Around the world there are millions of species that are distributed according to a series of climatic and ecological factors that allow them to develop successfully in every place. In turn, there are areas characterized by the presence of a greater number of species, as well as a large number of these species that are under some threat criteria. These regions of the world are called "hot spots" and another factor that defines them is the presence of species that are unique to that place and that we will not find anywhere else.
In this article on our site, we will tell you about the endemic species, the characteristics that define them and we will show you examples of them.
What are endemic species?
An endemic species is when it is only found in a limited geographic area and we will not find it in another region (at least naturally, since it can be introduced). Endemism can occur at different biogeographical scales, since it can be present in microclimates and be endemism of an island, or we can also speak of mountain endemism, of a lake or a reduced environment, but it can also be on a larger scale and be treated of species endemic to a country and even a continent. Everything will depend on what type of organism it is and the physical and climatic conditions. On the other hand, endemic to a site can be a particular species or it can be a taxon (a group of organisms that have been grouped according to a hierarchy).
The word endemic (endēmios=native) is often confused with autochthonous or native These, although they are typical of a region or a particular ecosystem, they are not necessarily endemic, since this term denotes a strict geographic restriction and native species can occur in more than one locality, in addition to being species that characterize a geographic region and determine its landscape.
An endemic species arises as a result of speciation in a geographic area bounded by naturally occurring barriers that do not allow genetic exchange to occur, and in this way, distinct species restricted to those specific geographic areas occur. In many cases, these are small populations, so they are at risk of becoming extinct more easily. In addition, endemism can occur at the evolutionary level within the same species, which, being isolated for long periods of time, cause morphological changes due to environmental factors, for example, and these changes will be transmitted to future generations. So, in the end, individuals totally different from their predecessors are developed that will be exclusive to that site, what we call a endemic species
Importance of endemic species
Currently, there are many plans for biodiversity conservation, many of which assess the species richness of a particular site, as well as which species are threatened or endangered, which are characteristic of that environment and which are endemic.
The world's most biodiverse places, as we mentioned before, are called “hotspot”, and most of them are declared in this way due to the presence, in addition, of a large number of endemic species. Therefore, the importance of conserving these places often lies in the fact that if action is not taken, these species, as well as many others, could disappear.
Therefore, if the habitats where there are endemic species disappear, unique and unrepeatable species would be lost, which in many cases are also important in providing an ecosystem service.
So it is that areas such as islands become so biologically and ecologically rich because many of them are home to a large number of endemic species. This is due to the degree of isolation that these environments have, which can sometimes even be islands such as rocky outcrops or mountains in the middle of a totally environmental matrix. different. Examples of these places are Australia, New Guinea, Madagascar or the Galapagos, among others, which have remained separated from the continent for millions of years and have allowed them to develop a great endemic biodiversity.
Examples of endemic species
There are a large number of endemic species in the world and, as we mentioned, they can be so at different geographical scales. Next, we will name some examples of them to learn more about animal endemism.
Taragui geko (Homonota taragui)
It is a lizard (family Phyllodactylidae) endemic to northeastern Argentina. It is considered a microendemism, since it inhabits rocky islands within the plain that makes up everything the environment where it is found. Thanks to this species, action plans were developed to conserve this area, which also has other species of endemic flora.
Iberian imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti)
This species of bird (order Accipitriformes) is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula which a few decades ago was in serious decline in their populations. Today, there are action plans to conserve this species at a national level in Spain and, in turn, each Community where this species lives has its own conservation plans.
Black Snub-nosed Langur (Rhinopithecus bieti)
Also called the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey, it is a species of primate (family Cercopithecidae) inhabiting endemic to China, whose distribution is limited to the Hengduan Mountains, a c mountain range bordering the Himalayas.
Inhabits coniferous forests where extreme conditions exist, so this species was unknown until the 1990s. Furthermore, this species is in danger of extinction, there is a wide protection network for this primate.
You may also be interested in this other article from The 11 most dangerous animals in Asia.
Kakapo (Strigops habroptilus)
This is a species of bird (order Psittaciformes) endemic to New Zealand characterized by being the only species of parrot that cannot fly due to poor wing development and large body mass. Currently there are small populations that are protected and monitored by recovery programs for this species, which is also categorized as danger of extinction
Pygmy Raccoon (Procyon pygmaeus)
This species of mammal is endemic to Mexico, restricted to the Island of Cozumel, and is in danger of extinction in the country and internationally critically endangered. It represents dwarfism at the island level, since it is a species that developed thanks to a long period of isolation
You may also be interested in this other article on our site about 24 animals in danger of extinction in Mexico.
Other types of animal species
Now that you know what an endemic species is and have seen some examples of endemic animals, you may also be interested in one of these articles on our site:
- Invasive species - Definition, examples and consequences.
- Key species - Definition and examples.
- Umbrella species - Definition and examples.
