15 Endangered Rainforest Animals You May Not Know Are Endangered
Every 60 minutes, 240 acres of natural animal habitat disappear. Because of that, we lose one species every 20 minutes! It doesn’t take a computational biologist to figure out that we are losing more animal species to extinction than at any other point in history.
Conservation efforts have been made to increase awareness, find sustainable resources, and re-establish endangered animal populations. Still, a lot of animals are in danger of extinction, in the United States and all over the world.
In America, from Maine to Arizona, America’s forest species are in a steady slide towards extinction. Scientists estimate that more than 4,600 native plant and animal species will be gone by 2030. They join species worldwide that are currently disappearing at as much as 1,000 times the expected natural rate. Some become extinct before they are even discovered!
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One of the main reasons for this is deforestation. The United States went through 300 years of intense deforestation between 1600 and 1900. That has been offset in the last few decades with reforestation (about 200,000 hectares per year) but that is not the case in the other forest areas on the planet.
According to one study, Nigeria, Indonesia, and Brazil have the world’s highest deforestation rates. It is estimated that 13.7 million hectares of forest lands are lost by them annually. Nigeria, which is first in the Deforestation Index, “lost just over 2 million hectares of forest between 2005/2010, a 4% reduction per year,” according to the research forecasting company Verisk Maplecroft. Just imagine what the results of such intense deforestation are to the country’s animal species!
Nigeria is not alone. The Amazon has lost a fifth of its rainforests and one of the main culprits is cattle farming, especially in Brazil. Cattle ranching in that region of the Amazon resulted in a loss of area larger than the state of Washington! It is not about to end any time soon, according to One Green Planet, as the Brazilian government continues to support cattle farming to sustain the country’s position as the world’s largest beef exporter.
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As sad as the situation is, in order to save the endangered rainforest animals we must know the extent of the situation first. This is just an estimate (this is so because scientists do not know how many species are there, to begin with) but researchers strongly believe that half of all animal species in the rainforests – mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, and amphibians – are endangered. This list is just a tiny fraction of what’s out there, but let’s start by learning about some endangered forest animals you may not know about.
1. Orangutans
Borneo’s “old man of the forest” is critically endangered because of habitat destruction and illegal hunting. According to Scientific American, 60% of the population has been lost since 1950, and the orangutan been listed in the critically endangered category since 2008, joining their Sumatran cousins.
It is estimated that only about 7,300 orangutans live in the Sumatran rainforests and there are between 45,000 and 69,000 in Borneo. It is possible that the IUCN estimates are lower on both islands as there has been substantial habitat loss since that numbers were published.
Orangutans spend 95% of their time in trees so it follows that if there are no trees, to begin with, it’s only a matter of time before these apes follow. Liz Osborn of Current Results stated that in just 25 years 80% of Indonesia’s old forests were destroyed and logged from 1980 to 2005. In northern Sumatra alone, each year, forests supporting 1,000 orangutans are cut down.
Why Save The Orangutans?
Orangutans eat fruits and this behavior is of great ecological significance. It helps save and preserve the rainforests they are living in because they become natural seed-dispersing agents.
2. Golden Lion Tamarin
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The Golden Lion Tamarin is an extremely conspicuous small primate with its bright orange/golden fur and a lion-like “mane.” Tamarins were numbered as low as 200 in the wild 30 years ago, but have climbed back up to 1,000 recently because of strong conservation efforts.
They went endangered because of severely fragmented habitat which is not that big to start with. (They have a distribution of only 5,000 square kilometers.) Their numbers also went down because of the illegal pet trade, with prices of live animals reaching $10,000 in the black market and the price of fur going up to $20,000.
Why Save The Tamarins?
Because there are so few of these left in the wild, it’s a possibility that two generations from now, these brightly-colored monkeys may not be around. Tamarins play a highly significant role in the Atlantic rainforest ecosystem. They have interactions with 96 species of plants and are critical for seed dispersal and germination.
3. Aye-Aye
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The aye-aye is a strange-looking lemur found in the rainforests of Madagascar. It was discovered in the 1800s and has been in steady decline ever since. It is estimated that only about 100 of these rare creatures are living in the wild.
