Black Lace Cactus

This colorful plant is a favorite of collectors around the world. It is a tiny

plant, only 6 inches (15 cm) tall. It grows alone in small groups in desert areas

near the coast of southern Texas in the United States. It is called «black lace»

because the pattern of spines on each stem looks like lace.

One reason black lace cactus is endangered is that its habitat has been

destroyed. In areas where the land has been cleared to plant grass for cattle, the

cactus has disappeared. Another problem is overcollecting. The plant's large

pink and purple flowers are pretty so many people dig up the plants and take

them home for their private collections. Other people dig them up and sell them.

16

Leatherback Sea Turtle

Picture a turtle that is 6 feet (1,8 m) long and weighs 1,400 pounds (636 kg)!

That's the size of a large leatherback sea turtle, the largest turtle on earth. It is

called «leatherback» because its shell is covered with a leathery skin.

Leatherbacks live in the warm waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific

Oceans. Males spend all of their time at sea, and females come on land only

when it is time to lay their eggs.

Loss of nesting habitats is a serious problem for leatherbacks. Females

build their nests on remote sandy areas along the coast. Because many coasts are

being made into beaches, leatherbacks often cannot find a safe place to lay their

eggs. Other problems are fishing and hunting. Leatherbacks get caught in fishing

nets, and in some parts of Asia they are hunted for food and oil. Only about

100,000 Females are alive today. It is hard to know the number of males since

they never come ashore.

12

Asian Elephant

Asian elephants used to live in the forests from Iraq to southern China.

Since these forests were cut down to make room for farms and villages, the

elephants have been confined to small, hilly regions where they have little

contact with humans. These tiny areas of land cannot supply enough food for the

elephants. An adult elephant eats about 331 pounds (150 kg) of grasses, leaves,

and other vegetation each day. When forests were larger, Asian elephants

migrated with the seasons. In this way, they found fresh food supplies. The

plants and trees could also regenerate after the elephants left.

Today there is nowhere for the elephants to go. Experts say that the Asian

elephant population is about 55,000, living on a habitat of about 19,000 square

miles (30,400 sq km). In contrast to this, the African elephant population is

about 10 times this size and lives on almost 3 million square miles (4,8 million

sq km) of available habitat.

9

Manus Island Tree Snail

Manus Island, north of New Guinea, is covered with rain forest. The

Manus Island tree snail, a small animal with a bright green shell, lives in the

tops of the trees in this forest.

Overcollecting has been a serious problem for these small animals. Many

people like to collect the shells of Manus Island tree snails because of their

beautiful color. The 1.6 inch (4 cm) long shells are often used for jewelry.

Another big problem for these snails is the loss of the forests where they live.

Loggers are cutting down more and more trees of the Manus Island rain forest.

Little is known about the habits of this little animal. If the logging and

collecting continue, soon there will be no Manus Island tree snails left to study.

6

Kagu

Many birds sing or whistle. Others – such as myna birds and many parrots –

talk. The kagu is a bird that barks! These barking birds live in the forests of New

Caledonia, an island about 900 miles (1,450 km) east of Australia.

Kagus are big birds. They are 20 to 24 inches (51 to 61 cm) long and

weigh about 1,9 pounds (0,9 kg). Their loud barking noise is becoming rare

because only about 650 kagus are alive today.

One problem for kagus is the animals that people have brought to New

Caledonia. These dogs, pigs, cats, and rats eat kagus or their eggs. Another problem