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ExtinctionThe Holocene extinction is the first extinction event directly caused by another species -- us. It results from habitat destruction combined with hunting and the introduction of alien species to environments where they do not occur naturally. Scientists estimate that extinction rates are presently 1,000-10,000 times the historical background rate of about 1 species per million per year. They say that extinction rates will significantly increase in coming years. Articles 
Island bat goes extinct after Australian officials hesitate(05/23/2012) Nights on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean will never again be the same. The last echolocation call of a tiny bat native to the island, the Christmas Island pipistrelle (Pipistrellus murrayi), was recorded on August 26th 2009, and since then there has been only silence. Perhaps even more alarming is that nothing was done to save the species. According to a new paper in Conservation Letters the bat was lost to extinction while Australian government officials equivocated and delayed action even though they were warned repeatedly that the situation was dire. The Christmas Island pipistrelle is the first mammal to be confirmed extinct in Australia in 50 years. 
Wildlife in the tropics plummets by over 60 percent (05/15/2012) In 48 years wildlife populations in the tropics, the region that holds the bulk of the world's biodiversity, have fallen by an alarming 61 percent, according to the most recent update to the Living Planet Index. Produced by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the index currently tracks almost 10,000 populations of 2,688 vertebrate species (including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish) in both the tropics and temperate regions. 
Biodiversity loss cripples plant growth (05/02/2012) For decades scientists have been warning that if global society continues with "business-as-usual" practices the result will be a mass extinction of the world's species, an extinction event some researchers say is already underway. However, the direct impacts of global biodiversity loss has been more difficult to compile. Now a new study in Nature finds that loss of plant biodiversity could cripple overall plant growth. 
Over 30 Yangtze porpoises found dead in China as population nears extinction (05/01/2012) Six years after the Yangtze river dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer), or baiji, was declared "functionally extinct" by scientists, another marine mammal appears on the edge of extinction in China's hugely degraded Yangtze River. In less than two months, 32 Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis), a subspecies of the finless porpoise, have been dead found in Dongting and Poyang Lakes in the Yangtze, reports the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). 
Skink biodiversity jumps 650 percent in the Caribbean(04/30/2012) In a single paper in Zootaxa scientists have rewritten the current understanding of lizard biodiversity in the Caribbean. By going over museum specimens of skinks, scientists have discovered 24 new species and re-established nine species previously described species, long-thought invalid. The single paper has increased the number of skinks in the Caribbean by 650 percent, from six recognized species to 39. Unfortunately, half of these new species may already be extinct and all of them are likely imperiled. .150.jpg)
Doing good and staying sane amidst the global environmental crisis(04/23/2012) Several years ago while teaching a course in environmental science a student raised her hand during our discussion of the circumstances of modern ecological collapse and posed the question, "what happens when there is no more environment?" At the time I had no response and stumbled to formulate some sort of reply based on the typical aseptic, apathetic logic with which we are programmed through education in the scientific tradition: that there will always be some sort of environment, that life has prospered through the five previous mass extinctions and that something will survive. While this may be the case, the time has come for more of us to consider the broader spectrum of what global humanity is facing as the planet’s ecology is decimated. 
Humans killed off magnificent Australian megafauna, flipping rainforest into savannah(03/27/2012) The theory that humans, and not climate change, was primarily responsible for the extinction of giant marsupials in prehistoric Australia takes another step forward with a new study in Science. Exploring sediment cores for past evidence of big herbivores, researchers found that the arrival of humans coincided with the loss of a menagerie of magnificent beasts, from giant kangaroos to fearsome marsupial lions and monster birds to Komodo dragon-like reptiles. The decline of this megafauna ultimately led to ecological changes that may have caused Australia's rainforest to become savannah. World's smallest dolphin: only 55 left, but continue to drown in nets (03/22/2012) The world's smallest dolphin is also the closest to extinction. New Zealand government figures show that Maui's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori maui) are down to just 55 mature individuals, falling from 111 in 2005. The small cetaceans, measuring up to 1.7 meters (5.5 feet), are imperiled due to drowning in gillnets with the most recent death by a fisherman's net occurring in January. Over 5,000 vital biodiversity sites remain unprotected (03/22/2012) A recent study has found that half of the world's Important Bird Areas (IBAs) and Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) sites remain unprotected, leaving many endangered species, some on the verge of extinction, gravely vulnerable to habitat loss. Published in the open access journal PLoS ONE, the study urges governments to focus on expanding protected