~*Explore the Circle of Life..Keep Our Planet Alive*~

West Indian manatees are large, gray-brown aquatic mammals with bodies that taper to a flat, paddle-shaped tail. They have two flippers with three to four nails on each, and their head and face are wrinkled with whiskers on the snout. The manatee's closest relative is the elephant and hyrax (a small furry animal that resembles a rodent). Manatees are believed to have evolved from a wading, plant-eating animal. The West Indian manatee is related to the West African manatee, the Amazonian manatee, the dugong, and Steller's sea cow, which was hunted to extinction in 1768. The average adult manatee is about 10 feet long and weighs about 1,000 pounds. Manatees..are often referred to the gentle giants of the sea...many of them are killed by boats...others by dieased waters...today manatees are almost totally extinct but they are making a comeback thanks to the many people who work on peserving them and their species The giant panda is classified as a member of the order Carnivora and is a member of the family Procyonidae. The male giant panda stands up to five feet tall, and weighs up to 265 pounds. The female giant panda is smaller and weighs less. The giant panda is classified as an endangered species due to the fact that it only exists in severely fragmented subpopulations consisting of up to 250 mature adults, and that there has been continuing decline in the area of habitat. The giant panda feeds mainly on bamboo, even though it is classified as a carnivore. The gorilla is classified as a member of the order Primates and is a member of the family Hominidae. The male gorilla grows to about six feet high, and weighs up to six hundred pounds. The female gorilla grows to about five feet high, and weighs up to two hundred pounds. The gorilla is classified as an endangered species due to the projected gorilla population declining to at the highest 50% due to a decline in area of occupancy. The gorilla is the largest and most powerful primate alive, but is a peaceful and sociable animal. ~*The SNOW LEOPARD is well adapted for living in the extreme cold of their mountain environment. With a coat that thickens during the winter, marked evenly with open rosettes of ashen-gray to black, the usually light gray or pale yellow fur allows the snow leoaprd to easily blend in against either snow or rocky ledges.The size of these furry felines can vary but they seem to grow to about Head and body length is 100-130 cm while the tail is 78-99 cm long, as with hieght weight can also very but the adverage is Adult weight averages 35-40 kilos Snow leaopards are considered nocturnal, but seem to be most active in the early morning and late afternoon. They den in rocky caverns and crevices. This secretive cat is a solitary hunter except when a female has young with her. Humans are the main threat to this beautiful species. Snow leoaprds are often hunted for their exotic coats or to protect domestic herds from being their prey. In Mongolia, officials even allow hunting of snow leopards by permit*~. ~*SEA TURTLES..Sea turtles can vary in weight but most seem to weigh in at 600kg. and many can live well over 100 years.they consume a variety of food that can range from see weed to jelleyfish, they live anywhere from far north oceans to the southern seas but they tend to only breed in warmer waters..although they do breath air they live thier lives at sea, using their paddles they can hold their breath for hours as they migrate thousands of miles the sea turtle hatches from eggs from the beach, they tend to return year after year to the same beach to lay their young...many of which do not survive..a female grown sea turtle can lay close to 1000 eggs each time.. less than 1% of all these eggs are believed to survive into adulthood...the sea turtle are one of the oldest living reptiles left on earth..and they are growing dangerously close to total extinction~*. ~*ELEPHANTS..can live up to 60 years and grow to be at least 6 tons elephants are distinctive due to their trunks. The trunk is used for drinking, smelling, grasping food, and bathing Elephants feed on grass, branches and twigs, which they can search up to 15 hours a day looking for the amount of food they need to survive elephants live in small herd which are made up of the females and their small calves, lead by the oldest and the most experienced female the males travel in bacheclor herds or alone and only join the females when mating season comes. Elephants are considered to be extremly intelligent and show complex social behavior.. many feel that they tend to show emotions similiar to those of the human. they have been observed covering a elephants that has died with twigs and branches..and seem to have a mourning period for possibly days today elephants are hunted mainly for their ivory...many are killed just for this purpose almost to the point of extinction... there are now organizations to try to preserve the Elephant from Ivory hunters... ~*~*~*~There are many more animals every day that are added to the list of the endangered along with these...maybe if we listen to our planet there will be hope for some of these species to live and grow and be around for us to enjoy for many years to come~*~*~*~* Make sure to stop back in as I make more changes....I have only began on this page..so there will be lots more info hope to see you back soon!!!!!!!!....

~*Here are a Few Links...Ill be adding many more..so please visit again soon...*warm smile*

~*INDIANAPOLIS ZOO*~....people dedicated to keeping our endangered alive...

~*WORLD FAMOUS TOPEKA ZOO*~..this link was found by a very special friend who also has a place in his heart for animals..*warm smile*...special hugs to one special Kansas Farmer..

~*GREENPEACE*~..a very interesting organization interesting in saving the planet we live in..

~*WILD THINGS*~

~*ENDANGERED SPECIES HOMEPAGE*~..a very intresting page with lots of facts...

~*CLICK HERE TO LEAVE THE ENDANGERED JUNGLE*~...hope you enjoyed your visit *tiger grins*