More Than 17,000 Species Face Extinction
Many animals have come and gone through the history of the world. We all know of the passing of the dinosaurs, the dodo birds, and possibly the Tasmanian tigers. Unfortunately for the creatures of the world, the list of extinctions keeps getting longer, with little hope of survival in sight.
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) surveyed 47,677 animal and plant species for this year’s “Red List”. Their results show that 17,291 of all the species surveyed face risk of extinction. To break down the numbers even more: 20% of all known mammals, more than 25% of reptiles, 70% of plants and 1,895 amphibian species are all under this extreme threat—that’s almost 3,000 more species than last year’s list.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Craig Hilton-Taylor, manager of the list, says “these results are just the tip of the iceberg”. He also revealed that many more species have yet to be surveyed, which could lead to a greater increase in the numbers already seriously threatened.
Although 17,000 is a rather large number of species to lose, many of them have been on the list for some time. Only one mammal was added to the list this year—a rodent from Madagascar called the Eastern Voalavo. However, this species was only added to the endangered portion of the “Red List” as it does not yet face extinction, but its habitat is being destroyed by slash-and-burn farming.
On the flip-side, 300 reptiles were added, including the sail-fin water lizard and the Panay monitor lizard; both threatened by hunting and logging in the Philippines. Not to forget our fishy friends—3,120 freshwater fish were surveyed and 1,147 of them also made the cut. Some critters, however, have a much harder road ahead of them.
When it comes to Rabb’s fringe-limbed tree frog, one may soon be the loneliest number for them. Only discovered four years ago, these frogs have been devastated by a disease known as chytridiomycosis, a fatal disease that has been known to infect many amphibian species. Since 2006, this fungus-created sickness—believed to be spread by global warming and international trade—has nearly wiped out the entire wild frog population. It’s gotten to the point that, according to the IUCN, “only a single male has been heard calling since”.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Scientist Joseph Mendelson of Zoo Atlanta—who was part of the group that identified the frog as a distinct species—said it’s possible that many other amphibians have become or will be extinct before they are even discovered.
“When you name a new species, you’re attached to it, and when that species disappears so quickly, it’s impossible not to have feelings associated with that. I’m pretty sad, to be honest, really sad,” he said.
Throughout the history of the world, there have been 5 major extinction events; from greatest to least they are:
- The Permian-Triassic (or the Great Dying)
- The Cretaceous-Tertiary
- The Ordovician-Silurian
- The Triassic-Jurassic
- The Late Devonian
Oh, but guess what—there is one other big event that is still ongoing today: The Holocene Extinction Event. This is the biggest extinction event to be mainly influenced by humans—and may go back as far as the late Pleistocene era. It may also easily be labeled one of the worst extinction events soon enough. Since many extinctions can go undocumented due to not discovering animals in time or the inability to keep decent records on some of them—scientists have estimated that during the 20th century alone, between 20,000 and 2 million species have become extinct. It has also been predicted that at least half of all life will be completely wiped out in less than 100 years from now. That certainly paints a pretty picture for your children and grandchildren, now doesn’t it? Yeah, I didn’t think so either.
By Heidi Marshall
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Tags: 17000 animals, endangered species, extinction, extinction events, IUCN, Wildlife & Flora
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