areas to cover the species that need it most. Javan officials employ camera traps to find extinct tiger (03/13/2012) Although officially declared extinct in 2003, some people believe the Javan tiger (panthera tigris sondaica) is still alive in the island's Meru Betiri National Park. To prove the big cat has not vanished for good, wildlife officials have installed five camera traps in the park, reports Antara News. Niger creates desert park bigger than Hungary (03/07/2012) Yesterday, the Niger government formally created the Termit and Tin Toumma National Nature and Cultural Reserve in the Sahara Desert, reports the Sahara Conservation Fund. The reserve, now one of the largest in Africa, expands existing protected areas to 100,000 square kilometers (38,610 sq. miles), an area bigger than Hungary and nearly twice the size of Costa Rica. Carbon emissions paving way for mass extinction in oceans (03/05/2012) Human emissions of carbon dioxide may be acidifying the oceans at a rate not seen in 300 million years, according to new research published in Science. The ground-breaking study, which measures for the first time the rate of current acidification compared with other occurrences going back 300 million years, warns that carbon emissions, unchecked, will likely lead to a mass extinction in the world's oceans. Acidification particularly threatens species dependent on calcium carbonate (a chemical compound that drops as the ocean acidifies) such as coral reefs, marine mollusks, and even some plankton. As these species vanish, thousands of others that depend on them are likely to follow. When giant coyotes roamed the Earth (02/27/2012) Not long ago, geologically speaking, coyotes (Canis latrans) were bigger and more robust than today's animals. In the late Pleistocene, over 10,000 years ago, coyotes rivaled grey wolves (Canis lupus) in size. But, according to a new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), coyotes shrunk significantly following the megafaunal extinction—including the disappearance of big herbivores like giant sloths and mastodons and predators like the smilodon—due to changes in prey and predator competition. 
Celebrate frogs on leap day!(02/20/2012) The NGO Amphibian Ark is asking frog-lovers to visit their local zoos on up-coming leap day, February 29th. Dubbed, Leaping Ahead of Extinction, the program includes 58 zoos and other amphibian breeding facilities in seventeen countries that have captive breeding populations of endangered amphibians. 
New sanctuaries declared for Asia's freshwater dolphins(02/15/2012) Bangladesh has declared three new sanctuaries to help protect the south Asian river dolphin (Platanista gangetica) in the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest. Split into two subspecies, the Ganges River dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica) and the Irrawaddy River dolphin (Platanista gangetica minor), the new sanctuaries will benefit both. Listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List, the south Asian freshwater dolphin has disappeared from much of its habitat. Already Asia has its other freshwater dolphin species: the baiji (Lipotes vexillifer) was declared functionally extinct into 2006 after a survey of the Yangtze River failed to find a single individual. 
Forgotten species: the wild jungle cattle called banteng(01/31/2012) The word "cattle," for most of us, is the antithesis of exotic; it's familiar like a family member one's happy enough to ignore, but doesn't really mind having around. Think for a moment of the names: cattle, cow, bovine...likely they make many of us think more of the animals' byproducts than the creatures themselves—i.e. milk, butter, ice cream or steak—as if they were an automated food factory and not living beings. But if we expand our minds a bit further, "cattle" may bring up thoughts of cowboys, Texas, herds pounding the dust, or merely grazing dully in the pasture. But none of these titles, no matter how far we pursue them, conjure up images of steamy tropical rainforest or gravely imperiled species. A cow may be beautiful in its own domesticated sort-of-way, but there is nothing wild in it, nothing enchanting. However like most generalizations, this idea of cattle falls to pieces when one encounters, whether in literature or life, the banteng. 
Photos: program devoted to world's strangest, most neglected animals celebrates five years(01/16/2012) What do Attenborough's echidna, the bumblebee bat, and the purple frog have in common? They have all received conservation attention from a unique program by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) called EDGE. Five years old this week, the program focuses on the world's most unique and imperiled animal species or, as they put it, the most Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species. In the past five years the program has achieved notable successes from confirming the existence of long unseen species (Attenborough's echidna) to taking the first photos and video of a number of targeted animals (the purple frog). 
Seals, birds, and alpine plants suffer under climate change(01/11/2012) The number of species identified by scientists as vulnerable to climate change continues to rise along with the Earth's temperature. Recent studies have found that a warmer world is leading to premature deaths of harp seal pups (Pagophilus groenlandicus) in the Arctic, a decline of some duck species in Canada, shrinking alpine meadows in Europe, and indirect pressure on mountain songbirds and plants in the U.S. Scientists have long known that climate change will upend ecosystems worldwide, creating climate winners and losers, and likely leading to waves of extinction. While the impacts of climate change on polar bears and coral reefs have been well-documented, every year scientists add new species to the list of those already threatened by anthropogenic climate change. 
