Endangered Animals

Discuss how to take action in helping wildlife and the environment.

Moderator: Isela

What animal do you support most?

Polar Bear
3
6%
Panda
1
2%
Red Panda
2
4%
Wolves
16
31%
Snow Leopard
10
19%
Sea Turtles
3
6%
Other
17
33%
 
Total votes: 52

Nordue
Guest
Guest

Re: Endangered Animals

Post by Nordue » Sat Sep 29, 2012 1:28 pm

  • Here's some food for thought.

    About 99.9% of all species that have ever lived on earth are extinct. Today, the amount of species living represents 0.1% of the earth's global biodiversity. It is important to accept that the eventual fate of every species is extinction, just as every individual living organism must die eventually.

    The concept of background extinction deals with the fact that an individual species becomes rarer and rarer until it finally goes extinct. How this happens to one species depends on the situation. No matter how it happens, the surviving species fill in the roles or niches of the extinct species, and over very long periods of time, the surviving species may diversify into entirely new species! This is otherwise known as faunal turnover. Note this takes tens to hundereds of thousands of years to occur; it doesn’t happen overnight or over a human lifetime :wink: .

    So while humans play an active role in the conservation of biodiversity and the preservation of species at risk, I also am willing to accept the fact that species are lost and gained through evolution whether we like it or not. Although human activities undoubtedly have a significant impact on extinction rates of some species, which pretty much explains why this forum exists in the first place. I support the conservation of a species when its presence in an environment is one that helps preserve the stability of the ecosystem it exists in as a whole. This opinion could change as I learn more though :) .

    My sources of information come from my university Biodiversity course :) . I am hoping this will help broaden people's understanding of what a species is and how they fit into the workings of the biological world.

User avatar
Sambhur
Former WQ Moderator
Posts: 1922
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2010 7:39 pm
Location: australia

Re: Endangered Animals

Post by Sambhur » Sat Sep 29, 2012 10:00 pm

That's quite interesting, Tonbei! I already knew a few snippets of the information you provided, but it was great to read it all together like that, so thanks. I believe I have a similar opinion to you when it comes to those facts.
avatar by LupinzPack

User avatar
SilverSparks12
Hunter-in-training
Hunter-in-training
Posts: 142
Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2012 4:41 pm
Gender: Female
Location: Stealing cookies out of your cookie jar

Re: Endangered Animals

Post by SilverSparks12 » Sun Sep 30, 2012 3:31 pm

Tonbei wrote:
  • About 99.9% of all species that have ever lived on earth are extinct. Today, the amount of species living represents 0.1% of the earth's global biodiversity.
Woah, this really blew me away, 99%! :shock: I never really thought about this before Tonbei, but like Jewelz said, I've only heard snippets of this interesting information. I heard that there is still from 3 to 100 billion species of animals that still haven't been discovered yet, plus the animals we already discovered. Can you imagine all the animals they had thousands of years ago compared to what we have today?

I also want to thankyou on this info you posted.^^
~Larkstar of The Four Clans

User avatar
Kivia
Senior Member
Senior Member
Posts: 5618
Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2009 4:10 pm
Gender: Female
Location: Northern Virginia
Contact:

Re: Endangered Animals

Post by Kivia » Sun Sep 30, 2012 4:28 pm

...and adding on to what you said Silver, many of those undiscovered species go extinct every day. Animals go extinct all of the time without us even knowing, so it is very important to realize that extinction is just a natural cycle. We can still prevent many extinctions going on today, but it is a term that we shouldn't fear entirely.

Nordue
Guest
Guest

Re: Endangered Animals

Post by Nordue » Wed Oct 03, 2012 4:45 pm

  • Looks like you two got the idea!

    I also learned today in class that we actually have no idea how many species there are total in the world living today; the estimates themselves range anywhere from 10 million to over 100 million undiscovered species. For perspective, we have identified around 2 million species to date. This large range reflects on how little we actually know about the world's life!

calxmity
WQ Report Team Retiree
WQ Report Team Retiree
Posts: 198
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2012 11:10 am

Re: Endangered Animals

Post by calxmity » Thu Oct 04, 2012 6:46 pm

Tonbei wrote:
  • Looks like you two got the idea!

