Page 1 of 7 Home Page Back Dictionary Thesaurus Help Tips Cite Article may be transmitted to your email. Other transmissions are prohibited. Your email address: Include pictures? gfedcb Share National Geographic Extreme Explorer (Vol. 5, No. 3) Nov/Dec 2011, pp. 2+ Copyright 2011 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission. Back from the Brink By Lana Costantini All over Earth, species like these California condors are dying out. See how scientists are racing to bring many of these animals back from the brink. Golden Lion Tamarin The scientists drive down a dirt road to a rain forest in Brazil. It's raining hard. Their van skids in the mud. They need to be careful. The scientists aren't just worried about themselves. They're worried about what's riding in the back of the van. It's a pair of golden lion tamarins in a cage. These tiny monkeys are some of the rarest animals on Earth. Once, thousands of them lived in this forest. It's their only habitat. Then people cut down many trees. They built farms, homes, and cities. Soon, only 2 percent of the forest remained. That caused problems for the monkeys. They didn't have enough trees to nest in. They had fewer places to hide from predators. They couldn't find enough insects, lizards, and fruit to eat. The monkeys could not adapt fast enough to the changes. Many died. Eventually, only 200 golden lion tamarins lived there. The species was at risk of going extinct. That's when scientists came up with a rescue plan. They wanted to make sure the golden monkeys didn't die out. Rescue Plan The scientists turned to zoos for help. Some had golden lion tamarins in captivity, or in cages. Maybe some of those monkeys could be returned to the wild. Golden Lion Tamarin (Credit: Anup Shah/Getty Images) Photo Selected by ProQuest Staff Two things had to happen first. What was left of the monkeys' habitat had to be protected. So some people worked on that problem. Second, the captive monkeys had to learn how to be wild. One zoo tried a very bold experiment. Zookeepers let some monkeys out of their cages. They let the monkeys live in the tall trees at the zoo. The zookeepers worried that the monkeys might try to leave the zoo. Instead, they created small territories to live in within the trees. The monkeys also learned to hunt insects and find berries. They traveled from tree to tree and screamed in alarm at predators. They slept in nest boxes hanging from the sides of trees. The zoo monkeys began to behave just like monkeys in the wild. Then it was time for the final step--to set some monkeys free.
Page 2 of 7 Success Story In Brazil, the scientists stop the van at the edge of the forest. They unload the cage and start hiking. Finally, they stop. They unlock the cage. Then, using a rope, they carefully pull the cage 3 meters (9 feet) up into a tree. Now all the scientists can do is watch and wait. They wonder if the monkeys will come out. Soon, one monkey pokes its head out. It sniffs the air. Then the second one pokes its head out. Suddenly, both dash up the tree. The scientists grin. Their hard work just paid off. The number of golden lion tamarins living in the wild just grew by two. Today, about 1,600 golden lion tamarins live in this forest. The species is still endangered. Yet the population of the wild golden lion tamarins is slowly growing. By 2025, scientists hope 2,000 golden monkeys will live in the wild. The Race Is On All over the planet, scientists are racing to save endangered animals like the golden monkeys. Some species are losing habitats. Hunting and poison have pushed other species to the edge of extinction. So have disease and lack of food. Help is on the way, though. Meet four more cool species that, thanks to scientists, are coming back from the brink. California Condor The California condor won't win any beauty contests. This giant bird has a bald head and a red, wrinkled neck. When it eats, its sharp beak tears into the flesh of a dead animal. Rotting food slides off its featherless head. It often gets so full that it can't move for hours. That may sound gross. Yet these scavengers have an important job. By eating dead things, they help clean up the environment. That's one reason why scientists want to save condors. It's been hard. Once, thousands of condors soared over North America. Then people started hunting condors. They killed many of the big birds. California Condors Hunters shot other animals, too. Some left the bodies to rot. For condors, the bodies looked like fresh food. They swallowed more than a meal of meat, though. They gulped lead bullets, too. Some died from lead poisoning. Slow Progress By 1982, only 22 wild condors remained. Scientists caught the last ones in 1987. Like golden lion tamarins, scientists now raise condors in captivity. Whenever a female condor lays an egg, scientists take it. That encourages the female to lay a second egg. That way, more chicks hatch each year. The scientists take care of the first egg. When it hatches, they use a condor hand puppet to feed the chick strips of meat. They make sure the bird doesn't get used to people. They teach it how to live in the wild. Before releasing a condor, scientists put a number tag on it. That way, they can track it. They can see if it gets into trouble. That's how scientists know the birds still face danger. Some still eat bullets. Others get tangled up in electrical wires. Yet up to 200 condors now fly