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Protecting endangered species research paper
Protecting endangered species research paper
How to protect endangered animals
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The evolution of the elephant specie initiates the modification in the genetic traits of an elephant through sequential generations; hence the independent species divided into separate divisions. The subspecies therefore evolved and developed independently, and ultimately expanded and branched out to form advanced species, resulting in the formation and evolution of the modern elephant specie. The current elephant is a large herbivorous mammal, native in Southern Asia and Africa. The elephant species is the largest existing land animal, belonging to the family Elephantidae, and the order of Probiscidea. The elephant is characterised by the possession of a versatile trunk, capable of grasping objects and ivory tusks.
The evolution of the elephant specie arose within the Eocene and early Oligocene age, dating back perhaps 60 million years earlier. The earliest proboscideans have inhabited and populated all continents of the world, however with the slight exclusion of both Australia and Antarctica. The elephant specie encountered five major phases of evolution, the Phosphatherium, Moeritherium, Phiomia, Primelephas and the current evolution stage the modern elephant Loxodonta Africana and the Elephas Maximus, referred to as the African, Asian elephant. The original proboscides established the foundation of perhaps 352 species and subspecies. However due to the immense escalation of human settlement, mass habitat destruction and ultimately illegal poaching, unfortunately only two major species continue to exist within society.
The earliest ancestor of the elephant existed 60 million years earlier. The prehistoric genus Phosphatherium initiated the evolution of the modern elephant specie. Although the primitive mammal is the initial...
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...cumstances led to the formation of a rather short and broad neck, in addition to the modification of the second pair of incisors of the upper jaw into ivory tusks, although the two rudimentary tusks present in the lower jaw remained diminutive.
The physical adaptions adopted by the earliest elephants have led to the evolution of what is now recognised as the modern elephant species. The Phosphatherium, Moeritherium, Phiomia and Primelephas form the evolutionary line of the modern elephant, adapting larger physical structures, such as the skull, bones, limbs, figure and ears. Unfortunately the continuation of the elephant specie is threatened. Humans pose a great threat to the endangered elephant specie and risk the continuation and co-existence of the elephant. The evolution and continual reproduction of the elephant illustrates a significant element in society.
1) Carroll, R. L. 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. W. H. Freeman and Company, New York.
Not only are giraffes the tallest animals in the world, they are also one of the most recognizable. Their characteristic long necks quickly captivate any audience. That being said, it is not commonly known that there are thought to be nine subspecies of Giraffa camelopardalis. In fact, there is increasing evidence that these could potentially be separate species in their own right. This paper will discuss where giraffes fit in the Tree of Life and identify the giraffe’s closest relatives, differentiate and analyze the similarities and differences between the nine subspecies, and, finally, explore any debate revolving around the phylogeny of the subspecies.
Besides humans, who occupy each continent, majority primates live in tropical regions of the Africa ,Asia and also America(Anon ,1911). They are very different in size from Madame Berthe's mouse lemur, which is only 30 g (1 oz.), whereas the eastern lowland gorilla, is over 200 kg (440 lb.). According to fossil evidence, the early predecessor of primates might have been existed in the late Cretaceous period which was between 145.5 and 65.5 million years ago; an early close primate relative known from ample that still remains is the Late Paleocene Plesiadapis, circa 55–58 million years ago (Chatterjee, Ho, Barnes and Groves ,2009). The primate branch might be even older than first thought, emerging in mid-Cretaceous era which was around 85 million years ago as being suggested by the molecular clock study (Chatterjee et al. 2009).
An English naturalist Charles Darwin (1802-1882) developed a theory of biological evolution. He studied variation in plants and animals during his five years’ voyage around the world in the 19th century. Darwin studied hundreds of species, which he researches variations between locations. His theory states that all species of organism arise and develop through natural selection. Natural selection is the process of organisms that adapt to their surrounding environment, which tend to survive and produce more offspring. Killer whales are remarked to have evolutionary links from land dwelling organisms, millions of years ago. This paper will display the evolution and natural selection of the killer whale.
