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RainforestWolf — Extinction Graveyard
Published: 2013-10-31 23:38:15 +0000 UTC; Views: 2200; Favourites: 22; Downloads: 1
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Description
Ghosts and monsters are scary, but they are not as scary as the threat of extinction that biodiversity faces as a result of human actions. The species that face the highest risk of extinction are classified as Critically Endangered (CR) by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species; the ones depicted here are, from left to right:
*Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata)
*Scimitar-horned Oryx (Oryx dammah) [Note: the IUCN status of this species is Extinct in the Wild (EW)]
*Red Wolf (Canis rufus)
*Santa Marta Toro (Santamartamys rufodorsalis)
*African Wild Ass (Equus africanus)
*Central Zyzomys (Zyzomys pedunculatus)
*Darwin's Zorro (Pseudalopex fulvipes)
*European Mink (Mustela lutreola)
*Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus)
*Rodrigues "Flying-fox" (Pteropus rodricensis)
*Golden-mantled Tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus pulcherrimus)
Sadly, it is too late for a number of species, for they have already gone extinct; the names of the Extinct (EX) species and subspecies on the gravestones, in no particular order, are:
*Dodo (Raphus cucullatus)
*Oahu Akialoa (Hemignathus ellisianus)
*Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius)
*Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis)
*Carolina Parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis)
*Golden Toad (Incilius periglenes)
*Navassa Iguana (Cyclura onchiopsis)
*Saint Croix Racer (Borikenophis sanctaecrucis)
*Steller's "Sea-cow" (Hydrodamalis gigas)
*Baiji (Lipotes vexillifer) [Note: the Baiji has not been officially declared extinct yet, but an extensive survey in 2006 failed to find any evidence of continued survival, and in all likelihood the species is probably extinct; it has been declared "Functionally Extinct."]
*Merriam's Elk (Cervus elaphus merriami or Cervus canadensis merriami)
*Japanese River Otter (Lutra nippon or Lutra lutra whiteleyi)
*Formosan Clouded-leopard (Neofelis nebulosa brachyura)
*Caspian Tiger (Panthera tigris virgata)
*Guam "Flying-fox" (Pteropus tokudae)
*Caribbean Monk Seal (Monachus tropicalis)
*Quagga (Equus quagga quagga)
*Lesser Bilby (Macrotis leucura)
*Sea Mink (Neovison macrodon or Mustela macrodon)
*Thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus)
*Japanese Wolf (Canis lupus hodophilax)
*Warrah (Dusicyon australis)
*Maclear's Rat (Rattus macleari)
*Pallid Beach Deermouse (Peromyscus polionotus decoloratus)
The dates of extinction are based on either one of the following:
1) The year the last known individual(s) were spotted in the wild.
2) The year the last known individual(s) were shot.
3) The year the last known individual(s) died under human care.
4) The year the species is officially declared Extinct.
I did the best I could to ensure the accuracy of extinction dates, but if you notice an error then please point it out and link me to a credible source for info confirmation.
For this picture I focused on the tetrapod vertebrates - mammals in particular - as those are the animals that I am most familiar with. However, please keep in mind that species of fish, invertebrates, plants, fungi, and micro-organisms are also at risk of extinction and have gone Extinct due to human actions. All of these organisms are just as deserving of conservation efforts as the mammals and other tetrapods (and are also just as deserving of our grief when they go Extinct).
By posting this picture I hope to raise awareness about the extinction crisis currently facing the world's biodiversity, while also celebrating the spooky spirit of the holiday. Happy Halloween!
UPDATES:
*As of 2015, the Iberian Lynx is no longer Critically Endangered, thanks to conservation actions! It is now classified as Endangered (EN) - still bad, but better than before!
*As of 2016, the Darwin's Zorro is no longer Critically Endangered, thanks to conservation actions! It is now classified as Endangered - still bad, but better than before!
