One in 4 Mammals Threatened With Extinction, Group Finds
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/07/science/earth/07mammal.html?_r=1
Summary:
A recent study done in Barcelona, Spain has shown that one in four mammals on our planet are in danger of going extinct. Shockingly, this statistic means that 25% of the mammals living today will be wiped out in the next few years, due to habitat loss, hunting, and climate change. The highest threat category, critically endangered, has 188 different species of mammals in it. A quote from Julia Marton-Lefevre, the director general for the International Union for Conservation of Nature, states, "Within our lifetime, hundreds of species could be lost as a result of our own actions." Additionally, Jan Schipper, who is the director of the global mammal assessment for the I.U.C.N, mentions that the overall rate of decline has been increasing steadily over the past decade. Environmentalists are doing all that they can to save these endangered mammals from going extinct.
Opinion/Reflection:
Personally, I find this shocking! To think that 1/4 of the mammal kingdom is going to be wiped out in my lifetime is appalling. I know that our environment isn't doing too well right now, and that we could all try harder to save it, but I didn't know that things were this bad. It interested me how the different levels of being endangered were split up into different categories, and it interests me more that 188 mammal species are in the most serious one!! In the future, I'm going to do all that I can to make these statistics go down.
Questions:
1) What mammals do you think are most likely to go extinct first? Why?
2) What could we do, as average teenagers, to help save these mammals, as well as all other endangered species?
3) Do you think other animal kingdoms, such as amphibians or insects, have higher or lower rates than mammals? Why?
Photo:
I attached this picture because it is the Iberian lynx, which is a mammal mentioned in the article. The Iberian lynx is among the 188 mammals in the critically endangered group, and there are only 84 estimated adults still living today.
Opinion/ Reflection
ReplyDeleteI also found this article appalling. I would have never guessed that one forth of the whole worlds mammal population would be extinct within my lifetime. I really think that if humans should try to make the environment healthier that way the animals will be healthier and have a better chance at surviving within an ecosystem.
Expansion
i found this article about the new age of extinction. The last paragraph has a lot to do with explaining the extinction waves in Earths history. It tells about the permain extinction and how most animals died off. Also, this article tells about when the dinosaurs became extinct, called the cretaceous event. Now scientist are suggest that we have entered a new wave of extinction that is being caused by humans.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1888728_1888736,00.html?xid=rss-topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+time%2Ftopstories+%28TIME%3A+Top+Stories%29
As teenagers i think that we should learn more about endangered species so when we are older will know what and what not to do to when it comes to helping them survive.
Opinion:
ReplyDeleteI, like both of you, found it hard to believe that 1/4 of the mammal population would soon be extinct. I figured the way things were going many species if mammals would be extinct but i had no idea it would be that many. It is a little depressing to think about it, though, and I think we should try and work harder to save them.
1. I think that the first animals to go would probably be the ones we use for food, because we rely on them so much they would likely get over-hunted. Also the albino animals because their coloring makes them an easy target for predators.
2. I agree with Katie in that we sjhould make ourselves more aware of endangered species so when the time comes to step up we will be prepared.
3. Fish probably have a high rate of potential extinction because they are one of our main food sources and there have already been reports of over-fishing and measures have been taken to try and decrease them.
I find this article to be extremly suprising and also very saddening. To think that that many animals will be extinct by the end of my lifetime, it makes me very upset to know that there are going to be so many animals my children and their childeren (and so on...) may never see. i also feel bad because it is mainly our fault that so many animals are going to go extinct.
ReplyDelete1. I agree with Michaela, I think the first animals that will go extinct will be those who we use for food, seeing as we kill them all the time.
2. I think, as teenagers, we could use fundraisers to try and raise money that we can donate to charities that use the money to help endangered species.
3. I think fish have a higher rate of potenial extinction because we always use them for food.