Three Endangered Species in Africa
By D Nyambu
An endangered species is an organism or animal that is threatened by extinction. An animal becomes extinct when it disappears from the face of the earth. A good example of an extinct animal is the Dinosaur.
Species become endangered for two reasons; Loss of Habitat and Loss of Genetic Variation.
A loss of habitat may occur due to natural causes or through human activity. A habitat is a place where animals or organisms find food and rise their young ones who will hopefully find space to grow, spread and live their lives.
Human beings have taken up a lot of space on planet earth as their population keeps growing. They clear vegetation and forests for construction of houses for their families and for agriculture as well as for industrial development. They draw water from rivers for crop irrigation and pollute the natural landscapes with pesticides and chemicals from industrial wastes. This results in loss of habitat for the mammals or organisms thus causing their extinction as they have nowhere to live and raise their young ones.
Loss of Genetic Variation is a variety found within a species. It allows for species to adapt to changes in the environment. The greater the population of a species the greater the genetic variation. Loss of genetic variation may take place due to human activity or due to natural causes. Inbreeding may take place with reproduction with close family species in a bid to naturally save the species.
Extinction through natural causes is a natural biological process that has been in existence since the beginning of time and this can seen in fossil records way back even before human activity became a cause of extinction. Natural causes include climatic changes as was the cause for the extinction of dinosaurs, volcanic activities and earthquakes, competition for resources among organisms or animals among others.
Three special endangered species we would like to mention today include the Goliath Frog of Cameroon, The White Rhino and the Geometric Tortoise of South Africa.
The Goliath Frog of Cameroon
The Goliath Frog as the name suggests is huge. Its body can be one foot long and it may weigh up to 8 IB. It is the largest frog in the world!
Found in the rain forests of the equator of West Africa, it is known to grow as big as a domestic cat. The Goliath Frog can live up to fifteen years!
The fact that it is eaten as bush meat and used for trade has caused it to become endangered. The forest habitat in Cameroon faces conversion to agriculture posing more danger and the need to protect the frog from extinction.
The White Rhino
Found in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Namibia and, South Africa the white Rhino is the second largest mammal after the elephant. The white rhino has a longer skull, a less sharp forehead and a more distinct shoulder hump when compared to the black rhino. While the black rhino has a pointed upper lip, the white rhino has a square one. This difference is as a result of their differences in diet. The white rhino has two horns and its skin has minimal hair. They feed on grass thus their habitat being the grassy savannah and woodlands. They will be seen occasionally bathing in muddy shallow pools during hot seasons to get rid of external parasites brought about by this harsh weather conditions. They usually rest under a shade to avoid heat during the day.
The Geometric Tortoise of South Africa
The Geometric Tortoise is so named after its shell adorned with a leathery pattern which may occasionally be perfectly geometric. The shell, usually black or dark brown has yellow stripes searing out from a yellow central place. The edges of the shell are usually upturned slightly. This tortoise is the rarest of the tent tortoises (Psammobates) species found in South Africa.
The destruction of its habitat due to urban and agricultural development has led to its depletion. It is vital to note that the Geometric Tortoise cannot tolerate habitat modification thus the danger of it becoming extinct if measures are not taken.
Frequent unplanned forest or vegetation fires, its collection for pet trade and the fact that it may be eaten by farm laborers has also contributed to its local extinction.
What can be done to conserve these species?
A number of things could be done to protect these endangered species. This includes creating awareness among communities which live within and around the species habitat. These communities can be sensitized on conservation methods an effort that will go a long way in preserving the natural habitat of the species.
The communities could also be involved in efforts to repair the habitat where it has been damaged. This will protect the species from extinction. Tree planting efforts and due care taken while developing land near forest areas will also bear fruit in the long run as these efforts will help in restoring the natural habitat of the endangered species.
Legislature and conservation policies that help preserve the endangered species and their habitat should not only be put in place but also reinforced.
References
Endangered Species, education.nationalgeographic.com/encyclopedia/endangered-species
Geometric Tortoise, Capenature.co.za\fauna and flora/geometric tortoise
Geometric Tortoise, arkive.org/geometric-tortoise/psamabates-geometicus
Goliath Frog, San Diego Zoo Animanls,animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/goliath-frog
Goliath Frog- The World’s Biggest Frog\ frogs are green, frogsaregreen.org/goliath-frog-the-worlds-biggest-fr..
Protecting The worldsLlargest Frog, globalwildlife.org/our-work/regions/…/goliath-frog/
wwf.panda.org › … › Priority Species › Rhinos › African rhinos
