The Tasmanian devil was one of 450 mammals described as endangered despite previously
being regarded as of least concern
Posted on 10/06/2008 8:55:11 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
One in four of the world’s mammals is threatened with extinction and half are in decline, the most comprehensive assessment so far has found.
The Tasmanian devil was one of 450 mammals described as endangered despite previously
being regarded as of least concern
Scientists who carried out the five-year survey of the 5,487 known mammal species described their findings that 1,139 face dying out as “bleak and depressing” and said that it was likely to get worse.
Marine mammals were the worst affected, with more than one in three at risk of annihilation. For the Yangtse river dolphin, it may be too late. It is one of 29 species already declared “probably extinct”.
The survey by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the first for 12 years and its findings were announced yesterday at a conference in Barcelona.
Researchers were so concerned about the survival chances of 188 species of mammals that they were described as critically endangered, the highest ranking before extinct.
Among them was the Iberian lynx, which, with an estimated population of 84 to 143 adults left in the wild, is among the rarest animals in the world.
The Tasmanian devil was one of 450 mammals described as endangered, despite previously being regarded as of least concern. It has been afflicted by an infectious facial cancer and its population in Australia has fallen 64 per cent in 11 years.
The survey, carried out by more than 1,700 scientists from 130 countries, is used to draw up the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species, the international benchmark for the level of threat to animals and plants.
Of the 44,838 animal and plant species assessed worldwide, 16,928 are under threat, up from 16,306 last year. One in eight birds,
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
1 in 4 mammals face extinction! How tragic! My B-B-Q selection will be drastically curtailed...!
So, this means smaller menus?
Well 50,000,000 human infants have died in gestation from abortion in the United States alone.
If the species cannot replicate itself (and one of the excuses for mucho immigration is that we need more people) then the nation and the culture will die.
Some of these numbers may even be real. The others were pulled out of the a-holes of the people who wrote the press release.
Congress needs to act now and pass a “No Mammal Left Behind” Act! NO MAMMAL BAILOUTS!
Breaking News - 100% of all extinct species were once not extinct. They get their panties is a wad because things change. GUESS WHAT IDIOTS! Things have been changing since day 1. It helps them feel self important to think that they save the world. They can’t tell me for sure if it is going to rain in Cleveland tomorrow.
Pick one for extinction! ;^)
OK.
99% of all species of life that have existed on Earth, have gone extinct.
Sky still hasn’t fallen.
OK.
So thats less creatures sucking up my oxygen, and spewing out C02.
Seems like that would be a good thing, to those who believe that the C02 is the source of the overall heat to our planet.
What these schmucks don't tell you is that they define "extinction" in a very odd way. It is reflected in the US Endangered Species Act BTW. They use "extinct" to mean not the end of the species forever, but the disappearance of a species from a defined habitat. The infamous snail darter was almost "extinct" in the Tennessee and Tombigbee Rivers thus holding up a large dam and waterway project, even though it was commonplace in other rivers.
Thus, the lynx is "almost extinct" because it is found in a smaller range than before, and despite healthy breeding populations in zoos.
It happens that an occasional species does go under but the event is pretty rare in these days of stable temperate climates and relatively benign habitats.
Better hunt ‘em before they become extinct;)
Even unicorns and dragons? Sniff! sniff!
Well, even the dinosaurs lived longer than Homo Sapiens has, so far.
If evolution is ‘true’, then will we evolve ?
*ppffffftttt!*
I smell gas....
“Even unicorns and dragons?”
No. They still fly the skies.
However, they are disguised, and incomprehensible to us, as we aren’t used to seeing such things. Neither were the ancients, which is why they made up the concept.
However, we perceive them as UFO’s. Bright shiny objects in the sky that can fly fast, change directions instantaneously, shoot flames (laser beams?), etc.
Don’t forget Bawney Fwank!
LOL
Exactly my thoughts :)
As a resident of Clearlake, I’m working on making some species of fish go extinct, too....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.