Hong Kong population of these dolphins is critically low, with recent reports suggesting as few as 3 or 4 individuals remain in the area where the airport was built, and around 2,000 in the whole of Hong Kong.

In this activity, we learnt about SDG 15 which is life on land , we are supposed to choose an endangered animal to talk about. I chose the tiger, it is endangered both with human protected tigers and not protected tigers, so i think this is a really important topic to talk about.This is significant to me because tigers are one of my favourite animals and i can’t imagine if there is no more tigers on the planet, so i decided to talk about this species.

Only about 10,000 chinese pangolins are left in the world, with reductions over 70% of the number of chinese pangolins in the world.

This may not seem like a very big issue, but over the past decade, over 1 million chinese pangolins have been illegally taken from the wild and consumed.

The main problem is the illegal hunting activities by humans, because parts of the pangolin are used in medicine, and some believe it has health benefits.

This is very significant because they have a vital role in controlling insect populations. They also consume millions of ants and termites annually, helping to maintain forest health.

The black rhino is about 3 to 3.8 meters long, it is 800 to 1350 kg heavy, and it is about 1.4 to 1.7 meters high at the shoulder.

Black rhinos lives in semi-desert savannahs, woodlands, forests, and wetlands. They need to have plants to eat and large amounts of water for them to drink to survive

They are dying due to illegal rhino horn trading and poaching, and wars that killed them, and destroyed their home, particularly in the 1970s to 1980s. The picture shown if one of the last two Northern white rhinos in kenya.

The sea otters are endangered because of over hunting for their dense fur in the 80s and the 90s. There are also current dangers like oil spills, pollutions, tangled fishing gears, and also diseases from the contaminated. Sea otters are also effected by climate change and habitat loss. Global warming has also contributed by impacting their food sources like shellfish, and increasing the frequency of deadly harmful algal blooms.

Hawksbill Turtles are endangered due to mostly human activities, such as illegal trades for it's ornate shells, which are then used to carve into jewelry and other items used by humans. Although these trades are now internationally banned, some people still manage to kill the Hawksbill Turtle.

Another reason is because of human fishing activities, leaving half-used gill nets and such in the water, which leads to the Hawksbill turtle and other animals' entanglement, strangling them to death.

In addition, coastal developments, like building seawalls, make it harder for the Hawksbill turtle to find suitable nesting areas on shore, which leads to lower reproduction rates, making them go extinct even faster!

Climate change is also affecting the Hawksbill turtle's living environment(the Ocean) immensely. Rising sea levels can affect the nesting areas, damaging the nesting habitats for the turtles. Rising sea temperatures also lead to coral bleaching, which is the Hawksbill turtle's main food source, leading to their starvation.

I chose this animal because this animal is the animal that everybody does not really care about and they barley comes out from the sea so I think I should write this as my animal .

Over 95 percent of axolotls live in pet shops and home aquariums since these amphibians (with the appearance of a smile) have become popular pets. In the wild, however, axolotl numbers are very low. They have been critically endangered because of:

Habitat Loss: Expansion around Mexico City has reduced the axolotls' habitat to just a few rivers and canals

Pollution: Pollution has created bad water, making the habitat near impossible to live in for axolotls. 

Invasive Species: Fish like carp compete with axolotls for food and prey. 

This animal is very significant to me because their population is decreasing very fast, now they have around 150,000 world wide. The brown bears mostly eat plants, making up about 90% of their diet. They also eat insects, fish like salmon, and mammals.

Brown bears are generally solo and alone in their life time. Though they have large brains, they are very smart. The brown bears are endangered because of habitat loss and fragmentation, for example humans chopping down all their trees. Another reason why they are endangered is because of generic vulnerability. Like some species in italy, suffer from generic flaws.

Bornean elephants are endangered primarily due to human caused habitat loss from deforestation for agriculture, mining, and logging, which has fragmented their forests.

There are fewer than 1,500 Bornean elephants remaining in the wild, with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s 2024 Red List assessment placing the number at an estimated 1,000 individuals.

Bluefin are the largest tunas and can live up to 40 years. They’re one of the largest tuna species, growing up to 10 feet long and weighing as much as a small car (up to 1,500 pounds). People are overfishing bluefin tuna because it is very valuable, used in sushi.

But now, habitat problems are happening, pollution and climate change are harming the places where bluefin tuna live and spawn, slow to reproduce, bluefin tuna takes 8-12 years to have babies.

