Open classification: biology, species, wild, natural environment, animals.
Wild animals refer to all kinds of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, mollusks, insects and other animals that live in the natural state and are not domesticated artificially.
Wild animal classification
1, endangered wild animals, such as giant pandas and tigers;
2. Beneficial wild animals refer to those wild animals that are beneficial to agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and health care, such as carnivorous birds, frogs, beneficial insects, etc.
3. Economic wild animals refer to those animals with high economic value that can be used as fishing and hunting industries;
4. Harmful wild animals, such as rats and various animals with bacteria.
There are more than 794 kinds of wild animals in the world. Due to the lack of proper environmental protection, more than 300 species of plants belonging to 76 families are on the verge of extinction.
The above information is only known to mankind at present, and I don't know how many unknown species are disappearing.
Animal extinction record
Dodo (Mauritius, India, 178 1 year),
Blue wildebeest (South Africa, 1799),
Marion elephant turtle (Tongsaier, 1800),
Great auk (Atlantic, 1844),
European wild horse (Europe, 1876),
Spotted donkey (Asia, 1883),
White-rumped langur (China, 1893),
Travelling pigeon (North America, 19 14 years),
Florida monkey (North America, 19 17 years),
Carolina parrot (North America, 19 18),
China rhino (China, 1922),
Caucasian bison (Europe, 1925),
Balihu (Indonesia, 1937),
Red Duck (India, 1942),
Platts Wild Horse (China, 1947),
Pocket wolf (Australia, 1948),
Crown duck (Asia, 1964),
Java Tiger (Indonesia, 1972) ...
There are also materials about endangered animals in China, such as elk (3* in the world! 000), South China Tiger (50), Snow Leopard (1*! 000～2*! 000), Chinese alligator (1*! 500), baiji dolphin (100), giant panda (1*! 000), black rhinoceros (3*! 500 monkeys (9), woolly spider monkeys (100), Yunnan golden monkey (1*! 000), wild golden monkey (700), white-browed long-armed monkey (70).
1 Animals are beneficial to human beings
The time between the origin of human beings and the origin of animals on the earth is not too long in the vast history. After the formation of human beings, they depend on the fishing and hunting of forest fruits for survival and evolution. Later, agriculture (the first social division of labor) and animal husbandry (the second social division of labor) were developed, and there was surplus value to be exploited after production, so the primitive society progressed to slave society.
The relationship between humans and animals is very close and complicated. People and animals compete for food rations in the earth's food chain, and they are interdependent and have frequent contact. Generally, it is divided into six categories according to human needs:
1. 1 FoodAnimals provide meat, milk, poultry, eggs, fish and so on with rich nutrition sources for human beings.
1.2 LaborAnimals: horses, donkeys, mules, camels, etc. Riding, carrying and pulling are regarded as the driving force of "no energy" and have strategic significance.
1.3 EconomicAnimals produce wool, fur, leather, etc. Such as sheep, rabbits, nutria, Yellow weasel, blue fox, etc.
1.4 LaboratoryAnimals are special animals that are directionally cultivated for the purpose of scientific experiments and have strict genetic and biological requirements. At present, they are represented by mice, rats, guinea pigs and hamsters.
1.5 raw materials for biological products of MedicalAnimals, such as serum horses and chicken embryos; Detection tools such as rabbits; Traditional Chinese medicine raw materials such as deer (velvet), bear (gall), cow (yellow), horse (treasure), tiger (bone) and so on.
1.6 Ornamental animals (pets, Pet) cats, dogs, parrots, canaries, goldfish, etc. Zoos and circus animals all belong to it.
Animals are also harmful to human beings.
There are about 200 infectious diseases and 80 parasitic diseases in animals, half of which can infect people. 1967 The World Health Organization (WHO) named this kind of diseases that spread between animals and people Zoonoses, which originally meant "zoonoses", and then the WHO/FAO Joint Expert Committee defined it as "diseases that can spread freely between humans and vertebrates".
