Erigeron acomanus

 

Family:

ASTERACEAE

Scientific Name with Author:

Erigeron acomanus Spellenberg and Knight

Synonyms:

NONE

Common Name: 

Acoma fleabane 

Description:

Taprooted perennial, mat-forming, 10-70 cm in diameter; leaves mostly basal, spreading or ascending, 8-30 in rosettes at ends of caudex branches, oblanceolate to narrowly obovate or spatulate, 8-23 mm long, 2-7 mm wide, round or obtuse at the tip, moderately puberulent on both surfaces; flowering stems erect, 4.5-15 cm tall, bearing 4-10 reduced leaves; heads solitary, pendulous in bud, erect in flower and fruit; involucre 5 mm high; phyllaries 25-38, lanceolatate, 2.5-4 mm long, purplish on the margins; ray flowers 16-30, white, 4.5-9 mm long; disk corollas 2.5-3 mm long, yellowish; achenes somewhat flattened, lightly hirsute; pappus of fine barbellate bristles. Flowers in July.

Why this planet called as Endangered Species:

A very narrow endemic, but current land uses do not significantly threaten its habitats. May occasionally be impacted by mining operations.

Aliciella formosa (Aztec gilia, beautiful gilia)

 

Family: POLEMONIACEAE

Scientific Name with Author:

Aliciella formosa (Greene ex A. Brand) J.M. Porter

Synonyms:

GILIA FORMOSA GREENE

Description:

Perennial, 7-30 cm tall, older plants woody at the base, glandular; stems numerous, branched; leaves entire, 25 mm long, sharp-pointed; flowers pinkish-purple, trumpet-shaped, about 22 mm long. Flowers April and May.

Why This Plant is called as Endangered Species:

The primary threat to this species is habitat destruction and fragmentation from oil and gas drilling in the San Juan Basin. The Nacimiento formation rests above reservoirs for oil that have been under production since the early days of oil extraction.

Aye-Aye

 

•Scientific name: Daubentonia  madagascariensis

•Type of animal: Mammal

•Where found: Madagascar 

The aye-aye is a species of lemur that lives in the rainforests of Madagascar, an island located in the Indian Ocean off the coast of East Africa.

The endangered mammal, which reaches a length of around 3 ft. (90 cm), including its long tail, is the world’s largest nocturnal primate.

The aye-aye finds food by tapping on trees with its fingers; it can tell by the sound if there’s an insect grub hidden beneath the bark.

Why are aye-ayes endangered?

Some local people believe that the aye-aye brings bad luck, and the species has faced persecution due to these beliefs. This, and habitat loss, are the main reasons that the aye-aye is endangered.

African Wild Dog

 

 

       

• Scientific name: Lycaon pictus
• Type of animal: Mammal
• Where found: Africa
  

     

African wild dogs are found in Sub-Saharan Africa (the part of Africa south of the Sahara Desert). These endangered canids live in packs consisting of an alpha pair and their offspring. They hunt at dawn and dusk, pursuing prey such as Thomson’s gazelles and other mid-sized antelopes.

The African wild dog is easily identified due to its patterned coat, which gives the species its alternative name of African Painted Dog.

It is estimated that fewer than 1,500 adult individual African wild dogs are left in the wild. The species’ population is fragmented over a wide area.

Why are African wild dogs endangered?

The biggest threat to the African wild dog is habitat loss. This is a species that needs a lot of space; a growing human population in the dogs’ natural habitat restricts the area in which it can hunt.

                                                                                                                                                                    

 

African Spurred Tortoise

 

• Scientific name: Centrochelys sulcata
• Type of animal: Reptile
• Where found: Africa

The African spurred tortoise is the third-largest type of tortoise in the world, and the largest found on the mainland; only the Galapagos tortoises and the Aldabran tortoise are larger (these tortoises are found on islands).

The African spurred tortoise can reach lengths of 83 cm (33 in) and weights of 105 kg (231 lb.). It is found in the Sahara Desert and the Sahel; a dry grassland / savanna region that stretches across Africa from Mauritania in the west to Ethiopia and Eritrea in the east.

Why are African spurred tortoises endangered?

Primary causes for the African spurred tortoise’s endangered status are habitat loss (due to farming and bush fires), capture for the pet trade, and being hunted for meat.

 

African Bush Elephant

 

• Scientific name: Loxodonta Africana
• Type of animal: Mammal
• Where found: Africa

 

The African bush elephant (also known as the African savanna elephant) is the world’s largest living land animal. Large males can weigh up to 10.4 metric tonnes / 11.46 short tons (22,928.08 lb.).

Both male and female African bush elephants have tusks, which are teeth that project out of the mouth.

Why are African bush elephants endangered?

The African bush elephant’s endangered status is due mainly to illegal poaching for their valuable ivory tusks, together with loss of their natural habitat.