Why It Matters When Species Go Extinct

Animal extinction can affect the entire ecosystems and in turn the world

Photo by Stephen Belcher

The Javan rhino has the smallest horn of all five living species, the average measuring less than a foot in length, and only the adult males sport them.

We are surrounded by endangered species every day. Majestic tigers grace posters on bedroom walls, stuffed toy pandas stare blankly from shopping mall shelves; with the click of a button, we can watch the elaborate courtship rituals of whooping cranes and the strategic hunting habits of the Amur leopard on the discovery Channel. No matter where we look, images and information about the world's rarest animals are readily available, but do we ever stop to think about the effects endangered species have on their environments, what happens after they disappear?

Photo by Stephen Belcher

Javan rhinos are the most threatened of the five rhino species, with only 63-67 individuals surviving in Ujung Kulon National Park in Java, Indonesia.

Let's face it, few of us has crossed paths with a real, live endangered species today, one that is teetering on a tightrope of existence, ready to slip into the chasm of extinction, like the Santa Barbara Song Sparrow or the Jovan Rhino, much less consider the implications of their loss.

Photo by Stephen Belcher

So, does it really matter if an animal goes extinct when we can still watch it on television, even after it's gone? A single species' disappearance can, in fact, make a huge difference on a global scale. Like pieces of yarn in a woven tapestry, the removal of one can start unraveling the whole system.