About animal extinction - Research Paper Example

Presently, most of the species that are endangered such as the Black Rhino and the South China Tiger can blame the humans for their situation (World Wildlife Fund). This is because climate change, which has been affecting most species, was caused by humans. Currently, the planet is at the stage of mass extinction where many species are dying off. According to scientists, the planet is currently losing the largest number of species since the time of the dinosaurs, which is 65 years ago. In addition, between 30 and 50 species might become extinct by mid-century (The Extinction Crisis).

When taking the issue of extinction into consideration, the dying-off of one species leads to other species also becoming extinct. This is because of the ecosystem balance, which changes when a certain species is wiped out of the system as species depend on each other for survival. Therefore, extinction of one species leads to another’s extinction. Generally, when a species cannot survive in its original inhabitant and cannot re-locate or adapt in the conditions of a new environment, it dies off.

According to statistical data, the average lifespan of a species is approximately 10 million years (The Extinction Crisis). Extinction may occur suddenly especially when another species that facilitated its existence becomes extinct or gradually over a long period. This can be referred to as the extinction debt where a species becomes extinct a very long time after an event that put its extinction process in motion. Within the previous 500 years, extinction of approximately 1,000 species has been experienced (The Extinction Crisis).

However, this this does not account for the many species that have gone extinct even before scientists and researchers got the chance to fully understand and describe them. Specifically, not even the scientists have the exact figure of species that have gone extinct or those that are endangered. As estimation data