The reading states that three theories of the Steller's sea cow extinction and provides three reasons of support. However, the professor states that we still do not know the cause of the sea cow extinctions and refutes each of the readings' theories. First, the sea cows may have been overhunted by groups of native Siberian people. The professor opposes this point by saying that sea cows are massive creatures, about nine meters long and ten tons in weight. Therefore, the proferssor states that hunting a few sea cows were enough for a few months, especially that the Siberian population was not large. So, the professor points out that the Siberian people did not need to hunt a lot of sea cows and that cannot cause the sea cows' extinction.
Over Hunting during the Fur Trade is evident, and resulted in the near extinction of some animals popular for furs, such as Beaver, Mink, O...
The question of what caused the extinction of megafauna during the Late Pleistocene period is one that archaeologists have struggled to answer for decades, but why should it matter? Discovering with certainty the cause of megafaunal extinction would simultaneously prove or disprove any of the proposed implications of each existing theory regarding this massive extinction.
Kurlansky’s biography of a fish that changed the world begins the literary technique in media res. The decision to start the text of this book in the midst of Sam Lee, Leonard Stack, and Bernard Chafe’s adventure aboard a fishing skiff in Petty Harbor was great in that the occurrences there hint at one of the themes in the book. That theme being that the cod population has drastically declined and that human intervention is or may be necessary to prevent the extinction of the species.
J. G. M. Thewissen and his colleagues changed the way in which scientists thought about the early lifestyles of whales. The evolution of the ancient artiodactyls was discovered to be joined with the well-known group of cetaceans. The tertiary period was a time of terrestrial life forms. Every mammal walked the earth. It wasn’t uncommon to see a whale running through the grasslands or shark sleeping on the coast of a land mass. It was a time when mammals roamed freely and unconfined by the limits of the ocean. Now that scientists have this newly found knowledge, it is time the scientists further investigate “why?”
Another major point in his essay is that if we are going to prevent a species from extinction we must do it everywhere not just in one specific place. The worlds whale population is not going to rise if only the United States bans whale hunting. And if we don't enforce poaching laws and regulations. This also refers to if you tamper with one organism you affect a lot more. If we kill all the whales not only can we not use them but larger sea predators like sharks can't either. So they will be forced to feed on smaller sea life and then damage our sea food supply by eating other fish that we eat. So we as a whole must conserve on our supplies of natural objects with our exponentially growing population.
The reading asserts that humpback whales migrate long distances by navigating by the stars according to three reasons; however, the lecturer finds all these reasons dubious and refute them all.
In the world today, we know that whales are majestic creatures with amazing lifestyles that we don’t completely understand. We also know that however large they are, they are in danger because they have been over hunted and over used by human beings. Today through Commercial Whaling, the whales of the oceans have been put at risk and their population continues to decrease. Countries such as Japan, Iceland, and Norway defy the rules set by The International Whaling Commission under the pretense that they’re whaling for scientific reasons, when in reality they are whaling for commercial reasons of profit. Commercial whaling is a problem in countries around the world, most prominent are the Japanese, and other countries are Iceland and Norway. Over time the status of the whale population has declined because of the increase of technology in whale hunting.
Shukovsky, Paul. "Public hearing on Makah whale hunt brings out opposition." Seattle Post- Intelligencer 02 Online. Internet. 3 Febuary 2003. Available www:seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/maka021.shtml.
Thousands of years ago, hunting may have been the cause of the extinction of the North American large land mammals. “Moving up into the 1940’s and 50’s some of today’s most prominent game animals were almost non-existent.”(Kerry G) Over-hunting will directly cause the decline in the particular animal’s species. This will effect everything around it, for example ...
There were 5 mass extinctions in the past, with the latest one more known to man, the Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction that caused the wiped out of the dinosaurs. Though the latest one happened 65 million years ago, something representing this phenomenon of mass extinction is underway in our era. While past mass extinctions were caused by natural forces, and asteroid, climate change and sea level’s changes were thought to be the culprit, this time the actor behind is not natural, and it is us Human Beings. It might occur to many that the current trend of animal extinction has no consequences on us, but in fact it is not true. Many of the endangered species does matter to us significantly. In this paper, using examples of some neglected critical endangered species as main headings, I will look into different forms of human activities that had led to their losses, and also more importantly how these losses could have impacted on us.
...e. "A Hypothesis to Explain the Role of Meat-Eating in Human Evolution." Www.cnr.berkely.edu. 4 Feb. 2001. Web. .
There are several main reasons why endangered species proceed towards extinction. Greta Nilsson wrote an article for the encyclopedia about endangered species. In the first part of her essay, she focused on the four main reasons that put plants and animals on the endangered species list: destruction of habitat, exotic animal exchange, overhunting, and competition between nat...
The scientists claim that the research necessary to compile all the facts regarding the new species of whale did not start until a ninth whale was accidentally killed. However, there were eight other whales, five females and three males, whose death were not accidental. Who were killed for the sole purpose of scientific information. Whose species could all be in danger of extinction.
Have you ever met a prodigious manatee or dugong? Georg Wilhelm Steller has, this marine mammal was called Steller’s sea cow. This prehistoric animal was discovered in 1741 and disappeared from the face of the earth in 1768. Steller’s sea cow is an important animal to learn about because of the way they looked, the time period they lived in, and the surprising facts about them.
The numbers of marine mammals present in waters under the jurisdiction of the United States has fluctuated over the past century. Declines have been credited to various causes, which are a mix of anthropogenic and natural processes. One major cause of marine mammal decline is whaling. Even though this practice has been prohibited, the effects of commercial whaling in the United States can still be seen today. The main whale species affected included North Pacific right whales (Eubalaena japonica), bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus), humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus), and gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus). Sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) and sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) were exploited in an increased fashion after World War II (Springer et al., 2003). Whaling did not only affect whale populations, but it also affects populations of seals, sea lions, and sea otters. This is hypothesized to be the result of top-down forces from whaling, forcing great whales to shift their food sources to these smaller marine mammals. During the Second World War, whaling of great whales was at its peak. These whales were used for oils for lubricants, food, and other needs of the people of the United States. However, this heavy use of great whale stocks forced killer whales (Orcinus orca) to begin feeding on smaller marine mammals, such as seals, sea lions, and sea otters (Trites et al., 2006). It is also thought that declines in these smaller marine mammals is due to a decline in nutritional limits in their habitats, competition with fisheries, as well as changing climates.