Oil rig disaster for endangered species

The recent devastation caused by a fire on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig could prove catastrophic for a number of endangered species living in the Gulf of Mexico.

An explosion occurred Tuesday night and the rig has since collapsed and sunk as a result of a massive fire that engulfed the rig for more than 30 hours. Fear are growing for the 11 workers are still missing.

This has also resulted in thousands of gallons of oil being pumped out into the sea and now poses an enormous threat to the many species living in the surrounding sea area and on the coast.

The Gulf of Mexico is home to some of the world's most endangered marine mammals including six endangered species of whale. There are also several species of shark considered to be "of concern" due to declining populations and also one of the world's largest populations of bottlenose dolphins, with an estimated 45,000 in it's waters.

Along it's 3,500 miles of coastline is the only known nesting place to the worlds most endangered sea turtle. There are also populations of protected Hawksbill, Loggerhead and Leatherback turtle (pictured right) who are due to begin nesting there soon and could be particularly vulnerable to oil washed up on the beach.

The Gulf region also contains around five million acres of wetlands, which are an essential habitat to three quarters of migrating waterfowl that cross the US.

A significant oil spill could be incredibly dangerous as the pollution would likely stay trapped in the encircled land.