Competition is the final threat to African Wild Dogs and has had a primary impact on the decline of this species.

The African Wild Dog is listed as one of the world's most endangered animals (J6).
 * Status-**

Lycaon Pictus
 * Scientific Name-**

They stand approximately 30 inches tall, at the shoulder, weigh 50-70 pounds, and are 30-56 inches long. They have a colorful, patchy coat; large bat-like ears; and a bushy tail with a white tip that may serve as a flag to keep the pack in contact while hunting. No two wild dogs are marked exactly the same, making it easy to identify individuals (J7).
 * Identification-**

(J7) They live in **Deserts**, Forests, and Grasslands.
 * Habitat-**

The are Carnivorous.
 * Diet-**

They occur in Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Southern Africa, West/Central Africa, Kazungula, and Kilimanjaro.
 * Range-**



(J9)

<-- Back - Home - Bibliography -->