Green Turtles, named for its green, fatty underside and cartilage, are significantly larger than the Hawksbill and can be recognized by a single pair of prefrontal scales. The diet of green turtles ranges throughout their lifetime, from small crustaceans and aquatic insects at a young age, to mainly sea grasses and algae as an adult. The turtles inhabit coastlines around islands and protected shores in both tropical and temperate climates.

Worldwide, hundreds of thousands of sea turtles a year are accidentally caught in shrimp trawl nets, on longline hooks and in fishing gillnets—a threat known as bycatch. Sea turtles need to reach the surface to breathe, and therefore many drown once caught. Loggerheads are highly migratory and are very likely to come in contact with a fishery, particularly in shrimp gill nets and long lines.

Because of human activity, there are only about 415,000 elephants across Africa. This may seem like a big number, however, in 1930, there were 10 million African elephants. So you can see that there is a big decline in their numbers.

They are endangered because of human activity like habitat loss, poaching for their tusks, and because humans are moving into their territory, they have less space to find water and food.

Because of human activities, such as overfishing, fisheries bycatch, and direct hunting. Because of this, there are only about 3,000 of this species left in the world.

They are also affected by noise pollution, and these dolphins are hunted for shark bait and human consumption. This decreases the population very fast, and they don't usually make babies, so that's why this dolphin is endangered.

Climate change affects them by changing their migration and distribution when they look for more suitable water temperatures, which impacts their ability to find prey because of water acidification and warming.

tigers. It is challenging for this tiger to have a successful hunt, due to its weight (It's very light compared to other tigers, male 120 kg, female 90 kg)

- Habitat loss and fragmentation: Deforestation for agricultural expansion is a primary cause of habitat loss.

- Poaching: Despite legal protection, tigers are hunted for commercial gain, with poaching accounting for as much as 80% of tiger deaths.

This animal is significant to me because it's different from other tigers (it's smaller, and the stripes on its body are closer together). It is also critically endangered, meaning there is only around 400 individuals out in the wild.

This animal is significant to me because their species has been endangered for quite a long time and i'm worried if it doesn't get off the list and becomes extinct. Plus Florida Panthers are considered the " umbrella species " which is an important species to the ecosystem.

I chose orangutan because they are a vital role in seed dispersal in their habitats. Orangutans has a low reproductive rate, with most females giving birth to one infant in 3-5 years. With the harm humans are doing to them, the orangutans to have a higher and higher risk for extinction.

They changed from "Endangered" to "Critically Endangered" in 2012 because half of their population was wiped out due to deforestation.

Also, these elephants often come in contact with human settlements, many times accidentally trampling homes and hurting people. The affected people sometimes retaliate by shooting poison.

Sumatran elephants eat many different plants and scatter the seeds wherever they go, contributing to a healthy forest ecosystem. They also share their lush forest habitat with several other endangered species, such as the Sumatran rhino, tiger, and orangutan. They weigh around 5 tons, and are around 2 meters tall, and around 6 meters long.

habitat loss: because of threats that damage their habitats and impact their food sources.

population: there are only 10000 to 25000 left in the world.

Kiwis can only be found in New Zealand, and estimated to be 68,000 kiwi birds left.

Climate change also kills off most of them. Past El Niño events (unusually warm water on cold shores) had a mortality rate of up to 77%. Their natural habitats being polluted also decreases the numbers. Another threat is micro and macroplastics, which have been found on 13 beaches totaling 4610 pieces.

Introduced species such as dogs, cats, and mosquitoes can also bring diseases that penguins cannot survive such as the Plasmodium blood parasite. Cats also prey on young chicks (one cat in a breeding area was observed to deal a 49% mortality rate to adult penguins).

They have already suffered a population decline of 60% between 1970 and 2004, and experts say they will continue to die off.

The ethereal pink dolphin, or boto, faces a silent crisis in the Amazon's murky waters. Its vibrant colouration, a symbol of myth and magic, is fading under relentless human pressure. Rampant habitat destruction from deforestation and river damming fractures its world, while increasing boat traffic leads to fatal collisions and noise pollution. Many are accidentally caught and drown in fishing nets, and some are deliberately killed for use as bait. As mercury from illegal gold mining accumulates in their bodies, these intelligent, social creatures are poisoned from within. Their decline signals not just the loss of a unique species, but the unravelling of the entire rainforest ecosystem they have long called home.

Primarily feeding on bamboo, they face significant challenges due to deforestation. Protecting red pandas is essential for maintaining the balance of their ecosystem.

