A community about the variety of life on Earth at all levels; including plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi.
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Biodiversity is a term used to describe the enormous variety of life on Earth. It can be used more specifically to refer to all of the species in one region or ecosystem. Biodiversity refers to every living thing, including plants, bacteria, animals, and humans. Scientists have estimated that there are around 8.7 million species of plants and animals in existence. However, only around 1.2 million species have been identified and described so far, most of which are insects. This means that millions of other organisms remain a complete mystery.
Over generations, all of the species that are currently alive today have evolved unique traits that make them distinct from other species. These differences are what scientists use to tell one species from another. Organisms that have evolved to be so different from one another that they can no longer reproduce with each other are considered different species. All organisms that can reproduce with each other fall into one species. Read more...
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This is the reason 2 species of vultures here in Pakistan are near extinct. Not direct poison but the use of a particular medication given to horses, donkeys, cows and cattle in general for energy. They're fresh next morning after a tough day. But its terrible for vultures.
The other reason being humans competing for the dead. The collection of dead animals.
The main cause of the decline was identified as kidney failure caused by the drug diclofenac, which was commonly given to cattle to reduce joint pain. It is thought that diclofenac poisoned vultures that ate the flesh of dead cattle. Diclofenac bans were enacted in India, Pakistan and Nepal in 2006.
They are currently critically endangered. These are old world vultures.
Wikipedia actually had the info lol. The drug is still widely used.
~~AfaIk, in humans Diclofenac is used against joint pain. In cattle it's used to make them fat.~~
The original explanation of improving energy is what someone from the wildlife department phrased it as when I talked to him.
And the joint pain makes sense to me in that context. But I'm no expert on my own
You're right. I've had the wrong substance in mind.
Oh thanks for checking. Appreciate that
I hate the practice of using poison in the wild. It's too easy to spread beyond its intended target.
Are poachers poisoning elephants to harvest their tusks?