Endangered species list continues to grow

While few people may give the endangered species list much thought, it’s worth noting that many animals are being wiped out at alarming rates. An endangered species is one whose numbers are so small that the species faces extinction. Extinction is a natural phenomenon, which scientists and conservationists say occurs at a natural background rate of about one to five species per year. However, due in large part to overpopulation, climate change, infringement on animal habitats, and the introduction of foreign diseases and parasites, some scientists, according to the social change network Do Something, now speculate that the world is losing species at 1,000 to 10,000 times the normal background rate — with dozens of different animals going extinct every day. Some species may already be gone, much to the surprise of the general public. The World Wildlife Federation notes that the following species could disappear if nothing is done.

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