    I also learned today in class that we actually have no idea how many species there are total in the world living today; the estimates themselves range anywhere from 10 million to over 100 million undiscovered species. For perspective, we have identified around 2 million species to date. This large range reflects on how little we actually know about the world's life!
I learned this a year or two ago. (: It was quite interesting, knowing that the knowledge of humans on all this animals is rather small. Yes, 2 million is large, but just thinking outside of the box, how many species have yet to be revealed?
Kivia wrote:...and adding on to what you said Silver, many of those undiscovered species go extinct every day. Animals go extinct all of the time without us even knowing, so it is very important to realize that extinction is just a natural cycle. We can still prevent many extinctions going on today, but it is a term that we shouldn't fear entirely.
Oh really? Haha, learn something new everyday. (:
green - cavetown

User avatar
RealLife1357
Newborn Wolf
Newborn Wolf
Posts: 18
Joined: Wed Apr 27, 2011 1:56 pm
Gender: Female

Re: Endangered Animals

Post by RealLife1357 » Thu Nov 22, 2012 2:08 am

Since this is a endangered species topic, I personally think that both the red panda and wolf are becoming extinct. I heard that there are becoming less of both species. Is it true that the wolves are going/making their way to the list? I think they are but I just want to make sure. I really want to do something to save them if that's the case. Same for red pandas. Only what is making the red pandas go onto the endangered list? Is it hunting or something else?

I just want to keep them both here for years to come. So I would like to make a difference.
Live life to the fullest<3 No matter how long it takes

User avatar
valkea
Former User of the Month
Former User of the Month
Posts: 3497
Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2008 7:58 am
Name: Rowan
Gender: Male
Location: southern icefields

Re: Endangered Animals

Post by valkea » Thu Nov 22, 2012 10:27 am

Wolves - or at least, gray wolves - are not in any danger of becoming extinct. Their numbers aren't falling, if anything they're actually rising. There are over 50,000 wolves in Canada alone. There aren't as many wolves in the United States as there are in Canada, but there is still a good population depending on where in the U.S. you choose to look at. Then, there are other regions to look at. Russia's gray wolf population is over 25,000. It's true that gray wolves were once endangered, however this is no longer the case.
Now, the Mexican Wolf is another story. Mexican Wolves are actually in danger of extinction. If you're interested in the danger that they're in, I'd suggest taking a look at the threads in Wolf Conservation that relate to them. If you're interested in helping them, however, I strongly suggest taking a look at this thread -
http://www.wolfquest.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=5902 - the information about helping isn't limited to wolves, either. You could use the same steps to help any other animal.. like Red Pandas.

I believe the problems Red Pandas face are habitat loss and hunting. They are protected in the countries in which they live in, however hunting them becoming illegal sadly doesn't stop many people. Poachers are still a problem for them.
má shínim seal uaire faoi chrann a dhéanamh só
o cad é sin don te sin nach mbaineann sin dó?

_____________________

avatar - lupinzpack

vulpis atra
Newborn Wolf
Newborn Wolf
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Nov 26, 2012 8:44 pm

Re: Endangered Animals

Post by vulpis atra » Tue Nov 27, 2012 3:05 pm

I would say my favorite endangered animal is the Bluefin tuna. As a fisherman, I find it deeply offensive that such an elegant and incredible animal is captured en masse, along with dolphins, seabirds, and turtles, just to satisfy thoughtless human greed. I have the utmost respect for those who pursue them fairly, however, but even though they aren't the prettiest (in most people's opinion) or most "charismatic" animal does not mean they aren't worth saving.
I hunt animals. No, I do not get some thrill out of it, I do not orphan Bambi, I do not drive creatures into extinction. I hunt.

Nordue
Guest
Guest

Re: Endangered Animals

Post by Nordue » Sat Dec 01, 2012 2:58 am

  • I think every organism has qualities we can admire. We actually touched upon tuna in my biology class vulpis atra. I didn't realize that the muscles, brain and eyes of these fish are around 10*C warmer than their environment, allowing them to have a swifter reaction time when hunting compared to other fish they exist with.

User avatar
SolitaryHowl
Skilled Hunter
Skilled Hunter
Posts: 6268
Joined: Mon Aug 11, 2008 4:13 pm
Gender: Female
Location: Canada

Re: Endangered Animals

Post by SolitaryHowl » Wed Dec 12, 2012 9:54 pm

I support all endangered species. To support one but not another is hypocritical.

