Extinct species

Ily Peña

According to google an extinct specie is any species whose last known specimen dies without leaving a genetic heir. In the past 100 years, about 200 species have died. Based on this around 2 species die per year.

Extinction is a natural phenomenon: after all, more than 90% of all organisms that have ever lived on Earth are no longer alive today.

But humans have contributed, accelerating natural extinction rates through our role in habitat loss, climate change, invasive species, disease, overfishing and hunting.

Dozens of new species become extinct every day, and scientists say that more than 20,000 plants and animals are on the verge of disappearing forever. A quarter of known mammal species are threatened with extinction.

Stages of extinction

The first mass extinction is called the Ordovician-Silurian Extinction. It occurred about 440 million years ago, at the end of the period that paleontologists and geologists call the Ordovician, and followed by the start of the Silurian period. In this extinction event, many small organisms of the sea became extinct.

At the end of the last ice age, 10,000 years ago, many North American animals went extinct, including mammoths, mastodons, and glyptodonts. While climate changes were a factor, paleontologists have evidence that overhunting by humans was also to blame.

Many species have become extinct because of hunting and overharvesting, the conversion of wetlands and forests to croplands and urban areas, pollution, the introduction of invasive species, and other forms of human-caused destruction of their natural environments.

The US Endangered Species Act (ESA) is our nation's most effective law to protect at-risk species from extinction, with a stellar success rate: 99% of species listed on it have avoided extinction.

The extinction that occurred 65 million years ago wiped out some 50 percent of plants and animals. The event is so striking that it signals a major turning point in Earth's history, marking the end of the geologic period known as the Cretaceous and the beginning of the Tertiary period.

Today, the rate of extinction is occurring 1,000 to 10,000 times faster because of human activity.

The abusive and unsustainable use of natural resources not only harms the health of the planet, it also wipes out entire species so that they disappear for ever. The frenetic loss of biodiversity means that a million plants and animals are currently under threat. Others had even worse luck.

Causes of animal extinction

Demographic and genetic phenomena.
Destruction of wild habitats.
Introduction of invasive species.
Climate change.
Hunting and illegal trafficking.

Actions to avoid species from becoming extinct

The National Wildlife Federation works to defend, strengthen, fund, and ensure effective implementation of the Endangered Species Act and other core wildlife protection laws.

Defending and strengthening the Endangered Species Act,
Holding federal agencies and others accountable
Advocating for increased funding
Protecting, restoring, and connecting the habitats
Reducing threats to wildlife

One of the best ways to protect endangered species is to prevent their decline and deterioration in the first place. National Wildlife Federation works to maintain healthy populations of fish, wildlife, and plant species through promoting broad-based conservation efforts such as State Wildlife Action Plans. National Wildlife Federation is advocating for passage of the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, which is a bold new approach for providing the funding needed to carry out these proactive conservation plans.

Endangered species

Extinct species

Polar bear Tasmanian

Tiger Elephant

Dodo Chimpanzee

Smooth hand fish Snow leopard

Giant pinted tortoise Mountain Gorila

Melomys Rubicola

It's important to know about this, take care and help the species from becoming extinct. Animals play an important and determinative role for ecological balance, where even the smallest animals fulfills a vital function in its ecosystem. It is also an important component of biological diversity and its disappearance creates alteration in the ecosystems.

For example:

Bees, which are responsible for spreading pollen from one flower to another, making seeds and fruit production possible.

Bats, which consume big quantities of insects, help us avoid countless noxious pests. They are capable of transporting lots of seed in one night, helping dispersion.

So let's be responsible for our actions so we can have a great quality life and a balanced atmosphere.