Name
Instructor
Course name
Date
Endangered species
Introduction
The world is experiencing the most devastating species extinction crisis than ever before. A good number of different plants and animals have disappeared from the face of the earth, causing an alarming decline in biodiversity. Study shows that by the year 2050, more than 50 percent of different species will be subjected to extinction (Barr 24). It is indeed terrifying but also factual the world is in the midst of the most horrible wave of species extinction since the terrifying extinction of the dinosaurs, centuries ago.
Scholars have even suggested that the world may be in the verge of experiencing its sixth massive species die off (Darling 14). Extinction may be defined as the death of a particular species and thus, disappearing completely. In the past there have been about five events of historical mass extinction acknowledged by scientist: the Cretaceous, the Ordovician, the Triassic, the Permian, and the Devonian. Scientists are of the opinion that the world is actually experiencing the Holocene, which is the sixth massive species die off. Even though the past historical mass extinction episodes were induced by natural phenomenon, the current extinction event (the Holocene) is the directly cause by human activities.
Discussion
The current extinction event unlike the past ones is directly cause by human activities the earlier events were caused by events such as natural climate shifts, volcanic eruptions, and asteroid strikes. It is a proven fact that about 99 % of the currently endangers plants and animals in our planet , are at risk from the activities of human beings particularly those activities that leads to loss of habitat, global warming, as well as introduction of exotic species (Sheehan 33). It is worth mentioning that for every species that faces extinction, there is a very high possibility that other species that are bound to that particular species in the complex web of the ecology may also be at a risk of extinction following the interruption of the complex ecological web. Consequently, a number of species may be directly or indirectly at risk of extinction once a particular species disappears from the face of the earth following its extinction.
One of the many species that are at risk of extinction is the Komodo dragon found in the natural habitats of Indonesian Islands. The Komodo dragons are found in Lesser Sunda islands, Komodo Islands, Rinca Islands, as well as Islands of Montang, Gili, and Padar found in indonasia. It is estimated that the remaining population of the Komodo dragons is approximately 4,000 to 5,000 and as such, they are listed as the endangered species in the Red List of the IUCN. The komodo dragons are commonly reffered by the name of buaja, Ora, and darat which basically means terra firma crocodile. The scientific name of the Komodo dragon is Varanus Komodoensis. They weigh about 300 pounds and grow to a length of up to 29 inches, making it the largest and heaviest lizard in the world. The creature also has an incredible sense of smell (Sahtouris 32).
The Komodo dragon has a very flexible skull for purposes of enabling it to swallow huge lumps of prey. The dragons’ bit is extremely dangerous as it has very deadly venom that is capable of killing the prey within a very short time. These fascinating creatures have a life span of about 20 to 40 years. They also have a freckled skin with various colors such as slate black, earthen red, and slate gray in the adult dragons, while on the younger ones they have numerous colors ranging from green, brown, gray, and sometimes yellow (Miller 45).
The major factors that poses a great risk of possible extinction of the komodo dragons is decrease in the prey base of the creature, volcanic activities, as well as forest fire. In addition, it is pertinent to mention that the loss of the creature prey based is largely as a result of human activities such as poaching these prey species, and forest fires caused by human activities such as honey collection. These activities have greatly altered the natural habitat of the komodo dragons thus exposing them to the risk of extinction (Kalman 53). The illegal trade of the skins and specimens from komodo dragons is another factor that has committed this species to the risk of extinction. The limited distribution of the komodo dragons poses another risk of possible extinction of the this species in the sense that they become vulnerable to both human and natural cause incidences for instance diseases, fire or even storms.
The illegal hunting of the komodo dragons poses a major threat to the very existence of these creatures, not to mention the encroachment of human settlement into the natural habitat of the dragons. Like in the past where some species were highly sought all over the world as trophies, komodo dragons experience the same fate. Over the years, these dragons have been hunted down for their fascinating feet and beautiful skin. Others were trapped and sold to private collectors as well as zoos (Martin 42).
The existence of diverse species in the ecosystem ensures that the complex ecological web is maintained. Thus, the ecological communities in a given ecosystem are able to survive and multiply in their natural habitat, and they are able to withstand any form of challenge that comes on their way. It therefore, follows that conservationist should not only focus their efforts on saving areas endowed with numerous species such as coral reefs or even rainforest. They should also design a viable strategy to conserve and protect the few species found in areas such as isolated Islands, tundra, polar seas, and grasslands (Foreman 34). It goes without saying that the loss of these few species such as the komodo dragons could be irreversible. Concern on extinction of species should therefore be focused on the local level rather than on globally lost species since more benefits of biodiversity take place at the grassroots, and as such protection of the endangered species from the grassroots level is the only viable means of ensuring that these species are not at any risk of extinction due to human alteration of their habitats.
It is argued that the current trend of species extinction is faster than the background rate in hundreds or even thousands times. It is worth noting that from time to time, major changes in the global environment cause the living systems of different species to collapse leading to extinction of numerous species. The extinction of these species means that they disappear completely from the face of the earth a loss that may never be recovered. The extinction crisis that the earth planet is currently experiencing is quite unique in that it is directly induced by the human activities and also taking place at a very terrifying rate. It is believed by some scientists that this kind of extinction began with the explosive growth of human population in the 1600 which saw human settlements and their domesticated animals encroaching on the habitats of different species (Lunis 36). One of the species that is on the verge of extinction is the Komodo dragon found on the Islands of Indonesia.
Conclusion
Hunting of the komodo dragons poses a major threat to the very existence of these creatures, not to mention the encroachment of human settlement into the natural habitat of the dragons. Poaching of these dragons is simplified by the fact that they are found in limited areas with little human settlement. Conservationist should not only focus their efforts on protecting areas endowed with numerous species such as coral reefs or even rainforest, they should also design viable strategies to conserve and protect the few species found in areas such as isolated Islands, tundra, polar seas, and grasslands. This will ultimately ensure the survival of the endangered species such as the Komodo dragons which are estimated to be about 4000 to 5000 in number. This is a terrifying but factual statistics of the fascinating creatures of a kind loss of which could be irreplaceable. Interestingly, in every species that disappear from the earth due to extinction, there is a very high possibility that other species that are bound to that particular species in the complex web of the ecology may also be at a risk of extinction following the interruption of the complex ecological web. Consequently, a number of species may be directly or indirectly at risk of extinction following the extinction of a particular species.
Works Cited
Barr, Nevada . Endangered Species. Berkley Pub Group, 2008 print.
Darling, Kathy. Komodo Dragon .Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, 1997 print.
Foreman, Paul . Endangered Species: Issues and Analyses. Nova Publishers, 2002 print.
Kalman, Bobbie. Endangered Komodo Dragons: Earth’s Endangered Animals Series. Crabtree Publishing Company, 2004print.
Lunis, Natalie. Komodo Dragon: The World’s Biggest Lizard. Bear port Pub 2007 print.
Martin, James. Komodo Dragons: Giant Lizards of Indonesia. Capstone Press, 1995 print.
Miller, Jake .The Komodo Dragon: Lizard Library.The Rosen Publishing Group, 2003 print.
Sahtouris, Elisabet. EARTHDANCE: Living Systems in Evolution. June 1999. Web. 4 April 2012. < http://www.ratical.org/LifeWeb/Erthdnce/chapter18.html>.
Sheehan, Sean . Endangered Species :What If We Do Nothing? Gareth Stevens critical issues. Gareth Stevens Pub, 2009 print.
Use the order calculator below and get started! Contact our live support team for any assistance or inquiry.
[order_calculator]