Pig Tailed Langur

The Pig-Tailed Langur
Critically endangered
Pop. Trend - decreasing

Description

• The Pig-tailed Langur is a small primate that is native only to the Mentawai Islands off the coast of Indonesia. They have an average weight of about 17 pounds and are typically just short of 2 feet long, with a short hairless tail. The Pig-Tailed Langur is a blackish brown color with a black face and a snub nose.

Cause of Decline

• In the past decade the Pig-Tailed Langur has suffered a nearly 90% population decline all due to human causes. The logging industry has stripped away much of their natural habitat which is causing them to be more easily hunted, which is the second main cause of their population decline. Humans are the only Pig-Tailed Langur's only predator. There is also speculation that climate change due to CO2 emissions is causing their population to decline, because they often dwell on mountain sides.  

Role in the Ecosystem 

• The main beneficial impact the Pig-Tailed Langur has on its ecosystem is that it spreads the seeds of many tropical fruit trees.

What is being done?

• The Pig-Tailed Langur is listed in CITES and is protected under Indonesian law, but that does not stop hunters from illegally hunting these primates. The Siberut National park is where they are most abundant and it lacks enforcement which is why they continue to be hunted. They are also cooperating with logging companies to work out a plan towards a more sustainable logging technique. 

What Can you do?

• Since they live in a very remote area there is not much you can do directly to help the population, but you can help reduce CO2 emissions which is a potential cause for their decline. Also, of course you can donate to the WWF to help the cause.

The Alabama Sturgeon

The Alabama Sturgeon

Critically Endangered

Description and Habitat

• The Alabama Sturgeon is native to the United States and lives in the lower part of the Cahaba River and it is a distinctive yellowish orange color. They reach up to about 30 inches in length and weigh up to about 2 to 3 pounds and they have a lifespan of about 12 to 20 years.

• The red indicates where the Alabama Sturgeon used to occur, but are now extinct and the yellow indicates where they still occur. 

Role in the Ecosystem

• The Alabama Sturgeon is a benthivore meaning they feed on smaller fish on the bottom of the river. If the Alabama Sturgeon goes extinct certain population of bottom dwelling fish to have an unwanted increase in population size. 

Cause of Decline

• The biggest threats to the Alabama Sturgeon is overfishing, loss of habitat due to navigation related development, and degradation of the water quality due to pollution and runoff.

Current Conservation Efforts

• State and federal agencies have made up a conservation agreement that consists of three main parts which are captive breeding programs, genetic conservation, and they are protecting what habitat they have left. They are breeding the Alabama Sturgeon and releasing them back into the wild, but it does not seem to be enough. They are also protecting the Sturgeon's habitat by setting laws against further destruction of it.

The Bigeye Tuna

The Bigeye Tuna

Description

• The Bigeye Tuna are a dark metallic blue on their with a white underbelly and yellow dorsal fins. They can grow to reach a length of 6.5 feet long and can weigh up to 450 pounds. The Bigeye Tuna have a short lifespan of only 7 to 8 years and they start to reproduce when they are 3 years old.
• You can find Bigeye Tuna in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. They are more ample in population in the western and Eastern Pacific and you will not find them in the Mediterranean. 

Role in the Ecosystem and in our Economy

• Bigeye Tuna are a valued fish in different fish markets all around the world. They give many people livelihoods to a great deal of people and play a vital role in the economy of many areas worldwide.
• The Bigeye Tuna also play a key role in the oceans ecosystem, because they are a top predator in the food chain, meaning they keep many other fish populations in check.

Cause of Decline

• The Bigeye Tuna are very prone to over fishing since they are such a desired fish around the world. Bigeye Tuna are not yet endangered, but they are vulnerable and if we do not keep commercial and domestic fishing rates down, we will see a decline in their population. Juvenile Bigeye Tuna are also being frequently caught as bycatch which can dramatically cut the population if too many juveniles are killed.

What the WWF is doing

• Today the WWF works with the government and regional fisheries to make Bigeye Tuna a sustainable business by advising new plans that reduce bycatch and pirate fishing.

What can you do?

• The most important thing you can do is support the WWF and donate to help their cause and if you happen to be out on the ocean during a fishing trip, try not to catch to many Bigeye Tuna.

Estimated Population: N/A

Resources

• http://www.fishwatch.gov/seafood_profiles/species/tuna/species_pages/pacific_bigeye_tuna.htm
• https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/bigeye-tuna

The Blue Whale

The Blue Whale

Estimated Population: 10,000- 25,000

Species Description

• The blue whale is the largest known animal on this planet and can weigh up to 200 tons, which is approximately 33 elephants, and their heart is about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. The blue whale is not only the largest animal on the planet, it is also the loudest. Its low frequency whistle can be heard from hundreds of miles away. The blue whale can come in many shades of blue grey, with a lighter colored underbelly. Their diet consists exclusively of krill and can eat up to 4 tons of krill per day. There is only one place on this earth where an animal of this size can thrive, and that is the ocean, blue whales can be found all across the globe as they live in every ocean around the world. 

Blue Whale's Role in the Ecosystem

• Blue whales and whales in general play a key role in their ecosystems, because they are at the top of their food chain. Without out whales the krill population would be out of control. One blue whale can eat up to 4 tons of krill per day, so imagine what the population would look like if whales did not exist.
• Blue whales also help growing economies, since whale watching is a large tourist attraction in many places.

What is happening to the Blue Whale?

• Up until 1966 the blue whale was hunted almost to extinction, but thankfully international regulations were put in place and their population began to rise again. Today whaling is no longer a threat to the blue whale, and it is the climate change that is impacting them most. Climate change is having an impact on krill which is the major prey of the blue whale. 

What the WWF is doing

• Currently the WWF is tracking blue whales migration and feeding patterns in order to be able to label protected areas. This also helps the WWF communicate with fishing boats and keep them away from blue whales. If you would like to help out blue whales the most helpful thing you can do is donate to the WWF, every dollar helps.
• www.worldwildlife.org/Donate

Introduction

Hello, my name is Eric Frisch this is my 4th year at the University of Cincinnati and I am pursuing a bachelors degree in criminal justice and psychology. I am taking this class, because I am a  nature lover and I think what we are doing to this planet is egregious. I have done a fair amount of research on this topic, but I would like to dive even deeper into this problem. If anyone has any question feel free to ask me, I will try to answer them to the best of my ability.