The roles of this animal in the ecosystem are that they eat lots of fruit and carry seeds everywhere, so animals can have more food to eat. Another role would be that they are always in the canopies, their activities there help loosen the branches and leaves, allowing more sunlight to reach the floor, and let smaller plants grow.

2. Recovery: A small population discovered in Wyoming in 1981 sparked intensive breeding programs, bringing them back from the brink.

3. Current Numbers: There are only 300-400 left in the wild.

Major Threats: Destruction of prairie dog colonies for buildings.

Believe it or not, corals are animals; they are closely related to jellyfish and sea anemones, even though they look like plants or rocks. Unlike plants, corals don't make their own food; they use tentacles to catch tiny food particles from the water. What we see as coral is often a massive colony of thousands of individual, soft-bodied polyps, each with a mouth and stomach. 

Coral reefs around the world are facing extinction every day; if we don't stop global warming, coral reefs will go extinct!

The kiwi is a small bird from New Zealand. It cannot fly and is a national symbol of the country. It is related to larger birds like the ostrich.

Main Features:

Looks:

Kiwis have rough, hair-like feathers. They have no tail and very small wings you can’t see. They are about as big as a chicken.

Special Beak:

They are the only birds with nostrils at the end of their long beak. They use it to smell for food like worms in the ground.

Very Large Eggs:

A female kiwi lays one of the biggest eggs compared to her body size. The egg can be one-quarter of her own weight.

Night Animals:

They are most active at night and sleep in burrows (holes in the ground) during the day.

Like a Mammal:

Sometimes called an “honorary mammal,” they have heavy bones, whiskers like a cat, and a lower body heat than other birds.

The Great Hammerhead shark is a type of shark characterized by a distinctive, hammer-shaped head, which is highly sensitive to its environment.

They live in the tropical marine environment that is seriously polluted by our actions. This is the first reason for their endangerment. We often create a lot of rubbish by not recyling and throwing rubbish all around the streets, which cause it to be flown into the ocean once there is strong wind.

Another reason for their endangerment is because of over-fishing their valuable fins for trades and sales so they can make money off selling shark fins. But the hammerhead shark usually travels in large groups, which leads to when one is killed for their fins, the other will also get killed as they travel as a group. The hammerhead shark also has a slow reproduction rate, which means it takes a long time to regrow their population once many are killed.

Overfishing affects the Scallop Hammerhead shark as it is a shark used for the shark fin trade , overfishing affects them cause when sharks lose their fins , they can't move and that would stop their breathing , this is due to sharks needing to move around to breathe , other causes such as blood loss and being defenseless and would also starve , these factors would kill the shark too.

Although being protected in many areas such as the US , it is still not illegal to hunt the shark.

According to NOAA Fisheries, Sunflower Sea Stars are endangered because of a disease called Sea Star Wasting Syndrome. Which wipes out the animal instantly while destroying their habitat. This is caused by rising sea temperatures and is the primary reason there are only 10% of Sunflower Sea Stars left. Rising sea temperatures are essentially caused by climate change. Which is caused by human activities, such as burning fossil fuels. A secondary reason is microplastic pollution and ingestion, which can affect their health and recovery.

They are critically endangered primarily due to accidental drowning from entanglement in illegal gillnets, primarily from totoaba and shrimp fishery. These nets, designed to catch fish, inadvertently entangle and drown the small porpoises, pushing their population to near extinction, with fewer than 30 remaining in the ocean.

Vaquitas are vital to the marine ecosystem because they act as a key predator in the food chain, regulating the populations of various fish, squid, and crustacean species. As the world's smallest and most endangered marine mammal, their presence contributes to the overall stability and health of this biodiverse ecosystem. Their extinction could lead to the ecosystem's collapse in the Gulf of California.

A major reason why only around 500 of these are left in the Yangtze river is because of overfishing. These creatures require a significant amount of food to survive. When overfishing happens, the main food sources of the Porpoise is absent causing deaths due to hunger.

Another reason for the deterioration of the Yangtze finless porpoise is because of pollution. Study shows that 55% of all marine waste has come form the Yangtze river, showing how deadly swimming in that river is, let alone live there.

With scientist prediction, Yangtze finless porpoise have 20 to 30 years of time left, with the predicted time of extinction being 2054.

Binturongs are also called bearcats but are not closely related to bears or cats. They are in the family Viverridae with other small cat-like mammals, including civets and fossas. They are the only members of the genus Arctic. In the wild, binturongs live about 16 to 18 years. In human care, they can live to be 25 years old.