free. American Burying Beetle It's late at night. Somewhere in the United States, a pair of orange and black beetles move. They wriggle their antennae. They use their antennae to smell. Suddenly, they get a whiff of something tasty. It's a dead chipmunk. The beetles fly to the carcass. They crawl under the dead body. Then, like tiny bulldozers, they dig a hole in the dirt. The hole gets deeper and deeper. Dirt tumbles on the beetles and their prize. Hours later, they vanish from sight. Next, the female beetle lays up to 30 eggs near the body. The eggs hatch in days. The larvae, or young beetles, are hungry. So the parents take bites of chipmunk, then spit them up for the larvae to eat. Within a week, only the chipmunk's bones remain. This isn't a scene from an insect horror movie. It's everyday life for an American burying beetle. Once, this scene occurred throughout the United States. Now, the beetles live only in a few places. American Burying Beetle
Page 3 of 7 Bye-bye, Beetle? (Credit: clipart.com) Photo Scientists aren't sure why the beetle is dying out. They suspect it can't find enough food. Selected by ProQuest Staff Some perfect-size food, like carrier pigeons, have become extinct. Other scavengers like foxes and crows are bigger and faster than the beetles. Too often, they gobble up a dead animal before the beetles can bury it. Without a steady supply of dead things, this insect can't eat. It also can't reproduce. So scientists hatched a plan to help the beetles. They raise the bugs. Then the scientists find a place where there are few other scavengers. They dig a hole. They place a dead bird and a pair of beetles in the hole. They give the beetles a head start on survival. Panama's Frogs Once, a walk through the jungles of Panama was musical. Frogs croaked, peeped, and whistled. Today, the frog chorus is mostly silent. Many of Panama's frogs have died. Their main threat is a deadly fungus. It attacks their skin. Then it slowly spreads over their whole bodies. Frogs breathe through their skin. So when the fungus covers them, they can't breathe. Then they die. One vanishing frog is the Panamanian golden frog. It's a symbol of good luck in Panama. Now, though, it's also a sad symbol. Panamanian golden frogs are extinct in the wild. Without help, it and many other frog species there may disappear forever. Frog Hotels Golden Frog Scientists are working hard to make sure that doesn't happen. They went to Panama with empty suitcases. They packed up hundreds of live frogs in their luggage. Then they took the animals to "frog hotels" far away from the infected jungles. A Golden Frog sits on the hand of an employee of the Amphibian Conservation Center in Valle de Anton, Panama. (Credit: AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco) Photo Selected by ProQuest Staff The frogs now live in clean cages. Scientists wash them with a special solution that kills the fungus. They catch crickets to feed the frogs. Today, thousands of frogs remain safe in these hotels. When is checkout time? Scientists aren't sure when the frogs will be able to leave their hotels. They are working on a cure for the fungus. If they find one, they will return the frogs to Panama. Once again, a frog chorus will welcome visitors to the jungle. Keeping Balance Many more species are at risk of dying out, too. Take the Iberian lynx in Spain. They are one of the most endangered wild cats in the world. They can't find enough rabbits to eat. In New Zealand, there's the giant green ground parrot, the kakapo. Predators nearly wiped them out. In China, the giant pandas struggle to survive. They have lost a lot of their bamboo forest habitat. What's the big deal if a few species die out? Think of it this way. Every species on Earth matters. The species could be an animal, a plant, or even a bit of bacteria. It may be big or small. It may be cute or ugly. Yet each plays an important part in its ecosystem. Animals that eat fruit, like the golden lion tamarins, spread seeds. That helps new plants to grow. Scavengers like the American burying beetle and the California condor recycle dead animals. Predators like the frogs keep the insect population under control. Each time a species goes extinct, it upsets the balance of nature. That's one big reason why scientists work hard to save so many endangered animals. It's making a difference. Today, rare species are crawling, soaring, and leaping back from the brink of extinction. That's good news for all of us. Wordwise Amphibian Conservation Center, Panama Containers with different kinds of frogs sit at the Amphibian Conservation Center in Valle de Anton, Panama. (Credit: AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco) Photo Selected by ProQuest Staff
