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The Aldabra banded snail is now extinct. It was living in the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean and was easily recognizable because of its purplish blue shell. This snail was once easy to find around 3 decades ago, Gerlach says that now "it has been impossible to find. last one was found in 1997 and it was collected simply because the person who collected it thought it was strange and didn't know what it was." Gerlach believes the species went extinct during the late 1990s after a series of unusually long and hot summers caused by global warming that killed off a large number of younger snails. [1]
Habitat
editThe Aldabra banded snail is a very rare and poorly known species that could only be found on Aldabra atoll in the Indian Ocean. Its habitat has had a sudden declining rainfall, which this snail needs for survival causing its extinction. Many worry that the passing of the Aldabra Banded Snail in the Indian Ocean will not be the only species to go extinct due to climate change in its habitat, but will be the first of many to come. As climate change increasingly brings local and regional changes in temperature just like it did with the habitat of the snail, other species are expected to follow in its path for the same reason. [2]
Extinction Crisis
editThe extinction of the Aldabra banded snail shows us the potential damage that global warming could bring down on animals. This extinction demonstrates the challenges of climate change that the snail suffered as a result of changing precipitation, and temperatures. This extinction also shows us that the present and future extinction crisis may be much worse than what we think. While the Red List provides excellent information on the status of species, many species, just like the Aldabra banded snail, have not yet been included on the Red List. The loss of this small snail a big warning of the vulnerability of all species to the threat of climate change. [3]
See also
edit
- Gene pool
- Genetic erosion
- Genetic pollution
- Habitat fragmentation
- IUCN Red List
- List of extinct animals
- List of extinct plants
- Living Planet Index
- Red List Index
- Refugium (population biology)
- Timeline of extinctions
- Voluntary Human Extinction Movement
references
edit- ^ Jacquot, Jeremy Elton. "Is the Aldabra Banded Snail the FIrst Global Extinction Related Extinction." Science and Technology (Aug. 2007): n. pag. www.treehugger.com. Web. 14 Oct. 2009. <http://www.treehugger.com/ files/2007/08/aldabra_banded_snail.php>.
- ^ Butler, Rhett. "Climate change claims a snail." Goodbye to a snail. (Aug. 2007): n. pag. www.mongabay.com. Web. 18 Oct. 2009. <http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0813-snail.html>.
- ^ Gerlach, Justin. "Extinction of Aldabra Banded Snail May Be First Directly Linked to Climate Change." Hotspots E-News (Winter 2007): n. pag. www.maildogmanager.com. Web. 18 Oct. 2009. <http://maildogmanager.com/ page.html?p=000001XDDtjKFP98UZkgchujPw4uhcMNdgVqw=>.