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Comments: 77
I don't know grizzly will be threaten with sport hunting too (some bad news) ! Montana, Idaho and other state like this have the most amazing wild territories of the united state but for a lot of inhabitants (including town people) the only use human can have of this is sport hunting, trapping for fur or killing contest (money and perverse pleasure, always the same reasons).;
instead to become more tolerant with years (like laws for humans), laws about wildelife in the world are getting worse and worse, creating still more slaughting and lies about animals.
I wanted to trip to rockies with friends few years ago (because I went to new York in 2012 and after I would like to discover Us rural communities) but I'm too disgusting by the way local authorities support massive hunting and other aberration, so I decide to trip to estionia in 2015 (some beautifull fotos to make, sled dogs and others snow sport to discover 
Just a question : I don't recognize your avatar (I first thought that it was a alpha and omega character ), is it your own creation ?
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Yeah, they want to establish a hunting season on the Grizzly Bear once they are removed from the Threatened Species List. It is bad news indeed. Why do we feel that we have to hunt a species right after it is recovered?
Agreed. Those states are so beautiful but they have brutal policies towards wildlife, especially predatory species. It's extremely unfortunate.
Though with that said, at least there are some times where they stand up for wildlife. Did you hear that the Arizona governor vetoed the bill that would allow ranchers to kill endangered Mexican Gray Wolves?
I too am disgusted by how the authorities support massive hunting. We should coexist with wildlife, not kill it off!
I hope that you have fun in Estonia when you go there!
My avatar is of a wolf from the Disney movie Frozen.
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I know that gail griffin was anti-wolf (sadly like the most US and canadian governors) and allow regulation on mexican gray wolf, that's a non sense !
In France it's becoming worse and worse for foxes, bagers...and wolves.
For my trip, I've gone mainly to urban aera in land such as germany, USA or belgien but 3 years ago I decide to go to wild country and other thing like this.
Okay ! I didn't see the movie, so I could'nt recognize him !
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Gail Griffin is actually a senator, not the governor. I see the point you're making though, and it is a shame that she and many other politicians are anti-wolf.
I've heard about the recent events regarding wolves in France; things are just getting worse and worse for them, unfortunately. And I thought that Europe was more tolerant of wolves...
Cool! I hope that you have fun on all of your travels across the world!
Understood. You should see Frozen if you ever get the chance to. I should warn you though, the wolves are portrayed as stereotypical vicious beasts that try to kill the protagonists (thankfully the wolf chase scene is very short and is not the focus of the movie, but still... I'm sick and tired of wolves being portrayed as vicious killers). But other than that the movie is absolutely amazing... just be prepared for how emotional it is.
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oops, sorry, I thought she was governor ... anyway, I don't know a governor in whole USA who is anti hunting or prowildlife.
In Europa, some countries are more tolerent than mine like Germany, a part of spain (the other part is exterminating wolves) or Italy : Italian governement never allow shooting a wolf since they are protected (there are about 600 whereas they are about 250 in France) ; there are some poaching like everywhere, but authorities don't try to always get around wolves protection laws (Bern convention) like in France.
I try to manage to travel with friends (i save money especially for that) in some unusual countries but it's hard to have vacation on the same time !
Yes, I think I will watch this movie (I see the trailer), it seems to be an interesting animation : i know, wolves have always been described like this in disney movies, and in 1940's there are responsible of a new hate wave toward wolves and additionnal wolves kills ; the only disney movie prowolf I know is "the legend of lobo" (1962 !).
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That's all right, don't worry about it. I can't think of any governor who is anti-hunting either, though not all of them are against wildlife. I know that there are some Congresspeople who are pro-wildlife (or at least pro-wolf), including one from my own state.
Oh, OK, I see, it depends on the country then. At least Europe in general is more pro-wolf than America is, even though some European countries have anti-wolf policies.
I hope that you enjoy all of your travels!
Yes, Frozen is an interesting movie indeed (in a good way, of course)!