What contributed to the aye-aye’s demise? Quite frankly, ignorance. The Malagasy people think of the aye-aye as an omen of bad luck and kill it on sight. Such “hunting,” coupled with habitat destruction, earns the aye-aye a spot in the critically endangered list.
Why Save The Aye-Aye?
Everyone has a place in the ecosystem and the aye-aye is no exception. Because it preys on some insects, it helps in their population control. But what could be the selling point for the aye-aye is its rarity. According to Wikipedia, it is the lone surviving member of the genus Daubentonia and family Daubentoniidae. Its cousin, the giant aye-aye has been considered extinct for the last 100 years.
4. Harpy Eagle
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Harpy eagles are considered to be symbols of eagerness and prowess by Brazilian indigenous tribes. It is a powerful raptor with talons as big as a Grizzly bear’s claws. However, its population has declined greatly over that area and these majestic birds are now decimated in many of its former range including the Amazonian rainforests. They are now almost extinct in Central America with the exception of Panama.
The foremost reason for the Harpy Eagle’s decline is deforestation and as its habitat deteriorates, so does their population.
Why Save The Harpy Eagles?
Harpy eagles have no natural predators and are on top of the food chain. Their presence in a forest means a healthy ecosystem. As top-of-the-food-chain predators, harpy eagles are nature’s way of ensuring that arboreal and land mammals in rainforests do not overrun the place. These would greatly (and naturally) prevent overgrazing. Without the eagles, the whole forest ecosystem is in jeopardy.
5. Sumatran Rhinoceros
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We can make a whole catalog of endangered species in Sumatra here but let’s try to consider the animals who are threatened the greatest.
Enter the Sumatran Rhinoceros.
The Sumatran Rhinoceros is the most endangered of all rhino species as there are only 100 of these gentle giants live in the wild – and that is an optimistic estimate. They have already been considered extinct in Malaysia since 2015 and survive in very small and highly fragmented populations in the Indonesian island. Researchers tried to breed them in captivity but with almost no positive results. According to the World Wildlife Organization, only one pair in the last 15 years has successfully reproduced in captivity.
Like their African and Indian cousins, the Sumatran Rhinoceros is often the target of poachers because of its valuable horns. Its horns are prized because of their perceived role in traditional medicine, particularly in Vietnam.
Why Save The Sumatran Rhinoceros?
Again, we could not reiterate enough that losing biodiversity is similar to losing a limb in nature’s collective body. Online nature magazine Mongabay quotes its senior correspondent Jeremy Hance by saying we need to save these rhinos “because we can.”
According to Hance, these animals are basically 800-pound teddy bears and described them as “lovably weird.” And it isn’t sad to think if these adorable oddballs cease to exist just because somebody thinks its horns can cure arthritis and headaches?
Like Hance and the scientists that are giving it their all to save the Sumatran rhinoceros, let’s not throw in the towel just yet even though it may already be too late.
6. Pygmy Three-Toed Sloth
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Many of us have not seen a pygmy three-toed sloth and at this point, probably none of us ever will. It’s because these animals have become one of the world’s most critically-endangered species, with no more than 100 left hanging in their Central American rainforest habitat.
The sad thing is, the sloth may be gone even before we get to know more about them. Scientists know next to nothing about these animals and only recently were they forced to collect more data to understand the sloth’s behavior in order to help in their conservation.
And there lies the rub. Because the pygmy sloths live in hard-to-reach mangrove areas, there is no consensus as to why they are in trouble. It’s possible that a combination of tourism and the deforestation of mangroves are the main culprits. The area where they live is a common stopover for local fisherman, who brings dogs with them and cut down mangrove trees for charcoal.
Why Save The Pygmy Sloths?
Unbeknownst to many, sloths are known to host an entire ecosystem of invertebrate species unique to their fur. Symbiotic fungi and algae act as an effective camouflage, along with up to 950 species of moths, cockroaches, beetles, and even worms, all of which can be found on an individual sloth, according to SlothSanctuary.com.