Social Investigation Report on Endangered Animals
The global animal protection organization announced that 794 species were endangered.
The AllianceforZeroEx tinction, which is composed of several animal protection organizations, recently published a report on "Endangered Species", pointing out that nearly 800 species of animals located in 595 locations around the world are about to become extinct, including the Chinese alligator in China, the Malagasy lemur in Africa and the American ivory-billed woodpecker, among which amphibians known as "ecological barometer" account for/kloc-. Some experts pointed out that if we don't give a helping hand, we will "say goodbye" to these animals completely.
1February 12, two cranes soar in the cold winter in New Delhi, India. Many beautiful things in this world are given to us by these precious wild animals, so protecting endangered animals is our due responsibility to nature.
The mission of alliance for zero extinction.
Although biological extinction is a natural process, at present, the rate of human-induced biological extinction is 100 times that of natural extinction. Most extinct species in modern times live on isolated islands, mainly due to the massive invasion of new species, but most endangered animals found now live in mountainous areas or low-lying areas.
Alliance for zero extinction is jointly sponsored by 13 international organizations that protect biodiversity, including the Zoological Society of London, Conservation International and American Society for the Protection of Birds.
The purpose is to confirm and protect the place where species live, and then save endangered species. These sites are the last habitats of endangered species recognized by IUCN. Because all species on the earth have not been carefully studied, these 794 species only include birds, mammals, amphibians, conifers and some reptiles.
The organization divides the world into seven blocks, and each block has many "hot spots" for endangered animals. The selection of so-called "hot spots" follows three principles: first, these sites must contain at least one species that is "endangered" or "seriously endangered". Secondly, these sites occupy an irreplaceable position in the survival of animals that are "endangered" or "seriously endangered", for example, a certain number of species live here, or spend lactation or hibernation here.
Finally, these zones are independent from the surrounding areas and must have definable boundaries with the surrounding areas. The living environment of each biological population within the boundary is similar, but it is not the same as the species in the surrounding area.
Among the 595 sites listed, only 1/3 is protected by law, and other places are surrounded by human settlements, and the population density is three times the global average. The authors of the study say that protecting these sites is the key to protecting animals from extinction.
On this list of endangered species, Mexico ranks first with 63 endangered species sites, followed by Colombia, Brazil and Peru.
In the list listed by alliance for zero extinction, the location of endangered species in Latin America is higher than that in other regions. One reason is that the species in this region are extremely diverse, and the environment where animals live has been seriously damaged in recent years. The United States ranks eighth in the list.
Butchart, director of the Global Animal Species Program of Bird International, pointed out: "We must protect these endangered animals. We can't estimate how long these animals will survive, but if we don't step up our actions, they will disappear automatically in a few decades." Taylor, the main author of the report? Ricketts also said that although biological extinction is a natural process, the current rate of biological extinction caused by human beings is 100 times that of natural extinction. In modern times, although some of the so-called "giant animals" distributed in North America, Australia, Madagascar or other regions have also died out due to some human reasons, especially hunting and burning, most extinct species live on isolated islands, mainly due to the massive invasion of new species, such as voles. But most of the endangered sites and animals found now are in mountainous areas and low-lying areas.
Taylor? Ricketts said, "We need to know that the urgency of the matter is that if we don't act soon, these species will become dodos of tomorrow. But the good news now is that we still have time to save these animals. " (Note: The dodo was once the national bird of Mauritius because of its beautiful fur. However, after European colonists came to Mauritius, they began to cut down a large area of forest and hunted the dodo with delicate and delicious meat, which finally led to its extinction around 1690. )
The "ecological barometer" is declining.
Some people may think that amphibians are ugly and have no skills except catching some insects, but this is not the case. If they really disappear from the earth, human beings will not feel better. Amphibians are the best environmental monitors in nature, and their catastrophic decline indicates that the earth is facing serious environmental degradation.
Amphibians account for 5 1% of the list of "endangered animals", with 408 species.
These crawling animals with different shapes, including frogs, toads, salamanders and worms, are in extremely dangerous situations. Amphibians are generally regarded as "high-frequency noise in mines", and their permeable skin is very sensitive, which has become a special early warning device for environmental degradation. Russell, president of Conservation International (CI) based in the United States, said that amphibians are the best environmental monitors in nature, and their catastrophic decline indicates that the earth is facing serious environmental degradation.
In the late 1970s, the number of amphibians began to decline sharply, and by 1980, there were 129 species extinct. At the beginning of 2005, a global amphibian survey report "Global Amphibian Assessment" showed that 32% of the 5,743 known amphibians in the world were in danger. However, scientists still don't know why amphibians have fallen so sharply. At present, the main theory is habitat reduction.
Amphibians have gradually lost their foothold because of human wanton deforestation, water pollution and wetland destruction. For example, there is a large terrestrial salamander living in California, USA. It is named "Tiger-striped salamander" because of its light green stripes. However, according to the estimation of American federal officials, due to urbanization and agricultural development, this newt has lost 75% of its habitat so far. There is also a large number of human predation for food or medicine. In addition, it is reported that amphibians are also threatened by a fungus called chytrid. This deadly fungus attacks the skin of amphibians, causing water metabolism disorder in amphibians, leading to a large number of deaths.
Amphibians as a "barometer" of the earth's ecosystem. When they die in large numbers, scientists will consider what will perish next, animals or plants? According to the investigation of Zero Extinction Organization, birds (2 17 species) and mammals (13 1 species) followed.
Alliance for zero extinction's secretary Mike? Parr said: "Although it is very important to protect these sites and species themselves, it means more." Parr said: "If it is not effectively protected, the genetic diversity of the earth's ecosystem will be destroyed in the future, and the eco-tourism economy worth billions of dollars every year will be unsustainable, and there will be clean water sources that cannot be estimated by money. We have a responsibility to do so. "
The bad luck of Madagascar lemurs
Sunlight passes through the veil-like mist that permeates the forest, the sun sets off a delicate blue sky, and groups of lemurs are happily frolicking in the forest. Among the lemurs living in Madagascar, Africa, the big lemur is the largest and has the best voice. "Smooth notes and harmonious melodies are like beautiful scratches left by sound." Writer David? Kuimen described the call of the big lemur like this. However, such a beautiful voice may never be heard again soon.
Madagascar has always been famous for its unusual biodiversity. This is the hometown of primate lemurs; There are also beautiful lizards, geckos or chameleons; Mashima hedgehog with prickly body; There are also mysterious cats, raccoons, who are the original owners of Madagascar. "Madagascar is indeed a godsend for naturalists." Naturalist Joseph? Not Libert? In 177 1 year, Commerson wrote, "It seems that the creator intends to take it as his private domain and arrange everything." Before humans set foot on this island, that is, about 2000 years ago, a large number of animals and plants had thrived on this island. Lemurs in the island always like to wander around the island, and giant turtles and huge elephant birds (about 3 meters high and weighing 500 kilograms, their eggs can feed 150 people if they are made into fried eggs, which are extinct) also do whatever they want on the island, but all these things have changed since the arrival of human beings, and many species are gradually becoming extinct.
Two thousand years ago, since today's Indonesians arrived in Madagascar, * * * there were 15 species of lemurs that were injured and eventually disappeared. Scientists found "evidence of mass slaughter" on the heads of extinct lemurs. Ventura, an anthropologist at the University of Massachusetts? Perez said that his research team found traces of cutting and chopping with sharp tools, such as peeling, falling joints and slicing.
