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Why this Animal You'll Never See at a Zoo
Manage episode 513835032 series 2914294
What animals are not kept in captivity? Every 50-100 million years, about 95% of all the living species extinct on our planet. Scientists refer to this process as Holocene Extinction. And today, there are a lot of animals that are on the brink of extinction. For example, one of the rarest mammals on the planet is the Javan Rhino. Less than 70 are left, and they all live in a National Park on the island of Java, Indonesia. Of the 5 total rhino species, they're the most endangered one. Scientists aren't sure how long they live but guess somewhere between 30 – 40 years. But there are other reasons why some animals are not kept in zoos. Even if you absolutely love aquariums and have been to dozens of them, there's one sea creature you’ll never ever come across there. Not a single aquarium in the world has a great white shark. In the past, many have tried adding great whites along with other sharks in their tanks, but it never worked out. They’d stop eating and even struggle to swim. Doesn’t make for great business either: it’s too costly to keep the great shark because a large enough tank will need millions of gallons of water.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
5279 episodes
Manage episode 513835032 series 2914294
What animals are not kept in captivity? Every 50-100 million years, about 95% of all the living species extinct on our planet. Scientists refer to this process as Holocene Extinction. And today, there are a lot of animals that are on the brink of extinction. For example, one of the rarest mammals on the planet is the Javan Rhino. Less than 70 are left, and they all live in a National Park on the island of Java, Indonesia. Of the 5 total rhino species, they're the most endangered one. Scientists aren't sure how long they live but guess somewhere between 30 – 40 years. But there are other reasons why some animals are not kept in zoos. Even if you absolutely love aquariums and have been to dozens of them, there's one sea creature you’ll never ever come across there. Not a single aquarium in the world has a great white shark. In the past, many have tried adding great whites along with other sharks in their tanks, but it never worked out. They’d stop eating and even struggle to swim. Doesn’t make for great business either: it’s too costly to keep the great shark because a large enough tank will need millions of gallons of water.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
5279 episodes
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