It's sad that the majority of supported endangered species from the public are the cute, furry, and otherwise 'adorable' animals. What about numerous 'non-cuddly' animals, like frogs, lizards, turtles, birds, beetles/bugs/insects, clams, worms, etc. They count too.

People who cry when a wolf is killed (and they aren't even endangered anymore, except for a few subspecies), but they don't bat an eye when a lesser-known endangered animal is killed like vultures or turtles, really annoy me.

Also, a lot of plants are endangered as well, too.
Hidden Phoenix wrote:
Wolves - or at least, gray wolves - are not in any danger of becoming extinct. Their numbers aren't falling, if anything they're actually rising. There are over 50,000 wolves in Canada alone. There aren't as many wolves in the United States as there are in Canada, but there is still a good population depending on where in the U.S. you choose to look at. Then, there are other regions to look at. Russia's gray wolf population is over 25,000. It's true that gray wolves were once endangered, however this is no longer the case.
Now, the Mexican Wolf is another story. Mexican Wolves are actually in danger of extinction.
Red Wolves, as well, are also in danger of extinction. They're still critically endangered, I believe.
Former WolfQuest Moderator. 2009 - 2011

Avatar is copyright Koa

User avatar
Koroda
Hunter-in-training
Hunter-in-training
Posts: 173
Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2011 1:37 pm
Gender: Female
Location: Massachusetts, United States

Re: Endangered Animals

Post by Koroda » Mon Dec 31, 2012 12:29 am

The endangered species I support the most is the coelacanth. Of course, I am a big fan. They evolved in the Devonian Period and were thought to have gone extinct with the dinosaurs. But, one was caught off of the coast of South Africa, and thus putting it on the Endangered list. Now that we have found them, their population is going down. And, there isn't enough money to set a conservation law, so coelacanths are sadly on their own. Only 1000 are left, and the "living fossil" could go extinct in our lifetimes. I wish there was a way to help conserve them! People even want to build a harbor in their habitat! And, an underwater volcano threatens to kill them in the future. I hope we can cherish this link between the ocean and the sea before its too late.

EDIT: Also, people refuse to donate or even care about the coelacanth because it's not cute and cuddly like Lancaster, koalas, polar bears, etc. Even my parents say the coelacanth is the ugliest thing they've ever seen. I think this fish is beautiful. It has lobed-fins, shining blue scales and soulful pale eyes. Poor uncuddly animals...
I am Koroda,
A coelacanth fish.
While you humans die,
I'll still be here....

Nordue
Guest
Guest

Re: Endangered Animals

Post by Nordue » Mon Dec 31, 2012 12:37 am


User avatar
_Nimbus_
Pup
Pup
Posts: 68
Joined: Thu Apr 30, 2015 6:01 pm
Gender: Male
Location: INACTIVE

Re: Endangered Animals

Post by _Nimbus_ » Thu Aug 06, 2015 7:22 pm

I'm afraid It is quite inevitable
The rapid loss of species we are seeing today is estimated by experts to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate.*
Unlike the mass extinction events of geological history, the current extinction challenge is one for which a single species - ours - appears to be almost wholly responsible.
Shh, shh, do you hear that? Those are the winds of change.

User avatar
SolitaryHowl
Skilled Hunter
Skilled Hunter
Posts: 6268
Joined: Mon Aug 11, 2008 4:13 pm
Gender: Female
Location: Canada

Re: Endangered Animals

Post by SolitaryHowl » Sun Aug 09, 2015 12:41 pm

_Nimbus_ wrote:I'm afraid It is quite inevitable
The rapid loss of species we are seeing today is estimated by experts to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate.*
Unlike the mass extinction events of geological history, the current extinction challenge is one for which a single species - ours - appears to be almost wholly responsible.
Yes, it is very disheartening.

I find it annoying how people seem to care more about the 'cuddly' endangered animals, rather than the obscure ones that desperately need our help. Example: the Panda is a lost cause. It does not have anymore habitat to go back to (or not enough, so it makes it negligible), so keeping it around is pointless and is a huge waste of resources. But more obscure animals like many species of frogs and bugs (for example) go extinct all the time, because the public doesn't care about them.
Former WolfQuest Moderator. 2009 - 2011

Avatar is copyright Koa

Post Reply