Binturongs use their distinctive scent to signal their presence to other binturongs and discourage predators. They are noisy creatures. They can snort, chuckle or even purr when they are pleased or content. They signal displeasure, fear or aggression with cat-like screams, hisses, low grunts and howls. Females in estrus call to attract mates.

Binturong populations have declined by over 30% in the past three decades from habitat loss (deforestation for logging and palm oil), hunting for meat and medicine, and the pet trade, but they persist in fragmented forests across Southeast Asia.

Binturongs face threats from habitat loss and poaching, so conservation focuses on protecting Southeast Asian rainforests and curbing illegal trade. Individuals can help by supporting groups like ABConservation, advocating for sustainable palm oil, and raising awareness about their seed-dispersal role.

Rhinos face significant threats from poaching for their horns and habitat loss driven by agriculture and development, which leads to fragmented populations. Climate change aggravates these threats through habitat destruction from floods, droughts, and wildfires, along with increased heat stress. Moreover, the slow reproductive rate of the Javan rhino significantly hinders its recovery. Currently, this species is critically endangered, with only about 50 to 80 individuals remaining in the wild.

Urgent action is needed to protect this magnificent species and ensure its future.

The Hawaiian monk seal is the most endangered pinniped in U.S. waters and among the rarest seal species globally. As of 2026, the total population is estimated at approximately 1,600 individuals. 

In the main Hawaiian Islands, the primary threats Hawaiian monk seals face are fisheries interactions, intentional harm by humans, and disease, which is now a leading cause of Hawaiian monk seal growing concern in the populated main Hawaiian Islands.

If the Hawaiian monk seal were to go extinct, the Hawaiian ecosystem would be devastated. Monk seals are apex predators and have an important role in the food chain keeping fish and squid populations under control.

North Atlantic right whale is a coastal baleen whale found mainly along the eastern coasts of the United States and Canada.This species is now mostly found along the Atlantic coast of North America, especially the U.S. and Canadian eastern seaboard.The population has been declining since around 2010 because of high human-caused deaths and low calving rates.

In this moment, North Atlantic right whales are protected under laws such as the U.S. Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act and Canada’s Species at Risk Act.
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Coral reefs are critically endangered underwater living organisms. It is estimated that 90% of global coral reefs will be gone by 2050. They are vital to the ecosystem because they act as a habitat for a quarter of marine life, including fish, crabs, small sharks, and a ton of other sea animals.

Coral reef population is decreasing in an alarming rate mostly due to human activity. Because of climate change, the ocean is warming, leading to the coral being unable to recognize the zooxanthella as its symbiote. Without zooxanthella, coral bleaching happens, killing off the coral reefs.

Words Cited

Coral Guardian. “Adoptez Un Corail.” Coral Guardian, 18 Dec. 2024, www.coralguardian.org/en/coral-reefs-at-risk/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.

US. “NOAA National Ocean Service Education: Corals Tutorial.” Noaa.gov, 2026, oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/tutorial_corals/coral07_importance.html#:~:text=Corals%20are%20considered%20key%20to,of%20broken%2Ddown%20coral%20skeletons. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.

The blue whale is endangered mainly because of past whaling, which greatly reduced their numbers a long time ago. They also face new dangers, like getting hit by big ships, which can hurt or kill them.

Climate change affects the availability of krill, their main food, making it harder for them to find enough to eat. Pollution in the oceans can also harm their healthy and the noise from ships can make it tough for them to communicate.

This species are being going extinct because of the poaching for there skin, additionally they are also dying because of the habitat loss that is happening from deforestation.

A little more than half of the Mountain Gorillas live in the Virunga Mountains, the rest are in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. Since this species was found in 1902, they have endured years of war, disease, habitat destruction, and hunting. The most endangering human activity to them is habitat loss. Because of humans who moved into areas near Mountain Gorillas, they have cleared land for agriculture, charcoal, and firewood. This problem is growing unimaginably worse that even protected areas are in danger from clearing. For example, illegal settlers have cleared 3700 acres of gorilla forest in 2004, at Virunga National Park. This constrains and shrinks their forest homes, causing insufficient resources of food and water, and limits their reproduction and genetic diversity.

2. Primary Threat (Bycatch): The, species is in immediate danger of extinction due to entanglement in gillnets used for illegal fishing of the totoaba, a large fish whose swim bladder is in high demand in China. These nets are often referred to as "ghost nets" when left in the water, continuing to kill marine life.

3. Location and Range: The vaquita is endemic to the northern Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez) in Mexico, with a very limited, tiny range.

