Some species of animals live around the world and are not a wonder, the range of others may be the size of a lake. It is about them that we will tell today by presenting you with a list of 15 animals living in small areas.
15
Nosach
Nosachi or kahau are endemic species that live on the Indonesian island of Kalimantan. The peculiarity of this species of primates is the huge noses that adorn the kahau males. Despite the fact that nosas live on trees, they swim perfectly, never moving away from water bodies. Nature awarded these monkeys with membranes on their arms and legs. Due to deforestation, as well as active hunting (although it is prohibited by law), these unusual animals are on the verge of extinction. It is interesting that scientists have not yet determined why the Kachau males have such a huge nose.
14
California garter snake
In English, this snake is “tied” to San Francisco, although it lives far from this metropolis, and in the other California city of San Mateo, near freshwater lakes. California garter snakes are known for their contrasting color, which includes black and red-orange stripes along the body. Garter snakes feed on red-footed frogs, another endemic that is on the verge of extinction. Due to the shrinking number of frogs and deteriorating living conditions as a result of the expansion of the urban area, the number of California garter snakes is rapidly declining. Scientists suggest that soon they may completely disappear.
13
Dwarf pig
Dwarf pigs are an endangered species of animals, nowadays there are no more than 150 individuals living in the Himalayan mountains of the Indian state of Assam. They are protected and carefully guarded from the moment of reopening in the 70s. The impact of humans on pastures was negatively reflected in dwarf pigs. They were transformed into commercial and agricultural activities. Conservationists take a lot of efforts to adapt this type of pig to new conditions and conduct campaigning among the local population, urging them to protect animals from extinction.
12
Javan rhino
The population of the Javanese rhino, which lives exclusively on the Indonesian island of Java, does not exceed 60 individuals. Rather, this species of rhinoceros can be found only in the western part of the island, in the Ujung Kulon National Park, where animals are protected from poachers. In the past, Javanese rhinos could be found not only in Indonesia, but also in northern India and almost throughout Southeast Asia. The average body length of a rhino is 3 meters, with a weight of 230 kg.
Their gray color practically does not differ from the color of other species of these animals. Interestingly, Javanese rhinos, discovered at the end of the 18th century, are the last of the open species of the rhinoceros family.
11
Tasmanian devil
We all remember the Tasmanian devil Taz in the cartoon Looney Tunes, which made this species of animal one of the most popular in the world. However, in reality, the marsupial devil (another animal name) lives exclusively on the island of Tasmania, which is south of mainland Australia. No less predatory and wild, as in the cartoon, the Tasmanian devil can fend for himself and harm the offenders.
Their sharp teeth more than once became a headache for the first settlers, as the animals devastated the chicken coops and "stole" the prey of hunters who fell into traps. Because of this, the Tasmanian devils were persecuted, and were almost destroyed in the first half of the 20th century. After the adoption of the law on the protection of the marsupial devil, their population was restored, and now their life can only be threatened by a terrible disease that affects the front of the animal.
10
Texas salamander
The Texas Salamander lives exclusively in caves and artesian basins in central Texas. Its maximum length reaches 13 cm. It is a predator and feeds on shrimps living in the caves. And also the salamander eats mollusks and some species of insects. Her eyes are almost completely covered by skin, so the Texas salamander leads a half-blind lifestyle.
Texas biologists, deciding to protect the salamander from the threat of extinction, decided to increase the population in the laboratory. The experiment ended in the theft of more than a hundred amphibians. I wonder who, besides hungry raccoons, needed so many salamanders?
We mentioned this animal on the pages of our site most-beauty.ru in an article about the most amazing animals, the existence of which is hard to believe.
9
Guadalupe fur seal
This species of fur seals lives only on the Mexican island of Guadalupe, where you can find them in sufficient quantities. The island is located about 200 km from the Pacific coast of Mexico. And there are also small colonies in other places, but the main population, of 10 thousand individuals, has settled in the coastal zone of the island, whose area is 245 km². It is noteworthy that the hunt for Guadalupe fur seals almost led to their extinction in the 19th century. Only the measures taken to protect this species of animals could save the population on time.
8
Socorre isopods
This tiny representative of the isosipet squad lives in approximately three water sources in New Mexico. He is a distant relative of the oceanic isopod and at one time was practically destroyed due to the blockage of the Zedillo spring in 1988. Biologists brought the isopod population anew, breeding them in captivity. They placed this species of isopods in concrete tanks, which made it possible to control the reproduction of crustaceans.