Page 4 of 7 adapt: to change in order to survive in a changing environment endangered: at risk of dying off extinct: when all the animals in a species die out population: the total number of animals in a species Comprehension Strategy: As you read, ask questions about the information. Look for answers as you continue reading. Overview Summary All over Earth, species are on the brink of extinction. In this article, students will read about four different animals at risk of dying out. Each case study introduces readers to the species, explores the problems it faces, and explains what scientists are doing to try to save the animals. The article explains how changes in an environment can lead to extinction. It challenges students to understand the role humans play in both helping and hurting the survival of different species, and why it matters. Learning Objectives Before reading, review these learning objectives with students. As students read, they will understand: that the extinction of species occurs when the environment changes and the species are unable to adapt; that factors that can lead to extinction include disease and lack of food, water, or space; that humans have both positive and negative effects on animal populations; that asking and answering questions aids comprehension. Engage Students Article Preview and Prior Knowledge Before reading the article, ask students: What kinds of animals do you think of when you think of animals going extinct, or dying out? (Possible answers: dinosaurs, dodo birds) Then direct students to look at the animals in the photos. Ask a volunteer to read aloud the deck and the headline. Also have students page through the rest of the article to preview the images and read the captions. Then ask: How does this preview change your response to that first question? Lead students to understand that many species are at risk of going extinct today and that many people are working to prevent that from happening. Brainstorm reasons why a species might be at risk of dying out. Display the list. Tell students they will have a chance to add to or revise the list after reading the article. Introduce Vocabulary Have students read the words and definitions listed in Wordwise. Ask them to share what each word and its definition makes them think of. For example, endangered might make them think of "in danger." Lead students to find an association for the remaining words that will help them remember their definitions. Tell students to keep these associations in mind as they read. Introduce the Comprehension Strategy Ask and Answer Questions Explain to students that asking questions as they read can help them understand what they are reading. It can help them connect the ideas in the text as they look for the answers to their questions. Emphasize that the article may provide some, but not all, of the answers. In some cases, they may need to infer answers using information from the text, their own prior knowledge, or other sources. Suggest that they keep track of their questions and any answers they find by using sticky notes to mark the text. Explore the Article Read and Discuss the Science
Page 5 of 7 Have students read the paragraphs under the "Golden Lion Tamarin" section. Ask them to identify the main problem facing the golden lion tamarins. (They lost a lot of their habitat because people cut down the forests where they live to build farms, homes, and cities.) Then ask students how habitat loss affects the tamarins. Lead students to understand that a species' habitat provides shelter and food. If those basic needs aren't met, a species may not survive. Tell students that loss of habitat is a leading reason why species become endangered and go extinct. Be sure students understand that Earth changes because of natural events, such as changing wind and ocean currents or volcanic eruptions. It also changes due to human actions, such as population growth or pollution. Have students read the sections "Rescue Plan" and "Success Story." Ask: Why would monkeys raised in captivity not have the skills necessary to survive in the wild? Then ask students to debate whether they think the rescue plan for the tamarins is a good idea or not. After reading the section "The Race is On," remind students they brainstormed reasons why a species can die out before reading. Display the list and let students add to it or revise it. Before students read the "California Condor" section, have them examine the photo. Ask students to share what they know about large birds of prey, such as condors. Then read the opening section about the California condor, and discuss the series of events that lead to condors becoming endangered. Be sure that students understand that scavengers, or animals that eat dead animals and dead plants, have an important role in the balance of life in an environment. Scavengers are responsible for recycling decaying animals back into the ecosystem. Say: If it weren't for scavengers, plants would not get essential nutrients, and dead matter and waste would pile up. Have students infer what might happen to an ecosystem without scavengers. Have students read "Slow Progress." Lead students in discussing the steps scientists have taken to save this condor from extinction. Then have students read the "American Burying Beetle" section. Ask students: How are American burying beetles like condors? How are they different? Lead students to conclude that both species are scavengers and both are endangered. Yet the causes for their dwindling populations are different, and scientists' rescue plans for each species is different. Ask students why they think it's important to know a lot about a species and its habitat in order to help save it. Encourage them to use answers they find in the text, and to look for similar information as they continue to read the article. As students read the "Panama's Frogs" section, ask them to identify the main problem facing Panama's frogs. (a deadly fungus) Ask: Why is this a problem for the frogs? Lead students to understand that this is an example of disease putting a species at risk. Ask how