The Importance of Biodiversity Biodiversity: the variety of life in a particular ecosystem Species Richness: the number of species in an area

Extinction The end of a species The moment of extinction refers to the death of the last individual of a species, even if the capacity to breed has been lost before this time

10. Tyrannosaurus Rex Extinct ~65 million years ago Bipedal carnivore Fossils have been found in North American rock formations Probable cause of extinction  Starvation

9. Quagga: ½ Zebra, ½ Horse Last Quagga died on Aug 12, 1883 at the Artis Magistra Zoo in Amsterdam A subspecies of the African Zebra Was the first extinct animal to have its DNA studied Probable cause of extinction  Hunting

8. Thylacine: Tasmanian Tiger Native to Austrailia Extinct since 1936 The largest known carnivorous marsupial in modern times. Probable cause of extinction (Still spotted)  Hunting, disease, competition

7. Sea Cow

~ 8 meters long and weighed 3 tonnes Toothless with two flat white bones Fossil record indicate that around 1770 Sea Cow numbers decreased as human populace increased around the Bering Sea Probable cause of extinction  Hunting

6. Irish Deer aka Giant Deer Largest Deer in Earth's history Carbon dating reveals this animal became extinct years ago 7 feet (to shoulders) 12 foot Antler span Probable cause of extinction  maladaptation

5. Caspian Tiger/Persian Tiger Was located in Iran, Iraq, Afganistan, Turkey, Mongolia and Kazakhstan Recently extinct (1970) Probable cause of extinction Destruction of Habitat

4. The Golden Toad Discovered in 1966 Native to Costa Rica Last seen in 1989 Colouration due to sexual selection Assumed extinct, but the search continues Probable cause of extinction  Destruction of habitat  Erratic weather  Invasive species

3. Passenger Pigeon 200 years ago, P. Pigeons were the most common bird in North America Brutally exploited The last Passenger Pigeon died alone at the Cincinnati Zoo at 1 pm, Sept 1st, 1914 Probable cause of extinction  Pigeon meat was cheap to buy  Loss of habitat

2. Woolly Mammoth Probably lived in North America and Eurasia Died off around 8000 BCE Height: 9.2 feet Weight: 8 tonnes Probable cause of extinction  Climate change

1. Dodo Flightless bird that lived on the island of Mauritius. Related to doves & pigeons 1 meter tall, 44 lbs Nested on the ground Probable cause of extinction  Hunting  Invasive species

Status of Wildlife in Canada ClassificationDefinitionNumber of Species (2009) Exampes Special Concern May become threatened or endangered because of various factors 160Polar bear, Great Blue Heron, Atlantic cod ThreatenedLikely to become endangered if no action is taken 145Humpback whale, wood bison EndangeredIn immediate danger of becoming extirpated or extinct 244Barn owl, swift fox ExtirpatedNo longer exists in the wild in a specific area 23Paddlefish, Grey whale ExtinctNo longer exists on Earth13Great Auk, Passenger Pigeon

Your Turn Read section 3.3 Answer questions 2, 3, 5 on page 86