As you may know, the turtle species has become nearly extinct because of plastic pollution. However, this is not the only animal that has come to the brink of extinction because of climate or human interaction. In this article, I will inform you of reasons why different species of animals are going extinct over time, and how you can prevent animal extinction.
The first animal is the Baiji white dolphin. This species of dolphin was declared extinct in December 2006 after a survey carried out to monitor their natural habitat (Yangtze river). In this survey they failed to spot, nor hear, a single Baiji. Baiji dolphins went extinct because of fishing nets and hooks that snag on the dolphins and drown them.Â
Even though dolphins are marine species, they also have to come up for air as they can only breathe under water for 8-10 mins. If they don’t regularly come up for air, they will drown and die. Unfortunately, this is what killed this species of dolphin.
The next animal that has become extinct is the Woolly Mammoth. This animal became extinct because it became far too wet for the dry animals to survive. Their food source, vegetation, was practically wiped out. This means that their means of survival were destroyed, which is one key reason for the extinction of animals. If you didn’t know, the Woolly Mammoth was an ancestor of the elephants we see on nature programmes.
Animals like the Sabre-tooth tiger or the giant sloth became extinct because of human activity. To acquire food and important resources some people go out and kill animals like the giant sloth. This breaks the food chain and may not only make the animal extinct but slowly make the rest of the food chains species drastically increase or decrease.Â
Turtles are becoming drastically affected by plastic pollution. Plastic pollution happens because human waste gets thrown onto landfills, and eventually ends up in the sea. Then, turtles may eat or get wrapped up in plastic which can result in them dying, and the population of turtles becoming extinct. Plastic is a very big problem, and we need to reduce the amount of plastic that goes into the landfills, in order to save the innocent marine life such as turtles. There is a link at the end of the article that is part of the motion the prevent the extinction of Turtles.
The next reason why animals can be close to extinction is climate change, which especially effects the ice in the polar circles, causing them to melt. This affects many animals such as Polar Bears. These furry creatures like to live in a cold climate with ice, however climate change increases global temperature over time, which results in the amount of ice melting increasing drastically and slowly making the polar animals habitat fragmented. You may be wondering, ‘Why do polar bears need ice?’ The answer is because without ice, bears won’t be able to catch seals.Â
Other food that they eat like fish or eggs are not high in calories, and polar bears will starve if they are completely reliant those foods. There is a link at the end of the article that is part of the motion the prevent the extinction of Polar bears.
In conclusion, there are many ways animals can become extinct, and many ways you can help to save them. For example, if you press on the websites at the end of this article, and see if you are interested in saving currently endangered animals from becoming extinct.