EA # 9: Eastern Puma

The Eastern Puma is one of 14 animals that are endangered in the state of Pennsylvania. Its scientific name is Puma concolor. It is also known as a panther, cougar, and mountain lion.

Weight: 110-180 pounds (maybe one of your parents weighs this much?)

Height at shoulder: about 2 feet

Length, including tail: 5.5-8 feet

Lifespan: about 12 years old in the wild; up to 25 years old in captivity

The puma will eat a variety of animals, but its favorite food is deer. Most pumas live by themselves except during mating season.

Pumas are endangered because people hunt them, and they have lost a lot of their habitat because of people building more buildings all over the place.

Pumas purr just like house cats.

Most reasons for animal extinction.

Many of the reasons for animal getting endangered are human caused, for instance: oil spills, habitats destroyed, and, of course, hunting animals. But there are ways that you can help them, like creating suitable habitats,not littering, and creating an organazation like mine. If you think its a good idea to found a society like EAPS, contact me at my website.

EA # 8: Bald Eagle

The scientific name for the Bald Eagle is Haliaeetus leucocephalus. It has a white head and neck, a large orange and yellow beak, and dark brown plumage, with white tail feathers.

Size: 28-38"

Weight: 6.5-14 pounds

Wingspan: up to 8.25 feet

The Bald Eagle lives in most habitats (forests, near rivers and oceans). Its diet is fish, small birds, and carrion. (Carrion is a dead animal body.)

It is the most famous carnivorous bird, probably because it is the symbol of the United States of America. Bald Eagles can live to be 30 years old, and they mate for life. Their nest is up to 13 feet tall.

On the Fish & Wildlife Service website, we found the following explanation about why Bald Eagles have become scarce:

"The greatest threat to the bald eagle's existence arose from the widespread use of DDT and other pesticides after World War II. DDT was sprayed on croplands throughout the country and its residues washed into lakes and streams. There, they were absorbed by aquatic plants and small animals that were eaten by fish. The contaminated fish, in turn, were consumed by bald eagles.
The chemical interfered with the bald eagle's ability to develop strong shells for its eggs. As a result, bald eagles and many other bird species began laying eggs with shells so thin they often broke during incubation or otherwise failed to hatch. Their reproduction disrupted, bald eagle populations plummeted. As the dangers of DDT became known, in large part due to Rachel Carson's famous book Silent Spring, this chemical was banned for most uses in the U.S. in 1972."

EA # 7: Indiana Bat

The Indiana Bat, Myotis sodalis, has a wingspan of up to ten and a half inches, and weighs about 0.28 ounces. This bat has an amazing life span of up to twenty years old.

In Pennsylvania, the Indiana bat has become endangered because its hibernation sites have been disturbed. Indiana bats hibernate in caves.

The Indiana bat eats insects, especially pest insects, such as the gypsy moth and the alfalfa weevil. Actually, we have bats flying around over our yard around 8-9pm. They might be Indiana bats, but we haven't gotten close enough to see. They also eat mosquitos.

This species of bat has been endangered since 1967. There are 5 other bat species in the US that are endangered.

Endangered Species in Pennsylvania

Have you wondered about endangered species in your state? The state of Pennsylvania has 14 species of endangered animals. I will be covering these in the future. If you want to check out the animals that are endangered in PA, go to this website for the list. And check out my EAPS website for more details about these animals.

EA # 6: Gray Wolf

The scientific name for the Gray Wolf is Canis Lupus.

The Gray Wolf is the largest member of the Canine family, and it is the ancestor of the domestic dog.

Size: 3.25-5 feet long
Weight: 35-130 pounds

The Gray Wolf travels in packs; each pack has a territory which they defend by patrolling the borders and leaving scent markings.

Females have litters of 4-7 pups. The pups nurse for about a month and then come out of the den to eat small amounts of food that were regurgitated by their parents and other members of the pack.

Gray Wolves eat tons of different kinds of prey, including moose and caribou that might be up to 10 times a wolf's weight.

Wolves are endangered mainly because they sometimes eat livestock, and ranchers and farmers try to kill them. But there are ways for ranchers to protect livestock that don't involve killing wolves, like better fences, alarms, and lighting.

EA # 5: Sea Otter

The scientific name for the sea otter is: Enhydra Lutris. It is a member of the weasel family, the Mustelids.

The sea otter is one of the smallest marine mammals in the world. It spends almost all of its time in the ocean. It lives in the North Pacific Ocean.

It lives in groups with other sea otters. It breaks open the shells of its prey by lying on its back and hitting the shell with a rock that it found on the sea bed. Its prey includes: crabs, clams, sea urchins, abalones, and other shellfish.

Size: 22"-51" long

Weight: 46-62 pounds

The sea otter is endangered because it has been hunted so much for its fur. It is also poisoned by oil spills, and trapped by fishing gear.