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January 2006 Spotlight: Endangered Species

The extinction of a plant or animal species can sometimes occur naturally, such as when a volcano erupts on a small island, or when the climate changes to such a degree that a species can’t adapt to it. Many other changes, however, are caused by humans and can lead to the extinction of valuable species. Factors such as habitat loss, overhunting, pollution and the introduction of invasive species all contribute to the ongoing decline and loss of plant and animal life around the planet.

The Carolina parakeet, the dodo bird and the passenger pigeon are just a few animals that have disappeared. Other animals, such as the Florida manatee, the mountain gorilla, the grey whale and the jaguar are endangered, but scientists, private conservation groups and governments are working to protect and save these and other threatened species from extinction. Read more about endangered species, and the efforts to save them, in such SIRS Discoverer articles as: