UNEXTINCT: Living Water

Featured Species

Vaquita (Phocoena sinus) 

The vaquita is a marine mammal with the smallest range of any porpoise. In the last 20 years, populations have dropped from 600 to less than 10 animals.

Conservation Status: Critically Endangered, on the edge of extinction

Habitat & Range: Found only in warm, shallow coastal waters in the northern part of the Gulf of California

Threats: Bycatch, animals unintentionally becoming hooked or entangled in fishing gear, causing injury or death.

 

Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta)

Currently the largest of all hard-shelled sea turtles, loggerhead turtles are a keystone species, integral to its ecosystem.

Conservation Status: Vulnerable, populations are decreasing

Habitat & Range: Found in coastal and open waters in nearly all the world's temperate and tropical oceans from the Atlantic Ocean from Newfoundland to Argentina, the Indian Ocean from southern Africa to the Arabian Gulf to western Australia, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Pacific Ocean from Alaska to Chile and Australia to Japan.

Threats

• Bycatch, animals unintentionally becoming hooked or entangled in fishing gear, causing injury or death.
• Coastal development and rising seas from climate change are leading to the loss of critical nesting beaches
• Ocean pollution and marine debris ingestion and entanglement

 

Coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) 

This fish is sometimes referred to as a “living fossil” because its physical characteristics have remained unchanged for hundreds of millions of years.

Conservation Status: Critically Endangered, unknown if populations are increasing or decreasing

Habitat & Range: Found in areas with deep underwater cave systems along the eastern coast of Africa, from Kenya to South Africa

Threats: Bycatch, animals unintentionally becoming hooked or entangled in fishing gear, causing injury or death.

 

Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) 

Duck-billed platypuses are one of three species of monotremes. These species are unique among mammals in that lay eggs.

Conservation Status: Near Threatened, populations are decreasing

Habitat & Range: Inhabit rivers, lagoons, and streams with steep, vegetation-covered banks in the wetter regions of Tasmania and Australia

Threats

• Habitat degradation
• Reduction in stream and river flows due to recent successive droughts, stream regulation, and extraction of water for agricultural, domestic, and industrial supplies
• At risk due to extreme flooding and cyclones due to climate change
• Poor water quality and entanglement in or ingestion of trash
• Historically, skins were harvested by fur traders to make hats, slippers, and rugs. Harvesting was ended by a law passed by the Australian government in 1912 that protected platypuses from being hunted.

 

Largetooth Sawfish (Pristis pristis) 

Sawfish use their exposed teeth, resembling a saw, to catch prey by rapidly moving their head from side to side.

Conservation Status: Critically Endangered, populations are decreasing

Habitat & Range: The largetooth sawfish has a widespread distribution across the Western Atlantic, Eastern Pacific, Eastern Atlantic, and the Indo-West Pacific near the equator. Juveniles are found in the freshwater estuaries and adults can be found in coastal waters.

Threats

• Bycatch in fishing gear as their tooth-covered rostra (snout) makes them susceptible to entanglement in nets
• Habitat loss and degradation in estuary and coastal areas due to climate change and human development

 

Oceanic Manta Ray (Mobula birostris) 

Possibly the largest living of all ray species!

Conservation Status: Endangered, populations are decreasing

Habitat & Range: Found in tropical and warm temperate coastal regions of the world's oceans, including the coasts of southern Africa, ranging from southern California to northern Peru, North Carolina to southern Brazil, and the Gulf of Mexico.

Threats

• Bycatch in fishing gear such as trawls, gillnets, and longlines
• Targeted by fisheries for meat, skin, liver oil, and gill plates for use in traditional Chinese health tonics, despite dozens of national fishing bans and international listings

 

Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) 

Humpback whales have been legally protected worldwide from commercial whaling, their biggest threat, since 1966. Thanks to these protections and their remarkable resilience, there have been substantial increases in the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Southern Hemisphere populations.

Conservation Status: Least Concern, populations are increasing

Habitat & Range: Polar and tropical waters, including those of the Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific Oceans.

Threats

• Bycatch and entanglement in fishing gear such as trawls, gillnets, and longlines
• Boat strikes and boat-based harassment

 

Steller's Sea Cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) 

Steller’s sea cows were wiped out by hunters in the 18th century. See below to learn of the efforts in place to help their warm-water cousins, the American manatee.

Conservation Status: Extinct, likely by 1768

Habitat & Historic Range: Known to have occurred in cold, shallow, coastal marine waters rich in algae and sea grass in the North Pacific Ocean.

Extinct due to:

• Over-hunting by humans for its meat and leather
• The intense hunting of sea otters may have also contributed to the final extinction. Sea urchins severely deplete seagrass and algae when otters are removed, causing the food sources for sea cow populations to be limited

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MORE TO EXPLORE

As you move toward the next scene, you may encounter these animals:

 

Saiga Antelope (Saiga tatarica)

This antelope will migrate to escape extreme conditions from snowstorms to droughts.

Conservation Status: Near threatened, populations are increasing

Habitat & Range: Grassland and desert habitats in parts of Central Asia.

Threats: Over-hunting by humans for its meat and leather

 

Painted Dog (Lycaon pictus)

Also known as an African wild dog, these gregarious pack animals cooperate in caring for young, sick, or wounded dogs from the pack.

Conservation Status: Endangered, populations are decreasing

Habitat & Range: The largest remaining populations are in southern Africa. They can be found in habitats ranging from short-grass plains to semi-desert to savannas to upland forests.

Threats: Habitat fragmentation increases their contact with people and domestic animals, leading to human-wildlife conflict and disease transmission.

 

Pinta Island Tortoise (Chelonoidis abingdonii)

Also called the Pinta giant tortoise, the last known representative of this species was named Lonesome George.

Conservation Status: Extinct since June 24, 2012

Habitat & Historic Range: Pinta, an island in the northern region of the Galapagos archipelago.

Extinct due to:

• Mariners used these tortoises as food supplies on their boats.
• Fisherman released three goats on the island, also for food supplies, a population that grew to around 40,000. These goats ate most of the vegetation, ruining the tortoise habitat.

Taking Action at Home

When you choose to buy sustainable seafood, you push suppliers to source more environmentally responsible products, driving significant improvements throughout the industry. Ultimately, your choices have an impact on the health of the ocean. Utilize the Seafood Watch guides created by The Monterey Bay Aquarium to help learn your best seafood choices in real-time.  

The ocean starts at our household and storm drains. Don’t pour toxic household chemicals down the drain; take them to a hazardous waste center. Reduce fertilizer run-off by choosing hardy plants that require little or no watering, fertilizers, or pesticides. Consider using organic or slow-release fertilizers in your yard. Never pour oil or antifreeze into the storm drain or the street. Pick up litter and ensure you dispose of your trash securely in appropriate, secure receptacles. Reduce single-use plastics by choosing reusable options, including second-hand items.