Iriomote Wild Cat free essay sample

There are many endangered animals in our world, and very few are critically endangered. One animal species that is critically endangered is the Iriomote Wild Cat. Key points to the Iriomote Wild Cat’s endangerment are habitat loss, not being well known, and feral domestic cats. The first part of the wild cat’s endangerment, and the most major is habitat loss. Iriomote Wild Cats live on the small island of Iriomotejima, southwest of Japan, the island is a meer 116 miles wide. Plus, Iriomotejima is one of the fastest developing regions in the world. This not very good for the cats. The iriomote cat mainly inhabits the lowland coastal regions of the island which bring it into direct conflict with the islands human population. Futhermore, any small, restricted population must be considered at risk and this coupled with the increased loss of habitat can only serve to highlight the need for further research and increased conservation efforts. We will write a custom essay sample on Iriomote Wild Cat or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page We need to protect the cats! Iriomote cats are doing their best to protect themselves, we need to help by decreasing land development. The second part of the cat’s endangerment is not being well known. The Iriomote cat was first discovered in the mid 1960’s. As soon as they were discovered, it was estimated 83-108 cats were living on the island. That’s not good for being a newly found species. It is estimated an Iriomote wild cat’s lifespan is 10-12 years, and reaches maturity after 10-12 months. These cats develop very fast. The lifestyle of the wild cat is not very well known, although is thought to hunt by night. In addition, it’s also been revealed that prey ranges from mammals to varied species of birds and reptiles, to fish and insects. This is a very interesting range of prey. Perhaps by figuring out more information on the cat, we can help save them. The final key to the Iriomote wild cat’s endangerment is feral and domestic cats. Iriomote cats weigh between seven-nine pounds, and a body length just under two feet, all of these characteristics are very similar to domestic and feral cats. Due to this, there is often crossed breeding between the very similar cats, but doing this threatens to dilute the wild cat’s genes. This can destroy Iriomote cats. Another issue is hunting and prey. There is always close competition between the cats, which often causes the Iriomote to prey on livestock. Letting this happen can decrease the Iriomote numbers further. Feral and domestic cats cause unneeded competition for Iriomote cats. In conclusion, habitat destruction, being a rare species, and other cats are destroying the Iriomote Wildcat Population. As of the last survey taken, there were less than 100 of them left. Let’s work together to save the Iriomote cats, and perhaps even other endangered animals!