There are good wolves in Disney's The Jungle Book (1967), but other than that and The Legend of Lobo I can't think of other Disney movies that feature good wolves. Which is a real shame.
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Everything in japan is endangered at this point
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Yeah, it seems like that's the case - which is really sad; like all islands, Japan has some pretty unique biodiversity that is different from mainland Eurasia's (even if only by the subspecies level). What makes this even more tragic - and ironic - is that (and correct me if I'm wrong here) the ancient Japanese had a decent amount of respect for Nature.
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Cute!
Sad to hear so many endangered or extinct species though..
And the Baiji is 'functionally extinct'- meaning that if there still were any left in the wild (which there don't seem to be), they would be too scattered and few in numbers to really save the population.
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Thanks! Yes, it is extremely sad to hear that many species are extinct and that many more are endangered with extinction.
Ah yes, I remember reading about the Baiji being declared "functionally extinct." Thank you for reminding me; I will add that to the species description.
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Yeah
In the same river, the Yangtze Sturgeon is also facing extinction, the local subspecies of the Finless Porpoise, the Chinese Paddlefish most likely, the Chinese Alligator extirpated, and the dam upriver is likely to flood and destroy one of the last wintering grounds of the endangered Siberian Crane...
No prob
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I am not surprised that many species/subspecies of animals native to the Yangtze River are seriously threatened with extinction, considering how much humans have messed up the river and its ecosystem. It's really sad.
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Yeah...I live right next to it, and you can smell the river... 
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I bet the river does smells bad, due to all of the pollution. Sorry you have to deal with that.
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Yeah, it does. The pollution measurement yesterday was 570 something..doesn't look any better today..
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What are the units used to measure the pollution there? Regardless, that sounds like a lot. Are people doing anything to clean up the river?
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AQI? I believe?
And no, I don't think so. There are still endangered Porpoises residing in that river, but they're almost all but extinct now. Not that the big boys sitting in their highrises give half a damn about endangered wildlife anyway, yeah? ^^
*facepalms*
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Ok, I was just curious. That's a shame; they really should do something to clean up that river. That's so sad that those porpoises are almost extinct; are people trying to save them? Governments not caring about endangered wildlife, that sounds just like America! Granted, we have a highly effective Endangered Species Act and all but state politicians try to prevent the listing of candidate species and try to get listed species delisted (the big one being the Gray Wolf right now; there currently is a debate on whether the Gray Wolf should be removed from the Endangered Species List).
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Ah~
Yeah, same thoughts here. They're also turning many previous wetlands into tourist parks. The wetlands played home to endangered species like Spoonbilled Sandpiper, Little and Eastern Curlews, Reed Parrotbill, and Water Deer, and many other species...and now they're just cutting them down?
Really? America actually seems to at least give a damn about its wildlife. Here, nobody cares if people kill the last of the species. As long as it'll sell for money, it's fine. Once, I was scoping some wintering Whistling Swans, and this guy comes up and asks me how much I think they'll sell for.
I couldn't even reply to that...
The Grey Wolf as a species really seems to be doing fine. It's just certain subspecies and populations that are in danger. In my opinion, they should just protect given populations until they recover and are stabilized again. Protecting the whole species may really give the wolves too much of an edge over other species, for example deer in an overhunted area. I'm not sure though...wolves are a creature that is much debated over recently, and I don't really want to delve too deep into the matter.
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That's sad that they're destroying the wetlands and endangering native wildlife in the process. Yeah, at least America does care about its native wildlife (as a country). It's just those politicians...
That's a real shame that the people in your country don't care about endangered wildlife; that really needs to change. Really, someone asked you that?! That's just...I don't know what to say.
I know that the wolf is not endangered as a species, but here in the Contiguous 48 States the gray wolf only inhabits about 5% of its historic range, and yet the government wants to declare recovery complete even though there is still suitable wolf habitat in other parts of the country. Plus, in areas where wolves have already been delisted the states are hunting and trapping them aggressively (that's what endangered them in the first place).
