ASIATIC CHEETAHS
- Asiatic cheetahs are the fastest mammals on land, they have distinctive spots and black,tear-shaped stripes that stretch from the inner corner of each eye to the mouth. Cheetahs' goldenish yellow to pale orange fur allows them to easily camouflage while hunting their prey.
- Asiatic cheetahs which roamed throughout India are now only found in Iran due to many reasons affecting them. Asiatic Cheetahs eat about 6.2 pounds of meat a day, their daily diet includes gazelles, wildebeest calves, impalas, and smaller hoofed animals.
- Asiatic cheetahs have been nearly wiped out by excessive hunting, habitat destruction and non-availability of enough prey were the reasons for these highly vulnerable to extinction. It’s said that only 40 of these species can be found in the wild.
- If this species goes into extinction then there would be a trophic cascade, leading to too many herbivores, loss of vegetation and a negative impact on the health of the ecosystem as they’re the apex predators of the wildlife.
BENGAL TIGERS
- The bengal tiger, also known as indian tigers are one of the most powerful animals in the wild and the largest wild cats in the world. Bengal tigers are found in Bangladesh, India and also in Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and in southern Tibet. They’re the most common tiger species and number about half of all wild tigers.
- Bengal tigers prefer hunting large ungulates and due to the tigers size and power it has no natural predators. Humans are their only predators as humans use tiger skin for their own benefits such as clothes, shoes, and human medication. Besides, Bengal tigers also face habitat loss and population fragmentation. There are less than 2000 bengal tigers in the wild.
- If tigers were to vanish from our forests then it would cause huge havoc in the ecological food chain and the ecosystem as they’re the apex predators, it would completely disrupt the food chain.There would be huge amounts of animals in the forests that were eaten by the tigers in the first place.
SNOW LEOPARDS
- Snow leopards have powerful legs and are incredible jumpers, capable of soar as far as 50 feet. These massive cats use their long tails for stability and as blankets to cover sensitive body parts against the excessive mountain chill. They are shy and reclusive, and rarely seen in the wild but live in the harshest condition on Earth.
- Snow leopards are found mainly in Asia's steep and rocky high mountains. Their thick fur patterned with dark rosettes and spots helps them camouflage and protect themselves from predators. They have the ability to kill animals three times their own weight. Blue sheeps are Ibex are the snow leopard's favourite meal, however they also consume small prey including marmots, pika hares and birds. There are estimated to be around 4000 snow leopards left in the wild.
- One large motive that snow leopards are endangered is due to poaching. Poachers illegally kill snow leopards, despite the fact that they're endangered, and promote the animals for money. The snow leopard's thick, white fur is noticeably fashionable to make fur clothing.Without the snow leopard, the ecological stability could be disrupted. For example, herbivore populations could increase, ensuing in adjustments to the vegetation, additionally affecting different natural worlds that stay in those areas.
IBERIAN LYNX
- The Iberian lynx is a species of the wild cat that is found in the Iberian peninsula, that has distinct facial hair that makes it unique from other species of wild cat.
- These cats’ population almost went extinct in 2002 when the total population was recorded at just below a hundred. But currently there are over 400 animals of this species in the wild but still they are at the risk of becoming extinct. These animals are going extinct due to the decreased food that is available for them, as rabbits are their main food source, but due to many viruses in the mediterranean forests they’re not as available as they were before. There has also been illegal hunting, habitat degradation and car hits that have killed many animals.
- Their extinction could disrupt the food chain in the forests and it could influence the process in those habitats.