What have we learn?

Now you know more about different animals who need our help to survive. Theuy won´t have any chance in this world if someone doesn´t save them. As they are in this situation because of the world we have developed, is everyones responsability to help them. In some way, it is our fault. We have to concern about it, try to understand that we are not alone in this world. Even if you don´t think your help would be useful, there are things that everyone can do to contribute. Here there are some of our ideas, if you have more please suggest them!

- Reducing the pollution we help the habitat of these especies to mantain clear. Be concius about that!

- Even if you don´t  join any particular group for helping them, getting information and talking about it with friends is useful. There might be someone who decides to get involved.

- Some of the most valued clothes in our world are made from the skin of some animals. Isn´t this horrible? Avoid that kind of clothes.

This are just  some ideas, but at least something can be done to help them. Please, get concius about it, it is your responsability as well as ours.

Gallotia simonyi simonyi

It is also called El Hierro Giant Lizard. It is an animal of the group of reptiles that was first listed as endangered on the 29th of February, 1984. He lives in Spain, specially you can find it in Canary islands.

The Roque Chico de Salmor giant lizard is a subspecies of El Hierro giant lizard and is believed to be extinct. It was once present throughout much of the El Hierro island in the Canary Islands of Spain and on the small offshore Roque Chico de Salmor. Hierro giant lizards are thick lizards and reach about two feet long, and their heads are broad. Adults are dark gray to brown in color with pale orange patches running along the sides. Their undersides are mostly brown but have orange to red colorations towards the middle. As they grow old they turn black in color with some shades of gray. Males grow larger than females.

Hierro giant lizards are terrestrial lizards and seem to prefer rocky habitats preferably in small and young volcanic areas. They are omnivorous and feed on two main plant species, Kleinia neriifolia and Lavandula abrotanoides. They also feed on insects. To impress females, males bob their heads with their throats inflated. Mating occurs in May, and the female gives birth to 5 to 13 eggs between June and August. The eggs are incubated until they hatch 61 days later.

The Roque Chico de Salmor giant lizard subspecies was wiped out from the Roque Chico de Salmor in the 1930s due to overcollection of specimens for scientific study and for its commercial value. A recovery plan has been developed along with a captive breeding program by the Canary Islands Autonomous Government for all remaining Hierro giant lizard subspecies, and they are also legally protected both nationally and internationally.

Brown Bear

Ursus arctos is the scientific name of this animal that we normally call the Brown Bear. There are 3 subspecies endangered: European Brown Bear (Ursus arctos arctos), Tibetan Blue Bear (Ursus arctos pruinosus), Mexican Grizzly Bear or Mexican Brown Bear (Ursus arctos nelsoni)

This mammal was firstly listed as endangered in June, 1976 in China, Italy and Mejican Holartic.

The brown bear is a large, omnivorous mammal found throughout northern and central Europe, Asia, and North America. Adults can reach up to nine feet in head and body length and can weigh from 176 to 1500 lb depending on the subspecies and range. Males are usually larger than females.

 Bears found more to the north tend to be larger than those found in southern locations. Fur color varies according to subspecies from blonde to almost black, but the average brown bear fur color is dark brown. Some subspecies are known as “grizzly bears” because they have long, frosty white hairs along their shoulders and backs resulting in a grizzled appearance. Brown bears are good swimmers and have a good sense of smell.

Brown bears can live in a variety of habitats, such as mountainous forests, desert edges, ice fields, tundra, alpine meadows, and coastlines. They prefer habitat that is densely covered and where there is available shelter in the day. The brown bear is generally solitary and more active at night. They will eat just about anything, including plants, berries, roots, fish, insects and small mammals such as squirrels. Some subspecies have been known to feed on dead animals, and in Canada, have been known to hunt larger mammals such as sheep, goats, elk, and moose. The brown bear’s hibernation period depends on the subspecies and location. Generally, brown bears hibernate from October to December and become active again between March and May. Other brown bears subspecies only hibernate for a short time or do not hibernate at all. Females may mate with one or more males from May to July and give birth to two to three cubs.

Three brown bear subspecies are endangered: The European brown bear – Ursus arctos arctos, which inhabits isolated plains from Norway to the Siberian peninsula and as far south as Greece, the Tibetan blue bear – Ursus arctos pruinosus, found in the eastern Tibetan plateau of Central Asia and rarely seen in the wild, and the Mexican grizzly bear – Ursus arctos nelsoni, which was once found in Mexico and southern USA and said to be possibly extinct. The main cause of decline is a dramatic reduction of habitat due to human settlement. Also, brown bears are hunted for sport and in some areas are persecuted because they are believed to be dangerous to humans and a threat to livestock. Conservation efforts vary in intensity, from highly organized management of brown bears in North America to little or no management of most Asian species.