Yeah, it's best that we did not delve too deeply into this right now. I am a wolf advocate, so I will argue against any claim that they should be delisted at this time (though unlike many other wolf advocates, I am not opposed to gray wolf delisting per se; I'm just opposed to premature delisting).
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Yeah
Really? 5% o.o
But (forgive me if my knowledge is lacking) is that including now-city areas? And the wolf is apparently already somewhat of a problem in areas like Yellowstone where they're pressuring the already-declining Elk?
I thought the hunting was controlled though..not that I suggest that I advocate hunting of a intelligent and social creature, but if its at least controlled, its not too horrible...
Ah. Better than those 9-year olds who spam threads with SAV DE WOLFS!!..at least you know your facts well
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That is so sad to think about, and I really hope that it changes soon! I would hate to see the region's native wildlife driven to extinction by ignorance and apathy!
Yeah, gray wolves (Canis lupus) now only occupy about 5% of their historical range in the Lower 48...at least, that's what I've always read, though that was when the timberwolf (Canis lycaon) was included as a subspecies of the gray wolf. Now that the timberwolf has been classified as a separate species (by the USFWS; not by the IUCN yet), I don't know exactly what the more accurate percentage is; I think that it's 15% now. Either way, that is a small percentage of their historical range that wolves now only survive in. Please note that I'm only talking about the Contiguous States, and not North America in general.
You mean the suitable habitat that wolves could still be recovered to? No, that does not include city areas. North American gray wolves are less tolerant of human settlement than are the wolves of Eurasia. In addition, there is not enough wild prey and too much potential for human-wolf conflict in urban areas, so cities would not be suitable wolf habitat anyway.
Nobody (perhaps except the most extreme wolf advocates) ever expect wolves to be restored to all portions of their historical range, but there is suitable wolf habitat in the Southern Rockies, the Pacific Northwest, California, and the Northeast that wolves can and should be restored to.
Although the elk population in Yellowstone has decreased since gray wolves were reintroduced, it must be noted that the elk were overpopulated prior to the return of the wolf. The claim that wolves are destroying all of the elk is an anti-wolf myth that has been spreading like wildlife in the Northern Rockies and beyond (and to be honest, I'm sick and tired of hearing it).
According to the American Society of Mammalogists, the wolf hunts are unsustainable. In Wyoming, wolves are classified as vermin to be shot on sight over 85% of the state. While it is true that wolves are classified as big game and are hunted with regulated seasons in Idaho and Montana, the hunts are extremely aggressive. Wolves can be hunted year long in Idaho, and in Montana wolves can be hunted for over half of the year. In both states there are no statewide quotas (only regional quotas around national parks), and hunters can bag multiple wolves per season. Wolves can be killed by guns, bow and arrows, traps and snares, and can be called in with electronic calls. The states' goals are to reduce the wolf population drastically. I could talk all day about why the hunts are overly aggressive and all, but I won't bore you with that here.
Personally, I find all wolf hunting to be horrible and unacceptable, regardless of how controlled it is. These intelligent, social creatures should not be shot for sport; it is just unethical.
Yeah, I try to throw out the facts when discussing wolves.
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Yeah
That is so sad to think about, and I really hope that it changes soon! I would hate to see the region's native wildlife driven to extinction by ignorance and apathy!
Ah...5% isn't a lot, if you're not counting city as you say then :/ I do hope that one day the larger predators can be reintroduced into a a ecosystem in a stable way...even if we cut down a lot of their homelands, we could at least subsitute, no matter how small it is.
Ah. Are there plans to restore them to those areas currently?
Huh. A myth-understanding of sorts then. Sorry that I said that, I don't really know much about this kinda thing...
