What is endemic species?

What Does endemic species Mean

The first thing we are going to do is find the etymological origin of the two words that give shape to the term endemic species that we are going to analyze in depth below:

• Species, is a word that emanates from Latin and more specifically from “species”, which it is equivalent to "image or appearance".

• Endemic, meanwhile, has its origin in Greek. And it is that this is verified when analyzing the structure that it has: the prefix "en-", which is synonymous with "inside"; the noun "demos", which can be translated as "people"; and finally the suffix "-ico", which comes to mean "relative to".

The species are, for the zoology and botany , groups that can divide the genders . By integrating the same species, individuals share generic characters and other factors that make them resemble each other and differ from members of other species.

Endemic , on the other hand, is what belongs to or relative to the endemic . This concept is often used to name a disease that reigns in a region or time.
An endemic species is one that is distributed in a limited geographical area and that is not found naturally in other parts of the world . The endemismo , therefore refers to a species that can be found naturally in only one place.
In this sense, we can say that there are very different types of endemism: paleoendemism, patroendemism, cryptoendemism, schizoendemism or apoendemism.
Consideration of endemism can vary on different scales. It is possible to speak of an endemic species of a mountain range, a lake, an island, a country or a continent, which shows the breadth of the concept. Although it usually refers to species, endemism can also apply to subspecies, genera, families or other taxa.
The Iberian lynx is an example of an endemic species, in this case from the Iberian Peninsula . It is a carnivorous mammal of the Felidae family that is in danger of extinction since its population is estimated at less than four hundred individuals.
The aforementioned lynx is currently being the object of special care and attention by the authorities, who have managed to establish two important populations, one in Andalusia and the other in the Toledo area.
It is interesting to know that Mexico is one of the countries that has the most endemic species, especially at the animal level. Specifically, among those are the harpy eagle, the Pacific green sea turtle or crack turtle, the white crane, the naked-tailed armadillo or the anteater known by the name of chupamiel.
In other countries of America there are also endemic species of great value and international recognition. Thus, for example, in the Dominican Republic there is the seal thrush, in Ecuador there is the Galapagos penguin, in Peru we find the rat Pattonomys occasius and in Colombia lives the bat that receives the scientific name of Artibeus jamaicensis coryi.

Most of the endemic species are found on the islands , since the geographic isolation contributes to the preservation of endemism. Australia , in this way, has numerous endemic species, both flora and fauna.