2016/04/30 (Sat) The Extinction of Species

The Extinction of Species

 

Our planet is now in the middle of its sixth huge extinction of plants and animals (birds, fish, invertebrates, mammals, and reptiles). We are now experiencing the worst spate of species becoming extinct since the loss of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Unlike the mass extinctions which happened in ancient times, which occurred as a result of asteroid strikes, volcanic eruptions, and natural climate shifts, the extinction we are witnessing now is caused by us. Scientists have estimated that 99% of current extinctions happening now are caused by human activities. 

 

The human activities give huge effects to the Earth, animals, and plants. For instance, pollution, global warming, and overhunting/fishing which are caused by the increase of human populations can be some of the examples. Also, the natural ecosystems are getting disturbed by the poaching or/and the introduction of exotic spices to an environment. Even more species are threatened because every species’ extinction potentially leads to the extinction of others. Not only theses, but also there are effects that are caused by humans indirectly but mostly related. Some examples of the phenomenon shown can be the change in sea levels and the climate heating or cooling. 

 

There are many animals and plants that have already gone extinct by human activities like:

Dodos:

Dodo is an extinct flightless bird which has inhabited the island of Mauritius. It was approximately one metre tall and weighed 10-18 kilogram. It lived and nested on the ground and ate fruits that had fallen from trees. There were no mammal on the island and a high diversity of bird species lived in the dense forests. Lots of dodo birds died by getting hunted by the sailors who set foot on Mauritius in 1505. From this moment, dodo birds decreased from the once abundant bird into rare bird by the combination of human exploitation and introduced species. The last dodo bird was killed in 1681.

 

Tasmanian Tigers (thylacine):

Tasmanian tiger, also known as the thylacine, is a nocturnal animal which had an appearance of a medium-to-large-size dog which was native to Australia. It weighed approximately 30 kilogram and was 2 metre long from their nose to tail. Tasmanian tigers had extinct 2000 years ago, but survived on the island of Tasmanian until 1930s. It moved with a slow pace, generally stiff in its movements and hunted kangaroos and other marsupials, small rodents and birds during night time. It had gone extinct because of the hunting pressure from humans.

 

 

These are the animals that are being driven to extinction currently such as:

Lions:

The number of lions had decreased from 450,000, 50 years ago, to about 20,000 left in Africa now. According to an African National Geographic Explorer, about five wild lions are killed every day throughout Africa. The lions are being driven to extinction because of the overhunting by humans.

 

Lemurs:

Lemur is an animal primates with foxlike faces living in Madagascar. Since humans arrived in Madagascar about 2,000 years ago, about 15 to 20 species of lemurs have gone extinct. The reason it have gone extinct is due to habitat loss and hunting. Nowadays, humans are cutting down the lemurs’ habitat at much faster pace which caused 93 lemur species to be in endanger currently. As Malagasy human populations rise, they threaten the remaining species of lemurs and thousands of other endemic species with extinction at an accelerating rate.

 

 

To prevent more animals to be driven to extinction, I believe humans should consider about each reason that causes animals’ extinction. These are the methods I have for preventing the extinction of animals.

Do not use products made from endangered species.

People should never purchase products made from threatened or endangered species. Many people enjoy buying memorable souvenirs after trips. However, many of these souvenirs are made from animals in danger of extinction. I believe avoiding products made from things like ivory, tortoise shell, and coral could have a big step of saving the wild life.

 

Use less energy.

Reducing the overall energy you use can help the environment. This can protect the habitat and welfare of lots of endangered species. Sometimes, small changes can have a big impact on how much energy your house uses. You can save energy by replacing your lightbulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs, turning off the electronics when you don’t use, or save water as much as you can.  

 

Eat less meat.

The meat industry has a huge impact on the environment. It is harming the living of the endangered species. Rainforests and forests which are home to many endangered species are often cut down for factory farms. People can help by changing into a more plant-based diet. A vegetarian diet means you refrain from eating products made of animal flesh. By doing this, we can prevent more meat factories to be built from now on. 

 

 

I think the extinction of species caused by natural ecosystem is not very big problems. No one in this world is able to disobey the natural system in each of the environment. However, in my opinion, the extinction caused by human activities can be very serious problems. All the humans living on this planet, Earth, have responsibility to take care of the living species. We should all think of methods to save the species and save the Earth. The Earth will be destroyed by humans eventually if everyone thinks extinction has nothing to do with them. I hope people will start having deep consideration of the topic “extinction” and take care of the animals living nearby. I am looking forward to a world that has abundant animal species which co-exist with humans.

 

 

Bibliography

http://www.onekind.org/education/top_10_lists/extinct/

OneKind HumanKind. AnimalKind.OneKind., Extinct

Date Retrieved: April 24, 2016

 

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/biodiversity/elements_of_biodiversity/extinction_crisis/

CENTER for BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY, THE EXTINCTION CRISIS

Dare Retrieved: April 24, 2016

 

http://www.bagheera.com/inthewild/ext_dodobird.htm

Bagheera

Date Retrieved: April 25,2016

 

http://australianmuseum.net.au/the-thylacine

Australian Museum, The Thylacine

Date Retrieved: April 25, 2016

 

http://www.livescience.com/41421-animals-threatened-with-extinction.html

livescience, 7 Iconic Animals Humans Are Driving to Extinction

Date Retrieved: April 25, 2016