4. Future Outlook: The survival of the species depends on the complete elimination of gillnets throughout its habitat. 

While the Panda is one of the world’s most iconic species, known and loved across the world, this peaceful, bamboo-eating member of the bear family faces a number of threats to its survival. Its forest habitat is fragmented and populations are small and isolated from each other, and poaching remains an ever-present threat.

By mid-2005, the Chinese government had established over 50 panda reserves, protecting more than 10,400 km² and over 45% of remaining giant panda habitat. However, habitat destruction continues to pose a threat to the many pandas living outside these areas.

They are currently critically endangered, because only a small fraction of suitable host corals (roughly 13.7% or less) are actually inhabited by pygmy seahorses. They are on the IUCN's red list, indicating that there is not enough information to even estimate their extinction risk.

Since pygmy seahorses only live in specific sea fans or soft corals, destruction and bleaching are the largest concerns for these seahorses.

• 100-200,000 Whale sharks are estimated to be left in the world.

2. Threats:

• Fishing: Despite their size, they are caught for their meat and fins, often unintentionally (bycatch) in tuna nets. 

• Colliding with ships: Slow-moving and often near the surface, they are vulnerable to collisions with large ships. 

• Climate change: Ocean warming disrupts food webs, affecting their food sources. 

• Pollution: Plastic pollution causes Whale Sharks to mistake it for food, leading to illness.

3. Location:

• Whale sharks live in all tropical and warm-temperate oceans worldwide, living in both coastal waters and the open sea, often seen in areas with abundant plankton, such as Australia and Mexico.

4. When was it declared endangered?

• The whale shark was declared endangered globally by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2016

5. Personality and characteristics:

• Whale sharks are known as "gentle giants" due to their docile, peaceful, and non-aggressive personalities, posing no threat to humans despite their massive size.

There are only 22,000 to 31,000 polar bears left in the wild, resulting in the ecosystem's imbalance.

This imbalance is mainly caused by climate change and global warming, which melt the ice, forcing the polar bears to migrate to a new home. Some difficulties on this journeyis that most of the polar bears can only last in the water for a few minutes, especially for the polar bears with children, which makes it far harder for long-distance travelling.

According to the bornfree.org, we can see that their status is vulnerable at the moment.

North Atlantic right whales are classified as Critically Endangered by the ICUN. They are endangered due to entanglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes. Climate change is affecting their migration and food sources, and whaling (killing whales for their meat and blubber) has killed most of the slow-reproducing population. There are currently less than 400 North Atlantic right whales left.

People are working to protect North Atlantic right whales by enforcing mandatory slow zones for vessels and designating safe zones for these whales to live and reproduce.

They are social and gather at least 10 individuals or even up to 40 together as a pack. They are predators; they can run more than44 miles per hour.

Stingrays play an important role in the ocean ecosystem by helping to keep the population of smaller sea animals balanced.

Most of them live for many years, while some species live up to 25 years old.

To explain most specifically, Overfishing & Illegal Trade are one of the most significant reasons of their endangerment, Their valuable roe (caviar) drives intense poaching and illegal trade, making them prime targets. Secondly, Habitat Loss: Dams block spawning rivers, and pollution degrades their environment, destroying vital feeding and breeding grounds. Thirdly, pollution and climate change would also significantly contribute as degradation of their freshwater habitats further threatens survival. Last but not least, they have a slow reproduction process as Sturgeons live long lives but reproduce slowly, making them highly vulnerable to population declines and slow to recover. Furthermore, All 26 sturgeon species are threatened with extinction, with almost two-thirds listed as critically endangered by the IUCN, while some of the specific examples may include Atlantic Sturgeon (some populations endangered), Shortnose Sturgeon (endangered), Green Sturgeon (threatened). 

Habitat loss and fragmentation due to human population growth and climate change are the main threats to giraffes in the wild. As human populations grow, more giraffe habitat is converted to agriculture, infrastructure and extractive industries such as mining, quarrying and fossil fuel production, leaving less natural habitat for giraffes available.In some parts of their range, giraffes are hunted legally for sport and for their parts. Giraffes are also exploited in zoos and circuses. Wild giraffes are specialised herbivores, living complex lives and roaming over large expanses, so being confined to small enclosures can lead to extreme frustration and boredom.

Key Facts:

• They are the only lizards that forage in the ocean, eating algae, using blunt snouts and sharp teeth to scrape rocks and strong claws to grip.

• A flattened tail propels them, and they can hold their breath for up to 40-60 minutes.