George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” is a short story that not only shows cultural divides and how they affect our actions, but also how that cultural prejudice may also affect other parties, even if, in this story, that other party may only be an elephant. Orwell shows the play for power between the Burmese and the narrator, a white British police-officer. It shows the severe prejudice between the British who had claimed Burma, and the Burmese who held a deep resentment of the British occupation. Three messages, or three themes, from Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” are prejudice, cultural divide, and power.
Each author has the same purpose in writing about the elephant studies and there are many similarities and differences in which the elephants behaved.
Gould, Edwin, George McKay, and David Kirshner. Encyclopedia of Mammals. San Francisco, CA: Fog City, 2003. Print.
Much of the debate over whether species should be separated into different groups arises from the morphological differences between individuals of the same species. For example, Australopithecus Afarensis fossils express high sexual dimorphism, which proposes two individual species (Reno et al., 2003). While Australopithecus Africanus, in comparison, shows more realistic size ratios between males and females suggesting one species (Lockwood, 1999). A study performed by Richmond and Jungers looked at the size variation in Australopithecus Afarensis compared to living hominoids to answer the following question: whether it is possible to see such high differences in size between genders of the same species or whether it makes more sense to divide the species into two (1995). In this study, a conclusion of two separate species for the Australopithecus Afarensis was made based on comparisons of fossils such as the humorous and femur with modern gorillas (Richmond & Jungers, 1995). This study compared the size of postcranial fossils. While most of the research has focused on making interpretations based on only cranial fossils, research by Harmon agrees that by looking at postcranial evidence we can gain better insight into the real variations between and within species (2009). Most research assumes high dimorphism wi...
The excerpt from Elephants Know When They Need a Helping Trunk is about the exact procedures and results of the same experiment that Elephants Can Lend a Helping Trunk was about. It contains the precise physical dimensions of every part of the test, and detailed explanations of each step that was followed to preform the test. Little to no opinions, quotes, or even conclusions that could be drawn were included, due to the strict, formal, and informational nature of the passage. The author's purpose was purely to explain all parts of the elephant study, and not at all to entertain or persuade.
There are two distinct infraorders of Anthropoidea that have been evolving independent of each other for at least 30,000,000 years. They are the Platyrrhini (New World monkeys) and the Catarrhini (Old World monkeys, apes, and humans). These two diverse groups of species can be distinguished from each other most easily based on the form of their noses and by the number of specific types
Cohn, Jeffrey P. "Do Elephants Belong In Zoos?" Bioscience 56.9 (2006): 714-717. Academic Search Premier. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
The fossil record of horses extends back to an odd-toed ungulate mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae, a dog-like ancestor 55 to 42 million years ago in the genus Hyracotherium in North America. Hyracotherium had a primitively little face , four-toed forefeet, three-toed hind feet, an arched back, small brain, and higher hindquarters than forehand. Later genus has increased in body size, brain complexity, the size of cheek teeth, lengthening of the face, and reduction of toe number. However, even though horses got larger over time but these trends are not seen in all of the horse lines. Genus such as Hipparion existed from 23 to 2 million years ago, showed gains in size, But some later genus such as Archeohippus, and Calippus got smaller again (Boundless, 2016),(Encyclopedia of Life,2015), (equineworld.co.uk, 2014), (Molen, M.
Between thirty-four and fifty-five million years ago, horses began their history on the North American continent. This occurred in the early to mid-Eocene epoch of the...
The "Emaciated Asian Elephant Started Life at Busch Gardens. " N.p., n.d. Web. The Web. The Web. 12 May 2015.
The world we live in today is full of an exceptional variety of animals. The time it took to conclude to the various sorts of species seen today has been throughout a period of millions of years. The vast majority of these animals are accredited to evolutionary advancements. When the environment changes, organisms have become accustomed to changing to fit their environment, to ensure their species does not die off. These physical changes have resulted in different phyla, ranging from basic structures, like sponges to advance systems, like that of an octopus.