Species in Danger
In 2012, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed over 9,000 plant and animal species as either critically endangered or endangered. Another 10,000 species were listed as vulnerable. This reading set focuses on some of these species with both fiction and nonfiction passages.
Aidan looked at the list of endangered animals his teacher gave the class. He leaned over to his good bud, Jacob. “Did you know there were so many animals in trouble?” Jacob nodded. “Yeah, my sister’s studying to be a marine biologist. That’s a scientist that studies animals in the…
Orangutan means “person of the forest” in the Malay language. Orangutans are great apes. They belong to the family of primates that includes gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos. Wild orangutans live on two islands-Sumatra and Borneo-in Southeast Asia. Both Sumatran orangutans and Bornean orangutans are primarily arboreal. This means they spend…
“Your assignment over the weekend,” said Ms. Rangel, “is to choose an endangered animal to write about. You can pair off in teams.” Billy poked Sam. “Let’s do it together.” Sam looked at his best friend. “Sure. I’ll come over on Saturday.” Saturday morning Sam showed up at Billy’s house.…
Stacy rushed in her house and went straight to her mom’s office. “Mom! I need your signature. We’re going on a field trip to the San Diego Zoo.” “That sounds fascinating.” Mom jotted her signature on the paper and gave it back to Stacy. The class handed in their consent…
Noted zoologist and wildlife conservationist William Temple Hornaday wrote a book on the state of the American bison, or buffalo, for the Smithsonian Institution. Hornaday’s concern was that the dramatic drop in population of the buffalo might likely lead to its extinction. An estimated 60 million buffalo lived in the…
Mountain gorillas are some of the most threatened animals on the planet. Only two groups of mountain gorillas remain. One population lives in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. The other group lives in the Virunga Mountains. This mountain range of extinct volcanoes borders the African countries of the…
Bats are the only mammals that can truly fly. They play a very important role in ecosystems around the world. They help eliminate pests for farmers. They also help ensure that rainforests stay healthy. Bats face many threats though. This means ecosystems across the globe are threatened too. There are…
Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers, are interesting animals. They are the biggest cats in the world. A full-grown Amur tiger can weigh over 600 pounds. Unlike lions that live in groups, tigers are solitary animals, meaning they live alone. Tigers also have very good eyesight and hearing. Its…
Blue whales are the largest animals on Earth. They are also the largest animals known to have ever existed. This means that they are bigger than the dinosaurs that lived millions of years ago. Blue whales weigh as much as 33 elephants (200 tons) and can be up to 100…
Dr. Dian Fossey, founder of the Karisoke Research Center in the Virunga Mountains of Rwanda, initiated groundbreaking studies of mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. She was considered one of the world’s foremost primatologists and animal conservationists. Along with primatologists Jane Goodall and Birutė Galdikas, she was known as one…