The sloths’ fur may not be the cleanest of materials but it is home to these invertebrate species, so who are we to evict them?
7. Antiguan Racer
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If you have Ophidiophobia or fear of snakes, I’d put my money on the Antiguan racer to rid you of that. It is a harmless snake, also one of the rarest, and may be the only animal in the world to have incorrectly been declared as extinct twice!
Before, the Antiguan racer was native to Antigua but now only exists on Great Bird Island. The snakes were numbered at about 50 in 1995 but now have gone back up to over 1,000 because of conservation efforts.
Unlike most species in this list which became endangered because of deforestation and overhunting, the racers were in trouble because of the introduced species in the islands. According to Our Endangered World, cargo ships back then unwittingly brought rats to the island and it wasn’t long before the aliens called the sugar cane farms in Antigua their home. The people then began to import mongooses to the devastation and ss we know, mongooses find snakes to be delicious – to the racers’ demise – and the rest we know, is endangered history.
Why Save The Antiguan Racer?
The Antiguan racers are the top predators in the Antiguan islands and are essential in controlling the lizard populations in the area. It’s no surprise that when conservation efforts increase the number of racers 22 times in a 20-year period, species have begun to thrive again including many regional rarities, such as the West Indian whistling duck and Caribbean brown pelican.
8. Saola
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Discovered in 1992, the Saola is called the Asian unicorn. But paradoxically enough, it may be the only (or one of the few) endangered Asian species that doesn’t have a considerable price on its head like rhinos and tigers. Instead, the Saola is essentially collateral damage in all of the madness.
Professional poachers set up thousands of meters of wire cables as snares and the Saola often gets caught up in them. The extent of the problem is staggering that there are only between 70-700 individuals in existence right now, with many favoring the low estimate.
Why Save The Saola?
Not much is known about these highly-secretive animals but its uniqueness and vulnerability make it one of the greatest priorities for conservation in the Laos-Vietnam region.
9. Golden Poison Frog
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Golden Poison Frogs is a species of poison dart frogs endemic in the Colombian rainforests. Dubbed the most poisonous vertebrate in the world, their defense mechanism does little to its survival, especially when they are up against humans.
Because of extensive loss of habitat due to forest clearing, pollution, smuggling, and the threat of infectious diseases, these brightly-colored amphibians are considered by many to be on the edge of extinction. Though no numbers on the current population have yet been released, the fact that these frogs depend on primary forest less than the size of Barbados as its habitat makes it very likely to be wiped out in a flash.
Why Save The Golden Poison Frogs?
Frogs, in general, are essential to an ecosystem. They keep insect populations under control and plays an important role in the food chain as both prey and predator. Because they have permeable skin and need suitable land and freshwater habitats, they respond easily to changes in the environment making them good indicators and barometers of the health of an ecosystem.
10. Gorilla
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Four of the five gorilla species are critically endangered including the Western Lowland, Cross River, and Mountain gorillas. Although they have no natural predators in the wild, the plight of the gorillas just cemented the fact that humans have been the most dangerous predator in existence.
Poaching is the main reason for the gorilla’s population decline as well as the conversion of their habitat for agriculture, diseases, and low reproduction rate. According to Gorillas-World, there is a direct link between illegal hunting (poaching) and habitat loss, since until the dense vegetation where some gorillas lived began to be destroyed in the 1980s, it was almost impossible to access those areas. Once some roads were built and large zones of forests cleared, the access to find gorillas got a lot easier for poachers.
Why Save The Gorillas?
Gorillas eat a lot of vegetation – about 18 kilograms a day to be exact. Without these large-scale grazers, the natural balance in the food chain would be disrupted. Gorillas also help preserve other animals in their habitat. How? According to Gorillas.org, they are observed “dismantling simple traps that they find on the forest floor during their foraging and traveling activities… preventing young gorillas to be caught in the snares and also helps prevent lethal injury to duikers, bush pigs, and other animals.”
11. Tree Kangaroo
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Unlike what we know of kangaroos, Tree Kangaroos would rather stay on treetops than hop around on the ground. That would have been a good adaptation if humans were not so greedy.
