托福閱讀材料：瀕危動(dòng)物

最新瀕危動(dòng)物紅名單發(fā)布。

　　Cuban Crocodile

　　Population decreases of more than 80 percent over the last three generations have led to the Cuban crocodile being moved from "endangered" to "critically endangered" on the 2008 Red List.

　　Hunting, hybridization with other croc species, and diminished habitat quality have contributed to the decline of the small, freshwater crocodile, which is found only in Cuba.

　　Caspian Seal

　　Once thought to have numbered more than a million, the Caspian seal population has dropped by about 90 percent over the past hundred years, earning it a shift from "vulnerable" to "endangered" on the 2008 Red List, released in October.

　　The seal lives in the Caspian Sea, an enclosed body of water that borders Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The species has been affected by disease, increasing pollution, and accidental deaths due to fishing nets.

　　Fishing Cat

　　Specialized as wetland hunters, Southeast Asia's fishing cats are good swimmers that prey primarily on fish.

　　The cat moved from "vulnerable" to "endangered" on the 2008 Red List of Threatened Species due to severe population drops across much of its range.

　　Wetland draining for agriculture, mangrove removal, overfishing, and increasing pollution levels have all contributed to the cat's decline.

　　Purple Marsh Crab

　　Found only in the wetlands of upper Guinea in West Africa, the purple marsh crab lives in muddy holes that remain wet even during the dry season. The first living specimens of these semiterrestrial air-breathers were collected in 2005.

　　The recent discovery of a new population of this elusive crab has led to its conservation status being reclassified from "critical" to "endangered" on the 2008 Red List of Threatened Species.