the problem affects the frogs as well as how scientists are trying to save these species. Read the final section "Keeping Balance" with students. Then divide students into small groups. Assign each group a species mentioned in the text. Ask them to come up with arguments about why it's most important to save their species from extinction. Then have them debate the issue. Lead students to understand that all species play important roles their environments. Discuss with students why the balance of nature is upset when species become extinct. Ask a volunteer to read aloud the last two sentences of the article. Ask students to share why they think the writer concluded that saving species from extinction was "good news for all of us," and whether or not they agree. Build Comprehension Before reading, ask students to view the photo in the "Golden Lion Tamarin" section and think of questions they may have. For example: Why would the golden lion tamarins' future depend on the birth of babies? Model asking questions using sticky notes. When students have finished reading the text in this section, have them share their questions and any answers they found in the text or by viewing the photos and reading the captions. Tell students that as they read, they should continue asking questions and looking for answers. After students read the "California Condor" and "American Burying Beetle" sections, have them share any questions they had and whether the article has answered these questions yet. Mark students' questions with sticky notes. Remind students that as they read, they need to determine whether the text provides the answers or if they will need to infer the answers. Ask students to share how asking questions and looking for answers in the article helped them understand it. Ask: Did asking questions and looking for answers help focus your attention? Did it help you understand and connect to the text? Based on their questions, discuss which questions are answered in the article and which ones require using inference or consulting another source. Extend the Learning Divide students into groups. Have each group imagine that are scientists who work to help save an endangered species. Ask students to select one of the animals from the article and create a fact sheet about that animal. Fact sheets should include details about what the animal looks like, range, diet, population, and cause of endangerment if known. Encourage students to research any missing information and what scientists, animal activists, zoos, or wild animal parks are doing to
Page 6 of 7 help protect that species. Alternatively, use the Extreme Explorer website (extremeexplorer.org) to have students play the photo safari game to learn about other endangered species. Evaluate Have students complete the activity master below while they read. Or have groups work together to complete it after reading. Use their responses to evaluate their understanding of the content and vocabulary. Have students share their responses, and address any misconceptions. Fast Facts According to an International Union for Conservation of Nature survey of species, 36 percent are threatened with extinction. Go to www.iucn.org for more information. We lose as much as 36 million acres of forest habitat every year. People cut down trees for timber, fuel, and to make way for farms and other kinds of development. National Geographic Connection Discover what National Geographic is doing to help save the world's biggest cats. Go to www.causeanuproar.org to learn about the Big Cats Initiative and what you and your students can do to help. Activity After Reading Pick one of the species from the article. Using details from the article, fill in the cause-and-effect chart. Then finish the sentences below. : Problem Facing the Effect on the Plan to Save the 1. 2. 3. 4. Effect on the 5. In the next 10 years, I predict this species will because. 6. I think it is (important/not important) to prevent this species from going extinct because. Answers Answers will vary; sample response: : golden lion tamarin Problem Facing the 1. People cut down the forests where Effect on the 2. They had less food to eat, fewer safe places to Plan to Save the 3. Protect the tamarins' habitat. Teach golden lion tamarins Effect on the 4. As many as 1,500 golden lion
Page 7 of 7 they live, so they lost a lot of their habitat. live. Many died. Soon, only 200 remained in the wild. living in zoos the skills they need to survive in the wild. Release them into the wild. tamarins now live in the wild. 5. In the next 10 years, I predict this species will continue to slowly grow because the monkeys will keep having babies and people are now protecting their habitat. 6. I think it is (important/not important) to prevent this species from going extinct because golden lion tamarins play an important role in their habitat. They spread seeds, which helps new plants grow. Citation : You can copy and paste this information into your own documents. Costantini, Lana. "Back from the Brink." National Geographic Extreme Explorer. Nov/Dec 2011: 2+. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 02 May 2013. Home Page Current Events Spotlight of the Month World Almanac Encyclopedia Dictionary Thesaurus Help Tips Cite Workbooks Tutorial Research Topics Educator Resources Privacy Accessibility License Contact Copyright 2013 ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved.