Friday 17th National Endangered Species Day is coming up real soon! This day is an opportunity for people of all ages to learn about the importance of protecting endangered species and everyday actions they can take to help protect them.
This National day started in 2006 by the United States Congress. Endangered Species Day is a celebration of the nation’s wildlife and wild places. Every year on the third Friday in May (and throughout the month), zoos, aquariums, parks, botanic gardens, wildlife refuges, museums, schools, community centers, conservation groups and other organizations throughout the country hold tours, special speaker presentations, exhibits, children’s activities and more to celebrate Endangered Species Day.
Dusky Dolphin
Climate change has a multitude of effects on the oceans which is having an adverse impact on marine mammals such as dolphins and could become the biggest of all dolphin threats. As ocean temperatures rise from climate change, prey populations can be affected. Other dolphin threats include capture for the highly controversial marine park industry, the ingestion of marine debris, activity and spills resulting from oil and gas development, disturbance by recreational watercraft, and noise pollution.
Loggerhead Sea Turtle
The greatest threat is loss of nesting habitat due to coastal development, predation of nests, and human disturbances that cause disorientations during the emergence of hatchlings. Other major threats include incidental capture in longline fishing, shrimp trawling and pollution. Incidental capture in fisheries is thought to have played a significant role in the recent population declines observed for the loggerhead.
Manatees
The leading human-caused threat to Florida manatees is collisions with boats. Other threats include fishing lines, trash, boats and fishing hooks. Most manatees have scars from such collisions. The greatest long-term threat to manatees may be the loss of warm-water habitat that manatees need to survive cold winter temperatures.
Let's do better by keeping our oceans clean! #EndangeredSpecies
