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January 2005 Spotlight: Extinction

The extinction of a plant or animal species can sometimes occur naturally, such as when a volcano erupts on a small island, or when the climate changes to such a degree that a species cannot adapt to it. Many other changes, however, are often caused by humans and can lead to the extinction of valuable species. Factors such habitat loss, overhunting, pollution, and the introduction of invasive species all contribute to the ongoing decline and loss of plant and animal life around the planet. Passenger pigeons, dodo birds, sea mink, and the Reunion Island sheld geese are just a few animals that have disappeared. Other animals, such as the Florida panther, the northern white rhinoceros, the right whale, and the whooping crane are endangered, but scientists, private conservation groups, and governments are working to protect and save these and other threatened species from extinction. Read more about endangered species, and the efforts to save them in SIRS Discoverer articles.