Question

What do you mean by endemic species?

Answer 1

Endemic is used to describe a disease that is widespread in or confined to a certain area, country, or population. It has the same significance as native or ancestral when used to identify species of plants or animals that are present exclusively within a particular area.

Complete Answer:
- The word endemic can be used in biology to describe a species (ecology) or a disease (medicine). An endemic species in ecology refers to a species which is native to where it is found. A species can be unique to a specific limited geographical region, such as a single island, or to a wider geographical area, such as a continent.
- Endemic species are plant and animal species occurring in only one geographic area and nowhere else in the world. In other words, endemic species may be said to be ones that are present only in a given area or place and nowhere else.
- Kangaroos, for instance, were originally native to Australia and are not found anywhere else in the world. The situations in which they have been spotted outside their normal environment are attributed to the arrival of humans while the animal was in captivity.
- Yet native plants and animals, as we see, are native to a certain geographical region; they are extremely unique and more prone to extinction. As a consequence, special measures are needed to preserve them.

Note: Endemic animals, such as Galapagos tortoises and Madagascar lemurs, for example, can be found on small islands. Hawaii and Australia are both massive landmasses in the Antarctic, where we will encounter numerous endangered animals. These sites are all endemic to kangaroos, koalas, and polar bears.