Happy rhino news: no rhinos poached in Nepal last year(01/10/2012) As rhinos again fell to poachers in record numbers in 2011, there was one bright-spot: Nepal. Not a single rhino was killed by poachers in the Himalayan nation, home to an estimated 534 greater one-horned rhinos (Rhinoceros unicornis), categorized as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. Conservationists celebrated at Chitwan National Park, which holds the vast majority of the country's rhinos. 
How lemurs fight climate change(01/09/2012) Kara Moses may have never become a biologist if not for a coin toss. The coin, which came up heads and decided Moses' direction in college, has led her on a sinuous path from studying lemurs in captivity to environmental writing, and back to lemurs, only this time tracking them in their natural habitat. Her recent research on ruffed lemurs is attracting attention for documenting the seed dispersal capabilities of Critically Endangered ruffed lemurs as well as theorizing connections between Madagascar's lemurs and the carbon storage capacity of its forests. Focusing on the black-and-white ruffed lemur's (Varecia variegata) ecological role as a seed disperser—animals that play a major role in spreading a plant's seeds far-and-wide—Moses suggests that not only do the lemurs disperse key tree species, but they could be instrumental in dispersing big species that store large amounts of carbon. Famous extinct animalsBirds The Elephant bird (Aepyornis maximus) of Madagascar was hunted to extinction by humans after they arrived on the Indian Ocean island. The bird, which stood over three meters (10 feet) tall and weighed more than 500 kilograms (1100 pounds), disappeared in the 15th or 16th century. Its egg was about 160 times the size of a chicken egg. Reconstructed eggs are commonly sold in markets in Madagascar. The black or King Island emu (Dromaius ater) of King Island (between Australia and Tasmania) was first discovered by western science in 1802. It was extinct by 1822. Hunting and fires set by visiting sailors caused its demise. The Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis) was once found in great numbers on islands off eastern Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Ireland and Great Britain but was hunted to extinction by the mid-nineteenth century. The Great Auk was mostly hunted for its down. The Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) may have one been the world's most abundant bird with a single flock reportedly numbering up to several billion birds. Hunting for sport and food lead to its rapid demise. The last wild Passenger Pigeon was shot by a 14-year-old boy in Ohio in 1900, while the last known individual of the passenger pigeon species, named "Martha" after Martha Washington, died at 1 p.m. on the 1st of September 1914 in the Cincinnati Zoological Garden. She was 29. Some scholars have argued that massive passenger pigeon flocks were the result of ecological imbalance caused by the massive decline in North American human populations following the arrival of Europeans in the 15th and 16th century. The theory holds that the disappearance of indigenous populations gave passenger pigeons an unprecedented opportunity to access resources previously appropriated by humans. The Dodo (Raphus cucullatus) of Mauritius is perhaps history's most famous extinct bird. Hunting, coupled with widespread forest loss caused by Dutch settlers and their introduced animals killed off the last Dodo in 1681, within 80 years after the arrival of humans. The dodo bird was famously believed to be a key disperser of the Tambalacoque tree, seeds of which were said to require gut passage through the dodo in order to germinate. While this is a nice story, it's controversial. Carolina Parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis) was the only parrot species native to the eastern United States. Hunting and habitat loss due to forest conversion for agriculture led to its demise. The last wild specimen was killed in Okeechobee County in Florida in 1904, and the last captive bird died at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1918. The extinction of the Carolina Parakeet resulted in a boom of cocklebur, a common weed that was a favorite food of the bird.. The North American Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis principalis) may or may not be extinct. The last confirmed sighting of North America's largest and most famous woodpecker is hotly debated. To date no conclusive evidence has been put forward to end the controversy. Regardless of its fate, the Ivory-billed Woodpecker's demise was fueled by destruction of its habitat -- hardwood swamps and pine forest in the southern United States -- due logging in the early part of the 20th century. At least 15 species of Hawaiian honey creepers (various species) have gone extinct since the arrival of Polynesians. Often compared to Darwin's finches for their high degree of adaptation to ecological niches on the Hawaiian islands, honey creepers mostly died out as the result of introduced species, including rats and mosquitoes. The Heath Hen (Tympanuchus cupido cupido) was hunted to extinction by European colonists who settled in North America. In fact some historians speculate that the first Thanksgiving featured Heath Hen, not turkey. The last heath hen was seen on March 11, 1932. Heath Hens were one of the first bird species that the United States sought to protect: in 1791 New York legislature introduced a bill to protect the species. Nevertheless, the effort eventually failed. The Moa were giant flightless birds (15 known species) native to New Zealand. Peculiar for their total