Perez said: "After carefully examining these cutting marks, we have further verified that this animal was slaughtered here, which is beyond doubt." To this day, the killing of lemurs is still not over. Although killing lemurs and keeping them as pets have been considered illegal since 1964, killing lemurs is still prohibited repeatedly. Moreover, because Madagascar has no poisonous snakes, deer or antelopes, and there are few large carnivores, in the long process of evolution, the agility of lemurs has gradually declined, making it easier for human beings to become targets.
At present, the total number of lemurs in Madagascar is estimated to be about 1000 to 1 10,000, but all scientific research results show that the survival prospects of lemurs are extremely severe. Located140km east of Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, it is the location of Ana Ramadza Zhuo Nature Reserve. Ana Ramadza Zhuo is an isolated island inhabited by lemurs and the last refuge of lemurs.
However, compared with its rich biological resources, Madagascar is still poor, and many desperate villagers are chopping thorns and clearing the way. This refuge of lemurs is being violated. Because the local government allows local people to use some protected areas, people are logging and farming more unscrupulously. As a result, it can often be seen in broad daylight, and lemurs living in trees watch those uninvited guests who disturb them.
For lemurs, the last ecological opportunity may only depend on those tourists who come from afar to donate money or stay to help them. However, all this is obviously not omnipotent. If all these forests are cut down one day, it is not difficult to imagine that lemurs will eventually leave us and disappear forever.
"Bird of God" is "resurrected" on earth.
Climate change and environmental change show that at least 1200 species of birds will disappear by 2 100, which is only a conservative estimate. Although since 1500, only 1. 3% of birds are extinct. But during the same period, the number of single birds in the world is estimated to have decreased by 20% to 25%.
The ivory-billed woodpecker, named after its big ivory mouth, is one of the largest woodpeckers in the world, with a body length of 50 cm. The woodpecker in the video has its wings spread out for 90 cm. They are dressed in bright black and white feathers with white spots on their wings, and the male woodpecker's crown is bright red. Because they are so beautiful, almost everyone can't help saying "God, what a beautiful bird" when they see them, so bird lovers also call the ivory-billed woodpecker "God bird".
The ivory-billed woodpecker was once widely distributed in the deep forests of the southwestern United States, and it is an exclusive species in the United States. However, in the 1980s, human industrial civilization stepped into nature, and wetlands and forests were almost completely replaced by farms, towns and secondary forests. After the habitat was taken away, the number of ivory-billed woodpeckers plummeted. The last verifiable encounter between humans and ivory-billed woodpeckers took place in Louisiana in 1944. After that, there was only the rumor that people "caught a glimpse", and then gradually even this rumor disappeared.
February 2004 1 1 day, bird watcher gene? Sparling traveled by canoe and saw a bird he had never seen before along the White River in eastern Arkansas. Sparling recorded the appearance characteristics of this big bird. When he went back to check it, he found it was an ivory-billed woodpecker that had disappeared for 60 years. After the news was published, it caused a general shock in the field of biology.
A week later, Tim of Cornell Lab? Gallagher and Bobby from Oakwood University? Harrison found Sparling. Under the guidance of Sparling, two ornithologists began their journey to find the ivory-billed woodpecker. Next, more than 30 ornithologists divided into several research groups and launched an action, hoping to find the ivory-billed woodpecker again. More than 30 ornithologists have found the trail of ivory-billed woodpecker 15 times during the 7000-hour search, and have taken a lot of pictures and videos.
After the examination and approval of many experts from various countries, it is determined that the ivory-billed woodpecker is still alive on the earth. Therefore, the Nature Conservancy of the United States applied for protection funds from the government to protect the habitat of the ivory-billed woodpecker and to study its breeding. Experts from Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and Nature Conservancy in new york kept the news secret for more than a year in order to protect the habitat of woodpecker reserve. Recently, protected areas and bird watching areas have been built, and breeding research has started. In order to let the public better protect this rare bird and attract more private protection funds, experts decided to disclose the news to the outside world.
