Big Question for 2012: What Animals Could Go Extinct?

[Ndnsoldierboy]

The world's biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate, according to the most recent Global Species Assessment and many other related studies. As a result, more extinctions are predicted for 2012.

While extinctions have been occurring on our planet since close to the beginning of life on Earth, we are now essentially living through an experiment with no predictable outcome. The prior five major mass extinctions, for the most part, happened over relatively long periods of geological time.


In contrast, it's believed that some 10,000 species have gone extinct in just the past 100 years, with the evolution of new species not keeping up with the losses. Human activities, such as habitat encroachment, hunting, pollution and more are largely to blame.

At least 15 species have gone extinct over the past few decades. The real extinction figure is believed to be much higher, however, due to the conservative approach used in such listings;
• Thousands of animal, plant and lichen species are now considered at risk of extinction;
• One in three amphibians (32%) and almost half (42%) of turtles and tortoises are now known to be threatened with extinction, along with one in eight birds (12%) and one in four mammals (23%);
• There are major gaps in our knowledge of threatened species, and many species-rich groups have been poorly assessed;
• The numbers of threatened species are increasing across almost all major taxonomic groups;
• Continental species extinctions have become as common as extinctions on islands, which are typically more ecologically fragile, and
• Current extinction rates are at least one hundred to a thousand times higher than background, or "natural" rates.

Here are some species, including plants and insects, which are already considered to be extinct in the wild and could completely disappear in 2012:

Anaxyrus baxteri (Wyoming Toad)

Bromus bromoideus (Brome des Ardennes)

Clermontia peleana (Pele Clermontia)

Commidendrum rotundifolium (******* Gumwood)

Corvus hawaiiensis (Hawaiian Crow)

Cryosophila williamsii (Root-spine Palm)

Cyanea superba (Superb Cyanea)

Cyanea truncata (Punaluu Cyanea)

Cyprinodon alvarezi (Perrito De Potosi)

Cyprinodon longidorsalis (La Palma Pupfish)

Cyrtandra waiolani (Fuzzyflower Cyrtandra)

Elaphurus davidianus (Père David's Deer)

Encephalartos brevifoliolatus (Escarpment Cycad)

Encephalartos nubimontanus (Blue Cycad)

Encephalartos woodii (Wood's Cycad)

Franklinia alatamaha (Franklin Tree)

Gallirallus owstoni (Guam Rail)

Kokia cookei (Molokai Koki`o)

Leptogryllus deceptor (Oahu Deceptor Bush Cricket)

Mammillaria glochidiata (Biznaguita)

Mangifera casturi (Kalimantan Mango)

Megupsilon aporus (Catarina Pupfish)

Mitu mitu (Alagoas Curassow)

Nectophrynoides asperginis (Kihansi Spray Toad)

Nilssonia nigricans (Black Soft-shell Turtle)

Oryx dammah (Scimitar-horned Oryx)

(Scimitar Oryx at Sydney Taronga Zoo; Wikimedia Commons Image)

Partula dentifera (Polynesian Tree Snail)

Partula faba (Polynesian Tree Snail)

Partula hebe (Polynesian Tree Snail)

Partula mirabilis (Moorean Viviparous Tree Snail)

Partula nodosa (Polynesian Tree Snail)

Partula rosea (Polynesian Tree Snail)

Partula suturalis (Moorean Viviparous Tree Snail)

Partula tohiveana (Moorean Viviparous Tree Snail)

Partula tristis (Polynesian Tree Snail)

Partula varia (Polynesian Tree Snail)

Skiffia francesae (Golden Skiffia)

Sophora toromiro (Toromiro)

Stenodus leucichthys (Beloribitsa)

Thermosphaeroma thermophilum (Socorro Isopod)

Trochetiopsis erythroxylon (Redwood)

Zenaida graysoni (Socorro Dove)

[Svnoyi Gvtsanoste]

Extinction rate and diversity

The number, sadly, is much much higher. For mammals the normal background rate of extinction is about 1 every 200 years. I believe we have lost around 90 in the past 400, and like you mentioned before about 1 in 4 are endanger of extinction. As far as groups at risks go, mammals are the best off. People like mammals and so they have gotten more protection and more attension then other groups. We unfortunatly tend to ignor the things that make up the support for the rest of the ecosystems. In the US plants only recieve some protection on federal and state land (even though the majority of terrestrial critters rely on plants for food and shelter). And notice how insects (which make up a large food resourse for other critters and pollinate plants)didn't make the list.

I'm happy to see that you did list some US species. Most people only focus in on places far from home when it comes to this topic, which is unfortunate because we can actually participate with the stuff at home. Did you know that California makes the top 25 most important diversity areas in the world? It has approximately 32% of all plant species in the United States, and 25% of all plant species found north of the Mexican border.

If your interested I suggest looking around this site: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/biogeodata/atlas/

For the plants stuff specifically here's a linke to the pdf: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/biogeodata/atl.../Plant_24b.pdf

If you want other resources posted here let me know. I'm a grad student currently studying this stuff. (Plant conservation).