lack of wings, the largest species, the giant moa (Dinornis robustus and Dinornis novaezelandiae), reached 3.6 m (12 ft) in height and 250 kg (550 lb) in weight. They were the dominant herbivores in the New Zealand forest ecosystem and their disappearance a few hundred years after the arrival of Polynesians resulted in significant ecological change including the extinction of other species. Moa were doomed by forest clearing and hunting by the Polynesian invaders. Mammals Steller's Sea Cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) was a giant sea mammal that once roamed the Bering Sea in the North Pacific. The sea cow grew up to 7.9 meters (26 ft) long and weighed up to three tons. It was hunted to extinction by sailors and traders. The last known sea cow was seen in 1768. The Thylacine or Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus) of Australia and New Guinea was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. The species went extinct through most of its range well prior to the arrival of Europeans, but managed to survive on the island of Tasmania until the mid-20th century. Disease, hunting, habitat destruction, and the introduction of dogs fueled its demise. While the last known Thylacine died at the Hobart Zoo in 1936, unconfirmed sightings continue today. The Barbary Lion (Panthera leo leo) is a subspecies of lion that went extinct in the wild, though some descendants may survive in captivity. It was the largest subspecies of lion and lived in the woodlands in North Africa. Its demise stemmed primarily from hunting and habitat loss. The Caribbean Monk Seal (Monachus tropicalis) was the only seal ever known to be native to the Caribbean sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It was last spotted in 1952 at Seranilla Bank, Jamaica. The Caribbean Monk Seal was said to lack fear of man, while having an unaggressive and curious nature -- attributes that likely contributed to its demise from habitat loss and hunting. The lesser Puerto Rican Ground Sloth (Acratocnus odontrigonus) was one of the last remnants of the giant ground sloths that once dominated South America. The species was driven to extinction as recently as the 16th century due to the introduction of rats and pigs by Europeans explorers. Pre-Colombian populations likely diminished the populations of this 50-pound forest dwelling beast by forest clearing and hunting. The Baiji or Yangtze river dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer) was declared functionally extinct in 2006 meaning that even if has not yet completely disappeared, its population is so low that it will never recover. The freshwater river dolphin was driven to extinction by pollution in the Yangtze and unsustainable fishing practices. The construction of the Three Gorges Dam and other hydroelectric projects also led to habitat loss. The Bali tiger (Panthera tigris balica) of the Indonesian island of Bali was the smallest of three sub-species of tiger found in Indonesia. It was driven to extinction by conversion of its forest habitat for agriculture. The last tiger to be shot was in 1925. The Javan tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica) was a tiger found only on the Indonesian island of Java. Highly threatened by hunting and habitat destruction, last minute efforts to create protected areas for the species during the 1950s and 1960s failed: the credible sighting was in 1972. The Formosan Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa brachyura) was a subspecies of Clouded Leopard endemic to the island of Taiwan. It is now believed to be extinct due to habitat destruction by loggers. Amphibians Considered to be one of the most spectacularly colored toads on Earth with its brilliant yellow-orange coloring, the Golden toad is believed to be limited to only a single mountain in Costa Rica, Monteverde. Although always rare, for a few weeks in April every year, hundreds on these brilliant toads gathered in pools in a breeding orgy. However, the toad population dropped sharply since its discovery in 1967 from several thousand gathered in 1987 to just 10 in 1988, none of which were breeding. In 1989 only a single male toad, seeking a mate, was observed. This individual may have been the last Golden toad on Earth; no golden toads have been seen since. The disappearance of the golden toad is of particular significance since its habitat is in a national preserve. Among the casualties of the current human-induced mass extinction event are the two species of Gastric Brooding Frog from the rainforest of Queensland, Australia: the Northern Gastric Brooding Frog (Rheobatrachus vitellinus) and the Gastric Brooding Frog (Rheobatrachus silus). These two recently discovered species [R. silus was discovered in 1972; R. vitellinus 1984] are presumed extinct as R. silus was last seen in the wild in September 1981 and R. vitellinus was last seen in March 1985. Gastric Brooding Frogs are notable for their reproductive habits. The female swallows her clutch of eggs and the tadpoles hatch in her stomach. The tadpoles secrete chemicals that cause the female to cease feeding and switch off the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach wall. The young are birthed through the mother's mouth once fully developed as froglets. After leaving the mother's mouth, the young frogs are independent. Scientists have been interested in these species' ability to shut down the secretion of digestive acids the implications of which could have an important bearing in the treatment of people who suffer from gastric ulcers. archives | news | XML / RSS feed | featured
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