After getting the news, the US Secretary of the Interior Gail? Norton immediately held a press conference and announced a conservation plan called "Hope Corridor". Norton said: "We are here to announce the launch of a multi-sectoral conservation plan worth tens of millions of dollars and taking several years to provide hope for the continued survival of this rare bird.
In my memory, this is the first time to rediscover animals that have been considered extinct. This is the second chance that nature gives us. "The decline of birds may have serious consequences for human beings. For example, 1997, 3 in the world. Among the 50,000 to 50,000 rabies deaths, India accounted for 30,000, because the number of wild dogs and mice exploded after the number of vultures in India decreased. In fact, we haven't seen the terrible consequences caused by the disappearance of many birds. Some experts commented that the reappearance and protection of ivory-billed woodpeckers will become a landmark event of ecological protection.
Human foraging causes extinction?
Therefore, although climate change will lead to the extinction of living things in the long run, the living things listed in alliance for zero extinction are facing more immediate threats, including human hunger for food. We don't know whether the future technology can reduce the threat of climate change, but unless we act immediately, these endangered creatures will not surround human beings and benefit us.
Hundreds of endangered animals listed in "alliance for zero extinction" are all suffering from such bad luck. Chinese alligators, Malagasy lemurs and ivory-billed woodpeckers are just some of them. Can these endangered animals survive well? Perhaps no one can answer this question clearly, but for the purpose of protection, there are some misconceptions that must be clarified.
For the ultimate cause of the extinction of wild animals, many people arm their minds with "global warming", but completely ignore the real danger: the total amount of human food will double in the next 50 years, and this alone will destroy a large number of wildlife habitats. If people are fully aware of this, they should give more money to high-yield agricultural research projects.
Dennis of the Center for Global Food Issues at the Hudson Institute in the United States? Avery said: "Modern climate warming is basically natural. The ice core tells us that due to the sun, the earth has a climate cycle of 1500 years, and many creatures have been surviving in the warming cycle for the past million years. Generally, plants can't stand the extremely cold climate, but they are rarely too hot. Climate warming will only make forests more diverse, not less. " He added, "Up to now, no wild species has succumbed to modern climate warming, even though the earth has risen by 0 in the past 150 years. 8 degrees Celsius. If the theory of extinction is correct, we have led thousands of species to extinction. " The only thing biologists can refute is the extinction of the golden toad in Costa Rica, but the recent survey results show that the extinction of this species is due to excessive deforestation, not to climate warming.
The most critical problem is that human beings have to constantly grab land for cultivated land and raising livestock. According to experts' prediction, the population of the world will reach a stable state in 2040, when there will be 2-3 billion more people than now. By then, about 7 billion people will be rich enough to demand high-quality food, and now such people are only about 10 billion. Therefore, population and abundance will more than triple the demand for farmland. In the next 200 years, we will see clearly whether low-productivity agriculture will drive out all wild animals.
Sometimes, some green environmental protection organizations want to stop using any nitrogen fertilizer and use pure natural raw materials. But if commercial nitrogen fertilizer is to be abolished, the world will need to get natural fertilizer from an extra 7 million cows. In that case, all the forests in the world will probably be used to feed them. Returning to primitive farming can only lead to human famine all over the world. This can certainly solve environmental problems, but it will also make many wild animals extinct. Many creatures will become people's food, and at the same time, the land they live in will be less and less, and all of them will be dedicated to cultivated land.
Dennis? Avery also said: "If you really care about wild animals, you should not blindly deny modern mechanized agriculture, such as industrial fertilizers, but support biotechnology, especially the research on high-yield agriculture." Therefore, although climate change will lead to the extinction of living things in the long run, the living things listed in alliance for zero extinction are facing more immediate threats, including human hunger for food. We don't know whether the future technology can reduce the threat of climate change, but unless we act immediately, these endangered creatures will not surround human beings and benefit human beings.
