Sea Otter Decline

The label “Indian” refers to a variety of different cultures (over 2000), with hundreds of different languages and different ways of living. Indians had long, dark hair, almond shaped eyes and bronze or tan skin. After the realization that America was not a part of Asia a examination began over how people got there. Joseph de Acosta said “Old World animals were presents in the Americas” (Faragher pg 5), humans must have crossed a land bridge with them.

When it comes to the ecosystems that makes up our world today, many believe that the predators are the issue. The balance between the predators and the prey is more than defiantly unbalanced in the human eye, with the predators at the high end and the prey at the low. But, what would happen if someone changes the view of the people and make them realize that the unbalance is balanced? That we need the predators as much as we need the prey? In the essay “Why the Beaver Should Thank the Wolf” by Mary Ellen Hannibal, readers get to realize just how unjustified this unbalance is. A major point within “Why the Beaver Should Thank the Wolf” is that the predators are not always the big problem, but instead a big help, and that they are withering down to a non-existent state. The animal that Hannibal uses as an example is the wolf in Wyoming. I believe whole heartedly with Hannibal in saying that if it was not for the wolves, many ecosystems and the prey would not thrive as much as they do.

At the turn on the century, government agencies eradicated predator populations in national parks and forests. Getting rid of predators in Yellowstone had many unanticipated problems. One being the population of other species dramatically changes. The number of deer in this reserve grew rapidly due to the lack of grey wolves hunting them. Since more deer were in Yellowstone, vegetation and food resources decreased because of the constant grazing. With the grey wolves hunting the deer, they began to feel more dominate and spread through the park. Once wolves returned, the deer began to avoid certain areas of the park and their behaviors started to change.

Hunting has been a part of our society since the first man set foot on this continent, but animal rights movements have become popular in our society recently that has questioned the necessity of hunting in our modern times. Because of this, animal populations are left freely to where they can multiply at an alarming rate. Hunting is a great means of controlling animal populations’ growth, although greatly opposed by many. While hunting is a very controversial topic in our society, there are great points for being for and against it.

The monk seals are a rare tropical animal that lives on the Caribbean and the Hawaiian Islands. Monk seals live in warm waters and spend about two-thirds of their time at sea. However, they also spend time on land as they breed and carry-out their “pups.” Coral reefs provide the seal as a great habitat for them to dive, swim, and for food such as fish. It may seem that monk seals spend most of their time at sea, but they also love to rest on shore on the beaches. From resting and birthing to nursing newborn seals, the seals try their best to survive. Why are these animals extinct, then?

Journalist Ashley Pierce observed that, in the wild, male orcas live to an average of sixty-five years while females live an average of ninety years. The natural environment creates more than double the lifespan faced in captivity (Pierce 1). Orcas live a shortened lifespan in captivity because the whales can not handle the lack of space given. Over a period of the orcas’ life in confinement, results in the bodies shutting down more and more every day. The Beacham 's Guide to the Endangered Species of North America, expresses that, orcas venture throughout the Pacific Ocean within the whales lifespan (Killer Whale 1). Due to the fact that orca whales travel throughout the oceans in the killer whale 's’ life, captivity takes a greater toll on the whale 's bodys’. The whales face panic attacks, depression, and self enduring harm when unable to travel the

Overhunting has had an effect on several different species, the one I will be telling you about is the Harp seal. The harp seal is located in the “west ice” of eastern Greenland, in the “east ice” of eastern Russia, and off the cost of east Canada and are currently being over hunted by humans. Harp seals, and others like the Namibian cape seal, are currently slaughtered more than any other marine mammal in the world. Harp seals are usually 3 weeks to 3 months old when they are clubbed (being hit with a club, like a golf club, until you dead), bludgeoned (being hit in the head with a large, heavy object really hard), or shot to death by a few hundred or a few thousand fishermen, depending on how well they can get to the seal, each year. Harp

Otters have a unique history in Alaska. They bounced back from the fur trade, that began in the 1700s, that almost wiped them out. Today otters face other threats. Apart from disease epidemics, otters continue to be threatened by overharvest, interactions with fisheries (e.g. gear entanglements), oil spills and being prey to killer

Estes, J. A., 1990. Growth and Equilibrium in Sea Otter Populations. Journal of Animal Ecology, 59(2), pp. 385-401.

Text from the article “8 Reasons Orcas Don't Belong At Seaworld” that supports my claim is “Orcas are highly social animals who live in stable social groups ranging from two to 15 individuals. In some populations, children stay with their mothers for life. In captivity, orcas are forced to live with orcas from other family units who speak a completely different language than they do and are constantly moved between facilities for breeding and to perform.” and “The resulting anxiety and tension cause fights between orcas. In the wild, orcas have strong social bonds that may last for life, their social rules prohibit serious violence against each other, and when fights do occur, they can find space to flee. In captivity, there’s nowhere for them to go, which leads to injuries and death.” The text supports my claim because it shows that Orcas cannot live with their mothers in captivity and they might get in fights and hate other Orcas because they are not the same and don't speak the same language. However, in the wild, Orcas stay and live with their mothers and don't get in many fights. Also, the text supports my claim because it shows that Seaworld is not treating Orcas right and having too many orcas in the same area which results in fights and anxiety which increase the chance of orcas murdering each other and they want to find

Polar Bears are a species that is in decline. They are currently listed as a vulnerable species because of the decline of their population. Climate change is a driving causes in the decline of Polar Bears. According to a study published in Ecological Applications, “Polar bears prefer sea ice concentrations exceeding 50% in the shallow, productive waters over the continental shelf” (634). This sea ice is essential to the Polar Bears because it allows them to feed off of their prey. Unfortunately, the amount of sea ice is beginning to fall, and the number of Polar Bears is falling with it. The cause, climate change, is a controversial issue that needs to be addressed. It will soon cause Polar Bears to become endangered and even

The sea otter can weigh and look all shapes and sizes. A female sea otter is 35-60 pounds and males can weigh up to 90 pounds. They can measure up to 4 feet. Sea otters are dark brown with lighter hair guards. The type of symmetry of the sea otter is bilateral. It is bilateral because it is a warm blooded vertebrate.

Otter droppings may be found at these signposts, or on logs or rocks adjacent to or extending out into the water. The boat concessioner at Yellowstone Lake sometimes has been troubled by the otters thus defiling the rowboats during the

Leatherback sea turtles, like in the Eastern Pacific along the coast of South America, are another endangered species that has suffered from the effects of poaching. Their meat and eggs are considered a delicacy in some countries. In other areas of the world, the turtles are hunted for different reasons. Jewelry, instruments, wall hangings, and ceremonial objects can be made from the turtle's skin and shells. Based on what happened to the rhino population, you are probably able to guess the effect on the sea turtles. There are only about 35,000 nesting females left in the world, which may be larger than the decreasing rhino population, it is nowhere near where it should be. Leatherback sea turtles take a longer than most animals to reproduce, so harvesting their eggs takes a massive toll on the population. You could attribute this decline to other factors as well, but in certain areas poachers have removed up to 95% of the

Why are different species becoming extinct? Do researchers know how many innocent animals are killed each year? When will animals be protected in a comfortable habitat? In man-made environments, such as zoos and other nature parks, animals that are born in the wild are protected and well taken care of. Due to animals running around in the wild, scientists and researchers can track the amount of animals being killed everyday. This usually causes extinction within that species, and researchers have decided to do something about it. Although endangered animals are born in the wild, they should be sheltered and protected in nature parks because it helps decrease the amount of extinctions, allows a better and healthier environment, and the animals are protected from predators and human hunters.