California+Condor

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= __California Condor ( //** Gymnogyps californianus) **// __ = =  __ By ← **//Calvin A.™ //**__= 

__//**Its biological name is the Gymnogyps Califonianus!!! (Although other fossil members are known, it is the only surviving member of the genus Gymnogyps.) It is one of the world's longest-living birds, with a lifespan of up to 50 years. The California Condor is one of the world's rarest bird species. In December 2008, there were 327 condors known to be living, including over half of them in the wild. Overall length can range from 117–135 centimeters (46–53 in) and the wingspan averages around 2.77 meters (9.1 ft).Their weight can range from 7–14 kilograms (15–31 lb), with estimations of average weight ranging from 8–9 kilograms (18–20 lb).They have been known to fly up to speeds of 90 km/h (55 mph) and as high as 4,600 meters (15,000 ft). **//__ 
 * __//**Description of animal: The Largest Bird in North America. **//__
 * //__Currently, the California __//****//__condor inhabits only the Grand Canyon area, Zion National Park, and western coastal mountains of California and northern Baja California__//** **//__.__//**
 * //__California Condors have the largest wingspan of any North American bird.__//**
 * //__ In early 2007, a California condor laid an egg in __//** Mexico **//__ for the first time since at least the 1930s. __//**


 * __//**Where it lives: New Mexico, Mexico, Texas, CALIFORNIA, Arizona. (in the 1800's British Columbia) **//__


 * **//__Diet: megafauna (which are now extinct in North America.) deer, goats, sheep, donkeys, horses, pigs, mountain lions, bears, or cattle. rabbits or coyotes, whales and sea lions, or salmon. Bird and reptile carcasses are rarely eaten. __//**


 * **//__Why it is endeangered or threatened: Poachers are killing them and taking their eggs. DDT poisining (pesticides) are killing them, Most importantly people are DESTROYING their HABITAT!!! Lead poisoning.(during the California Gold Rush some California Condors were kept as pets!!!!) __//**


 * **//__What can we do to save it from extinction: Leave the eggs where we find them, Arrest Poachers, and leave there habitat alone. California addressed the Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act, a bill that went into effect July 1, 2008 that requires that hunters use non-lead bullets when hunting in the condor's range (which can also help.) __//**


 * **//__One thing I found intresting about the California Condor is: In order to double clutch the first egg the condor lays is taken by scientists and raised by a California Condor puppet which leaves the parents time to lay another egg. __//**