Status of Endangered Animals Protection in China
China is a country with a large distribution of endangered animals. According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 120 species of endangered animals originating in China only listed in the appendix of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (referring to species originating in China), 257 species listed in the List of National Key Protected Wild Animals, 400 species of birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish listed in the China Red Book of Endangered Animals, and listed in various provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government. With the sustained and rapid economic development and the worsening ecological environment, the species of endangered animals in China will increase.
Since 1980s, China has also imported many animals, such as crocodile, siamese crocodile, cynomolgus monkey, chimpanzee and African elephant.
These exotic endangered animals are also under special state protection. Due to the large population and wide range of activities, many precious wild animals are forced to retreat and remain in remote mountainous areas, forests, grasslands, swamps, deserts and other areas, and the distribution area is extremely narrow. Due to being divided into independent groups that are not connected with each other, inbreeding, the variety is deteriorating day by day.
Hundreds of nature reserves of endangered animal types have been established in China, which has effectively protected a considerable number of endangered animals. The number of wild donkeys, bison, Asian elephants, white-lipped deer, antelope, red deer, golden monkey, bustard and so on has increased significantly.
In recent years, although the number has reached the requirements, it is difficult for artificially raised animals to survive in the natural environment. In the long run, it will inevitably lead to biological degradation.
The Chinese alligator in China, which was listed as an endangered animal in the "Zero Extinction Organization", also suffered the same embarrassment.
The survival of wild animals is facing various crises. To achieve "living in peace", it is necessary to "cross" the three thresholds of overall environmental deterioration, ineffective protection measures and insufficient people's understanding.
An SARS epidemic has made "wild animals" a hot word in the media, and there are more calls for not eating "game" and protecting wild animals than before. Overeating wild animals is harmful to human beings, and it is also a catastrophe of wild animals. Protecting wild animals needs to start with refusing to eat and cooking, but fundamentally speaking, to change the trend of decreasing wild animal species, the whole natural environment needs to be improved, which cannot be solved by refusing to eat or cooking. Refusing to eat "game" is only one step to protect wild animals. SARS reminds us to strengthen the protection of wild animals, but the disaster caused by not protecting wild animals is not just SARS.
There are many areas of wildlife protection, so it is necessary to improve the understanding of wildlife protection in the whole society. The management of wild animals can make huge profits, and the profit drive makes some people take risks, but the measures to protect wild animals have not kept up. At present, there are no special institutions for wildlife protection in cities and counties in Hebei province, and there are not many means to protect wildlife and insufficient funds. The scale of the drug market in Qizhou and the fur market in Lixian county in Anguo can be counted all over the country, among which there are many problems in the processing and utilization of wild animals, but the wildlife protection department is unable to supervise and manage them seriously. Tian Qiuming said: "Forest police are responsible for cracking down on cases of destroying wildlife resources, but our manpower and material resources are very insufficient."
Humans who have grown up from eating animals and drinking blood are inseparable from the use of wild animals, but excessive killing of wild animals will endanger human beings, because each animal has its ecological status and ecological function in nature. They share the earth's home with us, and the real peace is that they live in their own places and do not interfere with each other. Broadly speaking, protecting wild animals means protecting human homes and protecting human beings themselves.
Every wild animal has its natural habitat, which ensures their survival and reproduction. If this habitat is destroyed, the natural survival of animals will face a crisis, even if no one preys, it will be difficult to survive. To protect wild animals, in the final analysis, it is necessary to protect their habitats. Fu Yunsheng said: "Every year, we receive many calls about wildlife protection, which shows that people's awareness of wildlife protection is increasing, but not to mention those who deliberately destroy wildlife resources, even those who want to protect them need to be improved. For example, artificial feeding of wildlife and artificial construction of wildlife parks will affect the ecological functions of wildlife, which are people-centered protection concepts. To protect wildlife, they should be allowed to live freely in natural habitats."