Did you know that the Earth is about 4600 million years old? At first it could not support life. It was a mass of red-hot, liquid rock often battered by meteorites. Over millions of years Earth cooled down and conditions changed, making it possible for life to exist. The first life forms appeared on Earth about 3500 million years ago.
As years passed various life forms or organisms evolved and then led to the evolution of the animal kingdom. But with the changes in the environment and multiple factors like overhunting by humans, loss of habitat, deforestation, loss of specific habitat etc. have caused endangerment and extinction. endangerment?
An endangered species is a specie is when the life form is likely to become extinct or dead or there is a risk of that specie vanishing from its own creed. Endangerment leads to extinction. Once endangered, it is very difficult to find the same type of specie. In short, no such animal or plant will be found on the earth.
Extinction is the end of an organism or a group of organisms. Extinction happens when the last individual of that life form/specie dies. After extinction there will be no breeding of the specie. In the past, several species of animals became extinct through natural causes like loss of habitat (a place where the animals are used to a specific living condition, like weather or place) or environment changes (volcanoes or earthquakes) or even the larger animals eating the small animals. But ever since human beings have been on Earth, and especially in the last hundred years, animal species have become extinct because of hunting, pollution, or the destruction of the places where they live. Human beings have invaded the living conditions of these animals and have tried to exploit the animals for commercial use also hence causing a fast decline of some specific breed of animals.
Some creatures have become extinct in the wild but have survived in artificial settings, such as zoos. It can be an attempt to revive the specie by successfully breeding them. Post which they may be taken back to the wild. This is one way where the specie can be saved from extinction. Another way, which we all can contribute to avoid endangerment and extinction is by conservation. We need to protect our wild life and not damage their living conditions. Imagine if we were hurt or if our houses were damaged, we would find it difficult to survive. So, conserve and protect. Live and let live.
Some extinct Animals:
- Sabre-toothed Cat, often called as the Sabre-toothed Tigers or Sabre-toothed Lions, they existed 55 million to 11,700 years ago.
- Woolly Mammoth: An enormous mammal, believed to be closely related to the modern-day elephant.
- Dodo: a flightless bird found in Mauritius.
- Great Auk: a flightless bird from the alcid family.
Some endangered animals:
- Giant panda
- Tiger
- Whooping crane
- Blue whale
- Asian elephant
Lost world: In 2006 a team of 12 scientists returned from an area of rainforest in Indonesia where no humans had ever set foot before. It lies in the Foja Mountains on the islands of New Guinea and it is so difficult to reach that the explorers had to be dropped by helicopters. They discovered dozens of new animals and plants and a species of bird that had been considered as extinct for over 100 years.
