Extinction . As Dead as a Dodo!
For every species that is alive today, perhaps a thousand more have lived previously and become extinct. Most of these extinctions occurred before humans evolved, and the species are known to us only through fossils

The Dodo
The dodo was a large (50 lb) flightless bird that lived on Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean. It lived undisturbed for so long that it lost its need and ability to fly. It lived and nested on the ground and ate fruits that had fallen from trees. The island was uninhabited and the dodo had no natural predators. Then Mauritius was colonised in 1638. Dodos were hunted for food and easy to catch because they were not afraid of people. New competitors were brought onto the island (including pigs, cats and rats). These competitors ate the dodos' eggs in their ground nests and also ate the dodo’s young. The last dodo was killed in 1681. Answer the following questions using information from the text: 1. What was the dodo?

2. Out of the four causes of extinction we have learnt about, which two caused the extinction of the dodo and why?

3. When did the last dodo die?

Dinosaurs
There are many theories as to how the dinosaurs became extinct. Keep in mind that there is no absolutely proven theory. Asteroid Theory According to this theory a large asteroid or comet collided with Earth about 65 million years ago. Scientists think that such a large collision would throw so much dust into the air that sunlight would not be able to shine and plants and animals would die. The dramatic changes in climate that resulted from this huge collision were too much for the dinosaurs. They were not able to survive.

Volcanic Activity A huge increase in volcanic activity at around 65 millions years ago could have pumped so much ash into the air that it blocked out the sun killing the dinosaurs.

Ice Age Some scientists believe that there was a severe ice age. Throughout Earth's history there have been many ice ages. The last one ended about 10,000 years ago. A very severe ice age could have changed temperatures and frozen a lot of Earth's water. The dinosaurs would not be able live under such conditions and that is how the dinosaurs became extinct.

Answer the following questions using information from the text: 1. Out of the four causes of extinction we have learnt about, which one caused the extinction of the Dinosaurs and why?

2. Why can we not know for sure what killed the dinosaurs?

3. Write brief notes on each of the above environmental theories of dinosaur extinction.

The Tasmanian Tiger-Wolf

Was Thylacinus cynocephalus a wolf or a tiger? It was neither. This remarkable animal looked like wolf with tiger stripes on its back and tail, but it was more closely related to kangaroos than to either tigers or wolves. The Tasmanian tiger-wolf was a marsupial; it had a pouch for its young just like a kangaroo

The Tasmanian tiger-wolf became extinct on the mainland of Australia long ago because it could not compete for food with the dingo, a kind of wild dog. Tiger-wolves continued to thrive on the dingo-free island of Tasmania off Australia's south coast until Europeans arrived in the region. At that time, settlers began clearing the tiger-wolf's habitat for sheep farming. Habitat destruction reduced the natural prey available to tiger-wolves

With its natural prey base reduced, the tiger-wolf began to kill domestic sheep for food, much to the dismay of the local farmers. The farmers mounted a campaign to destroy the carnivores who were preying on their livestock. In the mid-1800's, landowners paid a bounty for killing tiger-wolves, and the government introduced an even larger bounty in 1888. The programs were quite successful and the tiger-wolf was poisoned, shot, snared, hunted with dogs, trapped, and otherwise exterminated through the early 1900s

An unknown disease decimated the remaining population in 1910. By 1933 it was believed that the species had become extinct in the wild. In 1936, the last known Tasmanian tigerwolf died in captivity.

Answer the following questions using information from the text: 1. What were the causes of the extinction of the Tasmanian Tiger-Wolf and why?

2. When did the Tasmanian Tiger-Wolf become extinct?

Endangered Species: Giant Panda

The lovable and charismatic panda is one of the most popular animals in the world. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most endangered.

Found only in China, one of the world's most populous countries, the giant panda clings to survival, facing habitat fragmentation and poaching as its greatest threats. It is estimated that as few as 1,600 pandas remain in the wild today

Answer the following questions using information from the text: 1. Why might the panda become extinct?

2. Is there anything we can do to prevent this? If so, what are your suggestions?

3. Find 5 more endangered species writing how many of them remain , where they live and why they are in danger.