Endangered Australian Animals

Day by day that amount of animals that have left this planet is increasing.  Habitat destruction, overexploitation, and pollution are just a few of the reasons of why so many endangered species exist today - and why there are so many extinct species.  As the population of our own species grows, the population of most other species is slowly decreasing; it's a scary thought, a balancing act by nature that is hard to watch. 

Some places have it more severe than others.  In Canada, for example, many species still flourish healthily and consistently; this is because there is a vast amount of untouched wilderness in Canada, a place for numerous species to live without any direct contact with humans.

In contrast to Canada, Africa also has a large region of pure wilderness; however it, unlike Canada, is not untouched.  Habitat destruction, pollution and over exploitation plague the land, and many species, like the lion and the tiger, are gradually moving towards extinction. 

Now I bet you're curious: you're wondering what about other places, other countries?  Is the same trend happening across the planet? 

Let's take a look at Australia.  Australia is a smaller country, an island in the southern pacific that experiences hot summers and cold winters; it has a desert; it has a coastal region; it even has a rain-forest region.  One would think, if one were to study Australia, that it would be place full biological diversity, where a multitude of different species live and flourish. 

It used to be. 

Not anymore.

________________________________________________________________

Here is a list of Australian endangered animals:

________________________________________________________________

Out of all species that reside in Australia, the most famous and most distinctive is the Tasmanian Devil. The Tasmanian Devil is the size of small dog and, following the extinction of the thylacine, is largest carnivorous marsupial in the world. It has a stocky and strong build with black fur; it's most known for its loud screech and keen smell.

The Tasmanian Devil is on the top of everyones list of endangered animals in Australia only because, as some experts will point out, the Tasmanian devil is an extinct Australian animal. By this I mean that it once was widespread across the mainland of Australia and has in recent years been pushed back to the island of Tasmania.

The main reason for this is predation - the competition for resources by other species in the area - and although they are still considered endangered their population remains un-threatened in Tasmania.

________________________________________________________________

The grey nurse shark is also known as the spotted ragged-tooth shark or the sand tiger shark. As sharks go the grey nurse shark is one of the more timid and non-aggressive sharks of the world. This placidness makes it one of the most populated sharks in zoos and aquariums across the world - and this, unfortunately, is one of the reasons why it's slowly becoming extinct.

In Australia the grey nurse shark exists on both eastern and western coasts. On the west coast of the island the species is considered 'Vulnerable', while on the east coast the grey nurse shark is deemed critically endangered.

The addition of the grey nurse shark to endangered animals in Australia is more recent; fishing equipment has become more advanced and dangerous and many sharks are becoming trapped in the nets. Also the fins of grey nurse sharks are relatively high demand, further increasing their vulnerability and further cemented them as an endangered Australian animal.

________________________________________________________________

The Numbat is a marsupial found in Western Australia. The diet of the Numbat is mostly termites; it's a small creature, ranging between heights of 35 to 45 centimeters, and is very colorful. It's pointed muzzle and colorful fur give it a fox-like appearance.

It has recently become one of the endangered Australian animals because of habitat destruction and, ironically, the predation by foxes.

The Numbat was once common across all of Australian but now can only be found in the southern forests of the continent.

________________________________________________________________

Wallabies are small marsupials that are only found in Australia. They have a kangaroo-like appearance, and can be easily mistakened to be a type of kangaroo. There used to be about thirty species of wallabie in Australia - key words, used to be.

Wallabie are very small and usually live in forests; in Australia they generally live in remote, heavily wooded areas, or, in some cases, on desert plains.

The main reason why Wallabies are now an endangered Australian animals is due to predation by such animals as dogs, cats, and foxes. The Wallabies also have to compete with many domestic animals for grazing and therefore, for this reason, are considered a pest. Many wallabies are hunted yearly because of this.

________________________________________________________________

As far as marine animals if Australia go, the sea-lion ranks the highest on the list of endangered animals in Australia.

The sea-lion, a couple decades ago, were hunted to near-extinction and for a few years were thought to be one of the few extinct Australian animals.

They are now considered extremely endangered the hunting of the species has been rightfully banned.

________________________________________________________________

Here is a list of the the rest of Australian endangered animals:

• Wombat
• Kangaroos
• Thylacine
• Dugong
• Southern Bandicoot
• Possum
• Orange Bellied Parrot
• Yellow Spotted Tree Frog