According to some scientists we’re losing dozens of species everyday.
But is there hope for some on the brink of extinction?
Hey guys, Julia here for DNews
Many scientists believe we are the middle of the 6th great extinction.
At the current rate of 100 extinctions per million species per year, that’s a thousand
times worse than the natural rate according to a study published in the journal Science.
And that rate could be even higher since there’s so many species we still haven’t discovered,
and maybe never will.
To put it more simply, dozens of species are blinking out of existence EVERYDAY.
One of the most high profile of those on the brink of extinction is the subspecies of rhino,
the rare Northern White Rhino.
And when I say rare, I mean RARE.
Recently one female in a Zoo in the Czech Republic died after a cyst burst.
She now leaves behind only four other members of her species, three females and one male.
While they’re still here, their group is pretty much functionally extinct.
Which can mean one of three things.
Sometimes a species is considered functionally extinct if it disappears from the fossil record
or there’ve been no historical sightings.
Sometimes functional extinction can mean a species is too small or scattered to serve
its ecological niche.
But in the case of the Northern White Rhino, they’re considered functionally extinct
because there’s not enough of them.
There’s simply too few to produce what is called the “minimum viable population”.
They can no longer produce a viable gene pool.
An MVP is typically considered to be large and diverse enough that there’s a 95% chance
that the species will survive over the next one hundred years.
How that figure is calculated for each species is typically done through computer modeling
that takes into account things like inbreeding, catastrophes and random variations.
So species with a smaller population is more vulnerable to catastrophes.
An oft cited number, to create a thriving population, you’d need at least 50 members
to avoid inbreeding issues.
But it’s different for different species and different circumstances.
A species that’s growing and a species that’s declining are going to have very different
MVPs.
One study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature found that an African wild dog population
of over 100 members could last at least 50 years, if protected from humans.
But a population of less than 20 didn’t stand much of a chance.
So it’s not looking good for the Northern White Rhino.
But it’s not like a species hasn’t come back from the brink before.
Nearly a hundred years ago, Siberian tigers, also called Amur Tigers dropped to around
30, now there’s over 360!
But perhaps one of the biggest hallmarks of success is the Southern White Rhino.
Over a hundred years ago there might have been as few as 50 of the large land animal,
thanks to hunting for both meat and their precious horns.
20 of those were taken into captivity and scientists helped set the mood so they could
get busy.
Now, decades later, their numbers are in the thousands, like 20,000 and are considered
one of the most abundant rhino on the planet!
GO SCIENCE.
So maybe it’s possible to save really endangered species.
While humans have caused so much devastation on biodiversity and ecosystems across the
planet, we’re also their last hope.