Spanish Imperial Eagle

The Spanish Imperial Eagle, Iberian Imperial Eagle or Adalbert’s Eagle (Aquila adalberti) is closely related to the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca). It occurs only in the south and west of Spain, Portugal and possibly northern Morocco.

The Spanish Imperial Eagle is smaller, at 2.5–3.5 kg (5.5–7.7 lbs) and 75–84 cm (30–33 in) long, and darker than its oriental cousin, and it is a resident species (A. heliaca migrates to the southeast during winter). This eagle feeds mainly on rabbits, but it can prey on many other animals, such as rodents, hares, pigeons, crows, ducks and foxes. The species is classified as Vulnerable. Threats include loss of habitat and illegal poisoning. There has also been a decline in the Spanish rabbit population, as a result of myxomatosis and other viral illnesses. The current population is estimated at less than 500.

In 2006 there were around 220 pairs reported in Spain and 2 in Portugal, and it is making a very slow recovery although it is still an endangered species. A small population is preserved in Doñana National Park, Spain  but the bulk of its population live in the Mediterranean woods of the central and southwestern quarters of the country.

If you want to know more about Doñana and whow it works, you can find information in this link: http://reddeparquesnacionales.mma.es/parques/donana/index.htm

What we can do to help this animal is to make sure that any try of capturing or killing them is punished. Although we all know that the imperial eagle is about to dessapear, there is still people who finds it funny or brave to capture one.

Apeninne Chamois

His cienticif name is rupicapra ornata. He is a mammal, and he was listed as endangered in Italy in 1976.       

The Apennine chamois is a subspecies of the chamois, a goat-like mammal found in the mountains of Europe. Both male and female have hook-shaped horns that slightly curl backwards and grow little by little each year. Their coats are light brown in the summer and darker in the winter, with a light colored mark on the throat. There are also two darker bands on their flanks.

In the summer, the Apennine chamois prefers rock faces and pasture lands at heights above 1700 meters for its habitat, and in the winter it prefers to retreat to the woods below. Diet of the chamois consists of grasses, leaves, buds, shoots and fungi. Adult males prefer a solitary life, only approaching females during the mating season. Groups consist only of females, young males, and “kids.” Females give birth to only one kid after a gestation period of 23 to 24 weeks.

The Apennine chamois was said to have been hunted close to extinction until the Abruzzi National Park intervened with a reintroduction program, which led to the return of the chamois in the mountains of Italy. However, there is still a threat to the survival of the species due to long periods of genetic isolation resulting in very little genetic variation.

 If you want to know more about this national park that is working to save not just this, but more endangered animals, click in the link!

http://www.regione.abruzzo.it/turismo/en/parchi/nazionale/index.html

 

 

Our proyect!

 Our proyect is going to be about endangered animals in Europe. In each post you will be able to find information about different animals, where they live, how do they live, why are they in danger… and the most important of all, if there is any sollution to help them. As the year of the creativity means using imagination, we would like you to sugest sollutions or give us your opinion about the animals. Any idea could be useful, and the more ideas we have the more opportunities to help them!

Europe

After reading this interesting information, we have realized that we didn´t know a lot about different organisations in Europe and how they work. Although we haven´t be able to understand very well most part of the information, now we know about this  proyect called the “European Year of Creativity”.

We don´t think we exactly know how it works or what kind of changes will be maked, but we think that the fact that it will afect the educational sistem is a good idea, as we will be teached since an early age how to make this changes, not just in artistic and social things but in technological terms too.

So we think that the proyect is goning to work properly, and we will have to wait to see the results.

Ane: If I could be useful in any way in this proyect, I think the best thing to do for me would be looking out for solutions to problem connected with social life. It is what I want to do when Iam an adult (working with emigrants, unemployment…), so helping the goverment to find creative solutions to this kind of problems is the most suitable work for me.

Miriam: I don´t think helping to find solutions for anything is a good work for me, as I´m not as creative as Ane. However, I´m a very well organised girl who likes a lot organising events, dealing with all the preparations for parties, etc. So I think that my best way to help with this proyect will be organising events between different countries, for example. All that has to do with organisation is good for me.

European Union

www.ec.europa.eu/youth

Europe in my mind v. Europe in the map

Country location:

Capital cities:

Europe in my MAP

We are exploring our knowledge of European geography.