7
California porpoise
The California porpoise is a distant relative of the dolphin. Their second Spanish name is “wakita”, which means “small cow”. The maximum length of the animal is less than 1.5 meters. The mammalian range is limited to a small area in the northern part of the Gulf of California. The population of California guinea pigs is literally counted in units. Industrial fishing has led to the fact that the number of wakita is 12 individuals. Although no one specifically hunts this guinea pig, it often accidentally gets on the net.
6
Kirtland Woodman
The second name of the bird that lives on the upper peninsula of Michigan of the state of the same name is the Michigan Forest Song. Most often, Kirtland’s woodcuts catch their eye in spring and summer. Such a small area is due to the fact that arboretums need dense pine, which can only be found in this area.
Outwardly, the Michigan Forest singer resembles our titmouse. In the XX century, the animal almost disappeared, however, later the population recovered. Scientists do not undertake to predict the fate of the species due to climate change affecting the taiga area of Michigan.
Be sure to look at our website for an informative article about the most beautiful birds in the world.
5
Salt Creek Beetles
The English name of these insects is more poetic - tiger beetles. It is due to the peculiarity of their color, we call them horses because of the ability to move quickly. This subspecies of racehorse beetles lives in the US state of Nebraska, near Lincoln. The Salt Creek area used to be the sea, when it dried up on the surface, salt deposits remained, which led to the extinction of beetles. Now they live along the stream and the nearby swamp, and are considered one of the smallest insect species in the world.
4
Abingdon elephant tortoise
Lovers of turtles may be outraged, rightly noting that the Abingdon elephant turtles ceased to exist when the last representative, Lone George, died in 2012. This is so, but there is hope for their happy salvation. This subspecies is also known as the giant turtles of Pinta Island, due to their habitat on the island of the same name (one of the Galapagos Islands, also known as Abingdon). So they can be alive, but not on this island.
The island of Pinta is famous for the descriptions of Charles Darwin, who conducted research in the Galapagos Islands. Each animal species had significant differences on individual islands. Thus, each island is inhabited by a separate subspecies of the Galapagos tortoise.
During long expeditions, sailors kept turtles on ships, using them as a food source. The turtles themselves ate practically nothing, therefore they were a profitable “product”, providing the sailors with a real feast at any time. After folding one of the expeditions, the Abingdon elephant turtles were thrown overboard near the island of Isabela. It was there that they found salvation by mating with other subspecies. Scientists have found several young individuals, which are hybrids of purebred Abingdon turtles. This gives hope in the future to find original animals considered extinct.
3
Quokka
This species of marsupials, like other representatives of the kangaroo family, lives in Australia. At the same time, the Quocca lives only on a small area in the southwestern part of the mainland and several nearby islands. Quokka have a fearless character and willingly make contact with people. Such gullibility often turns into a tragedy for animals when meeting less friendly representatives of the human race. People can harm the animal, not even wanting it, but simply feeding it from the heart, which will lead to dehydration and death. They feed on plants not only to saturate, but also to quench their thirst.
These animals are vulnerable species due to the diminishing habitat area. It is interesting that the Quocca took root in the Australian reserve, created to protect the noisy shrub bird. Later there, Gilbert's sweat, marsupial rats, which are on the verge of extinction, took root there.
The method of propagation of Quocca is so interesting that it cannot be ignored. The female gives birth to only one cub, but if he dies, his place is taken by the “reserve”, which is in the state of the embryo during the development of the first. If the older cub is developing steadily, the second is born after the release of the bag.
By the way, about the amazing animals of Australia, living only on the Green Continent, most-beauty.ru has a fascinating article.
2
Potor Gilbert
We briefly mentioned Potor Gilbert in the previous paragraph. This species of marsupials belongs to the family of kangaroo rats, and until recently was considered extinct. Almost the entire population was destroyed in 2015 as a result of heavy fires. Now this species mainly lives in a reserve in Western Australia, although scientists do not abandon attempts to revive it in the wild.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, this subspecies has always been endemic, living in the southwestern part of the continent, which a priori put it at risk of extinction, although there are many other species of sweat in Australia.
1
Tuatara
Tuatara or hatteria practically did not change during the last 220 million years and, probably, will not change in the next 220 million. This relict species of reptiles lives in the northern part of New Zealand, located on small islands. One of the subspecies of the hatteria totals only 400 individuals inhabiting the island of North Brother. However, it is too small for animals to feel safe. Another 60 thousand individuals are scattered across 29 islands. The number of hatteria recovered after the destruction of rats endangering reptiles. According to IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), today their population is not in danger, apart from the species of Tuatar of the island of Brazer.
Finally
Biologists know many types of endemic. Of particular interest to them are stenodemics. These are animals that can be found in very limited spaces. For example, insects living in only one cave of the planet, or birds living in one gorge; fish living in one swamp.
What endemic do you know? We look forward to your responses in the comments.