Yeah, personally I think killing an animal like that that can think and has a family life isn't...very right. But if there's something wrong about the wolf population, and translocating isn't an option...I dunno, I would rather still not kill them, exactly..
Yeah, better than those 'wolfaboos' who just kinda scream and swear at everyone.
And also, not relevent to wolves, but apparently President Obama is now allowing wind farms to 'take' (nice word for kill) Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles (meaning it won't be paid if windmills down eagles and that it'll just pass). Also, at least one airport is now shooting Snowy Owls..
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Agreed!
I too hope that predators can one day be restored to parts of their former range that still maintain suitable habitat for them - preferably sooner than later, in order to restore ecological health.
There are currently no plans to actively reintroduce wolves to any of those areas, though wolves are starting to naturally recolonize the Pacific Northwest and individual animals have been spotted in the Northeast and the Southern Rockies. A single gray wolf (OR7, aka Journey) has also been recorded in California.
One of the concerns about delisting is that wolves may not be restored to those regions (regardless of whether it's done by reintroduction or recolonization) due to anti-wolf policies.
Don't worry about it; it is such a widespread myth that it is easy to believe it unless you know the facts (most of the anti-wolf myths that way, actually); I once fell for an anti-wolf myth myself.
Perhaps wolves (and other species) can be controlled via injectable immunocontraceptives and other forms of fertility-controlling drugs; I actually want to look into this more in the future and promote it as a humane alternative to killing for wildlife management.
Wolfaboos?
I don't get the point of people screaming and swearing at everybody; it does nothing to help their position and, if anything, it shows that their argument is weak and unsupported by facts (in my opinion, anyway).
I've heard about that; it's a real shame. I wish that there was some way that a balance can be found between protecting wildlife and developing clean, renewable energy from wind.
That's sad; why are they shooting the Snowy Owls at the airport?!
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Yeah, that's true. But I also hope that the introductions are made only when suitable- people can't just throw a wolf or a lynx into a tiny remnant of forest surrounded by cities. When they do it, I hope they do it right, for both people's sake and the animals'.
Ah..I hope that the wolves do return there some day as long as the elk/deer populations are stable enough for them to prey upon (again, I don't know if they are, I'm just hypothesizing here). However, if the habitat is not ideally suited for them (too fragmented, pockmarked with a large amount small towns, etc.) then I think that scientists should be more careful introducing them back, or just not do it at all.
That stinks with the hunting....I think that the wolves should be allowed a chance to stabilize and recover their population in that area before any sort of hunting is allowed. And hunting wolves should really mostly be for stabilizing too-high populations. People don't exactly EAT wolves, and I won't even get into killing purely for trophies...
I agree. Sadly, many people don't really seem to.. :/
People that are basically worshipping wolves, denying that a wolf has ever killed a human, saying that anyone who kills a wolf should die, and that human hunting is the same as wolf hunting etc.
Yeah, I agree. Screaming and ranting isn't going to make people take you seriously, so why do it?
Yeah :/
Apparently because there was a danger of bird strikes, I think?
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Of course; I'm pretty sure that I've been emphasizing the suitable habitat part. Wolves and other species would not be able to survive if the habitat is not suitable for them. The areas identified as suitable wolf habitat have healthy and stable (or overpopulated) herds of deer and/or elk; otherwise the habitat would not be classified as suitable since the wolves would not be able to survive without prey to eat.
Personally I believe that no hunting of wolves should ever be allowed. As I mentioned before their population could be managed in non-lethal ways, like with fertility control.
Oh, that; I'm not too familiar with the wolfaboo concept but I've heard of it before. Though honestly I would rather just stay away from the whole wolfaboo and anti-wolfaboo debate stuff (the exception being to emphasize that I'm not a wolfaboo when I feel it's necessary).
"Screaming and ranting isn't going to make people take you seriously, so why do it? " -- Exactly.
Figures; that's a shame. Isn't there another way to prevent bird strikes without culling the birds?
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