The loss of habitat and over-hunting has driven these unique macropods close to extinction. According to the World Wildlife Organization, tree kangaroos are driven out in 99% of their habitat. Out of the 14 subspecies of tree kangaroos, at least one, the Wondiwoi tree kangaroo has only about 50 surviving members in the wild.
Why Save The Tree Kangaroos?
Not much is known about tree kangaroos because they almost exclusively live their lives upon the trees. Leaves and fruits mostly make up their diet but would also eat grains and flowers. Though not true herbivores, plant-eating animals like tree kangaroos play a vital role in the ecology of an area because it influences plant communities and individual plant growth.
12. Okapi
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The okapi looks like a more muscular zebra but it is closely related to the giraffe. That’s why it is sometimes called the zebra giraffe.
The brown-and-white striped forest-dwelling species has lost half of its population from 1995 to 2013 forcing the International Union for Conservation of Natural Resources to categorize the okapi among the endangered species list.
Like all of the animals in the list, the destruction of their habitat and overhunting plus the untold effects of mining and civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s rainforests may have caused the depletion of okapi population.
Why Save The Okapi?
The Okapis can’t fight for themselves so why won’t we? If not for the mining of a mineral called Coltan and the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, these quiet and peaceful creatures would not have suffered.
13. Chimpanzee
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Chimpanzees once numbered into the millions and had healthy populations in 25 African countries. Now, their population has been decimated by as much as 80% and only six countries have been able to sustain large populations of the apes.
So why do the chimpanzees become endangered? It is a combination of a lot of things but mainly because of the destruction of their habitat to give way to human settlements. “More and more forest land is destroyed by the day, as farms take their place.” the website Animalsake.com states. Forest lands have now been turned into roads making the rainforests more accessible to harmful human activities. Human settlements constantly push into the jungle, eradicating forests along the way.
Chimps are also captured unlawfully and sold as pets and sometimes into laboratories that do animal testing. As recently as 2010, PETA noted that there have been as many as 900 chimps languishing in American laboratories. Chimps are also hunted for their meat and it is estimated that about 4,000 chimps are killed annually for such purposes.
Why Save The Chimpanzees?
Chimpanzees and other apes play a key role in the environment. As fruit eaters, they play key roles in ecology as seed dispersers and account for 25%-40% (in terms of biomass) of all fruit-eating species found in tropical rainforests.
14. Golden-Cheeked Warbler
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There are over 200 migratory birds that face the threat of extinction and the golden-cheeked warbler is one of them. There is no reliable estimate as of now but in the 90’s, there could have been around 2,000 to 4,000 of them left.
To nobody’s surprise, habitat destruction and pollution severely cut off the bird’s population. In the case of the golden-cheeked warbler, they are doubly threatened. While their rainforest habitat in Central America is almost gone, they are also losing their summer and nesting habitat in Texas because of agriculture and development.
Why Save The Golden-Cheeked Warbler?
Warblers mostly eat insects and thus, play a major role in controlling insect populations. And would it be nice to hear this songbird’s “voice” throughout Texas once again?
15. Giant Otter
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Giant otters are called the river wolf in its Amazonian river habitat and while they are truly giants in length (typically reach 5 feet but some can reach up to six feet), they are not the heaviest otters. (That title goes to the sea otter.)
Unlike their cousins, too, the giant otter is now endangered, with about 5,000 of them remaining in a 2006 estimate. Giant otters are in trouble because of mining, damming, logging, and overfishing in their Amazon river habitat.
They are also hunted for its pelts or fur, which is used as a material for garments. The giant otter’s fur is among the finest in the world and may cost about a year’s wage for a local resident. (In 1950-1970, Peru alone has exported 20,000 giant otter pelts.) If only rich people embrace the vegan lifestyle, which includes abstaining from all animal products, the giant otters may not be as endangered as it is now.
Why Save The Giant Otters?
Giant otters are among the animals on top of the Amazon river food chain. This means that through predation, giant otters help control the populations of the species it preys on. They are also important because they are a key indicator of the health of the ecosystem, in this case, the Amazon River.
