Q.What is an endangered species? Give an example of an endangered plant and animal species each?

An endangered species is one whose population has declined to critically low numbers and faces a very high risk of extinction in the near future if the threats continue. These species are on the brink of disappearing from their natural habitats, often due to habitat loss, poaching, pollution, climate change, or a combination of these pressures.

Two well-documented Indian examples:

• Endangered animal: The Great Indian Bustard, once widespread across grasslands and scrubland of the Indian subcontinent, now numbers fewer than 150 individuals in the wild — driven to the brink mainly by grassland-to-farmland conversion and collisions with power lines.

• Endangered plant: The pitcher plant Nepenthes khasiana, found only in the Khasi and Jaintia hills of Meghalaya, is endangered due to habitat destruction and over-collection for the illegal plant trade. …

When we say a species is endangered, we mean its numbers have fallen to such critically low levels that it stands on the brink of disappearing from the planet entirely. Endangerment implies active decline, a shrinking population pushed toward extinction by forces like habitat destruction, poaching, pollution, climate change, or invasive species. The IUCN maintains the Red List, which classifies species by extinction risk, with "Endangered" sitting between "Vulnerable" and "Critically Endangered."

Examples from India's Endangered List

Animal: The Great Indian Bustard

This bird, once widespread across the grasslands and scrublands of the Indian subcontinent, now numbers fewer than 150 individuals in the wild. Habitat loss — particularly the conversion of grasslands to farmland — and collisions with power lines have devastated its population.

Take the textbook's own working definition of 'endangered' from the ex-situ conservation section, then pick one real Indian plant and one real Indian animal consist …