• They have nasal glands to sneeze out excess salt, often leaving a white crust on their heads.

First, they were almost completely wiped out by hunting and habitat loss long ago. This left only a very small number of wolves, which has caused problems with inbreeding.

The biggest threat now is that they mate with coyotes, creating hybrid animals. This means there are fewer and fewer pure red wolves left.

Also, many wolves are shot by people, often by mistake when they are confused with coyotes. Others are hit by cars. With so few left—only about 20 were known in the wild in 2021—every single death is a major problem for their survival.

Tree kangaroos live in lowland and mountainous rainforests in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and the far north of Queensland, Australia. They have adapted to life in the trees, with shorter legs and stronger forelimbs for climbing, giving them somewhat of the appearance of a cross between a kangaroo and a lemur.

I chose the animal Jellyfish because it is pretty and not many people know a lot about them.

The Banggai cardinalfish's population decline is due to a few reasons. Firstly, the Banggai cardinalfish is often targeted as decorations or ornaments because of how colorful it is. Secondly, the Banggai cardinalfish's habitat is destroyed by the use of fish bombs, which are used to catch live fish.

I chose this animal because I really like the looks of it and I believe we should all try our best to protect the environment to have more of these animals.

The Red-fronted Macaw (Ara rubrogenys), found only in Bolivia, is called as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List mainly because of their own habitat loss and trouble with farmers. Statistics show that there are 1,000–1,200 birds left in the wild, up from around 800 in 2012, but the numbers could drop fast.

In dry valleys between the Andes, about 40% of the land turned into farms by the 1990s, which cuts down fruits and seeds the birds eat, so because their souce of food is taken, they take corn and peanuts from fields. Farmers see them as pests and kill them with poison or guns.

Groups like Asociación Armonía count birds, protect nests (23 active ones in 2021–2022), and teach farmers ways to guard crops like putting up covers to stop fights with the birds. They also give rewards to local people to help end stealing for pets and land clearing. Some studies say the numbers are holding steady enough to change its status from Critically Endangered to just Endangered, but the dangers are still there.

Jellyfish have been existing longer than dinosaurs, for at least 500 million years, possibly 700 million years. This is supported by fossil evidence, fossils of jellyfish have been found 505 millions ago in Utah.

Jellyfishes are directly related to the SDG 14, life below water. This is because Jellyfish are affected by overfishing, sea pollution, and ocean warming. As humans remove top predators, jellyfishes eat a lot, which causes jellyfishes to reproduce, and further leads to jellyfish being overpopulated.

Sea pollution and climate change are directly related to ocean warming, the climate change and sea pollution causes for the temperature in the ocean to rise, which lengthens their active seasons, allowing them to reproduce more and overpopulates the ocean, damaging the food chain.

Additionally, the Sumatran orangutan is threatened by the forest fires, the development of roads and the draining of peatlands.Only 10% of the original habitation ground can support the Sumatran orangutan.

This species is now considered uncommon or rare across much of its Asian range, and camera-trap studies recorded only 54 detections in 58,608 camera-trap nights, showing how few are seen even with intensive survey.

Their main threats are habitat loss and degradation, as large areas of Southeast Asian forests have been cleared or fragmented for logging, agriculture, and especially oil palm plantations, causing about a 30% decline in their numbers over the last 30 years. They are also hunted and trapped for meat, fur, traditional medicine, and the pet trade in several countries. In some northern parts of their range, hunting plus habitat loss are the main reasons for their decline.

Studies of their range suggest that they disappear from landscapes where forest cover drops below about 40% within a 20-kilometre radius. Ongoing deforestation and climate change could remove much of their suitable habitat by the end of this century, further endangering the species.

They have small eyes on the top of their bodies, allowing them to see while mostly hidden.

Stingray can live up to many years, some species reaching up to 25 years old.

Nearly 300,000 manta rays are killed per year because of the reasons listed above. This needs to stop, because manta rays are essential for the ocean ecosystem.

They help regulate amounts of plankton, making sure the ecosystem is balanced. They also ensure that the coral reefs are healthy with their feces.

The number of whale shark population has decreased over 50% globally in the past 75 years, and although conservation efforts have been made, the population continues to decrease.

Whale sharks are important because they regulate plankton numbers, recycle nutrients, and boost phytoplankton.

I picked this animal because I learned about them from an aquarium in japan and they are known as the ocean's gentle giant, and because I think the dots used for camouflage on their backs make them appear very beautiful.

This connects to SDG 15 Life on Land, because it lives on land, and human deforestation and pollution are endangering it.