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Extinct and Endangered Animals

In this lesson you can learn about what extinct and endangered animals are. You can also learn about why animals go extinct and why animals are in danger.

Extinct and Endangered Animals

Extinct Animals

Have you ever seen a dinosaur? Have you ever seen a giant mammoth with huge tusks?

These animals once lived on Earth, but they all died out and now we cannot see them on Earth. So, we say they went extinct. Different kinds of animals have appeared and disappeared throughout Earth’s history. Dodo birds, dinosaurs, woolly mammoths are a few animals on Earth, which are in the list of extinct animals.

Why do animals go extinct?

  • Due to the climate change.
  • Some animals are unable to compete with other animals for food.
  • Some animals are hunted or killed by enemies or predators for their meat, fur, skin or horns.
  • Some animals are changing slowly from generation to generation. There can be small differences among parents, children and grandchildren. Finally, a different kind of animal evolves (develops or grows).
  • Animals lose their homes when people clear land or fill in ponds for buildings.

Endangered Animals

We can still see blue whales, giant pandas, elephants, gorillas, koala bears and tigers on Earth. But these animals are in danger of becoming extinct. There are not many of them left on Earth. Therefore, blue whales, giant pandas, elephants, gorillas, koala bears and tigers are some of the animals on Earth, which are in the list of endangered animals.

Why animals are in danger?

  • Animals are poisoned by chemicals from farms and factories.
  • Animals are killed by hunters for their meat, fur, skin or horns.
  • People are destroying habitats of animals to build farms, roads and towns.

Finally, you have to remember that not only animals but also there are many valuable plants which have become endangered.