Okay people, one by one the number of species going extinct will be growing exponentially! How so very sad for us all. How the human race has evolved to simply DESTROY, USE and ABUSE LIFE and take it for granted, to the point of EXTINCTION! Our Ancient Ancestors were FAR MORE civilized that we are today. At least they knew enough to RESPECT Mother nature and all of the inhabitants. Because I believe they simply understood that there is a CIRCLE OF LIFE. Which by the way we are part of. If that CIRCLE gets destroyed, that will also include us!***************************************
By JAYMES SONG Associated Press Writer
Jun 7, 7:13 AM EDT
HONOLULU (AP) -- Federal officials have confirmed what biologists have long thought: The Caribbean monk seal has gone the way of the dodo.
Humans hunting the docile creatures for research, food and blubber left the population unsustainable, say biologists who warn that Hawaiian and Mediterranean monk seals could be the next to go.
The last confirmed sighting of a Caribbean monk seal was in 1952 between Jamaica and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service confirmed Friday that the species is extinct.
Kyle Baker, a biologist for NOAA's Fisheries Service southeast region, said the species is the only seal to become extinct from human causes.
The federal agency says there are fewer than 1,200 Hawaiian and 500 Mediterranean monk seals remaining, and their populations are declining.
"We hope we've learned from the extinction of Caribbean monk seals, and can provide stronger protection for their Hawaiian and Mediterranean relatives," Baker said.
"When populations get very small, they become very unstable," Baker said. "They become more vulnerable to threats like disease and predation by sharks."
Vicki Cornish, a wildlife expert at the Ocean Conservancy, said the fate of the Caribbean monk seal is a "wake-up call" to protect the remaining seal populations.
"We must act now to reduce threats to existing monk seal populations before it's too late," she said. "These animals are important to the balance and health of the ocean. We can't afford to wait."
Monk seals are particularly sensitive to human disturbance. And the sea creatures have been losing their food supply and beaches, officials say.
"Once Hawaii, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean were teeming with fish, but these are areas under severe fishing pressure," Cornish said. "They'll eat almost anything - shellfish or finned fish - but their food supply is waning and they're in competition with man."
The endangered Hawaiian monk seals face different types of challenges, including entanglement in marine debris, climate change and coastal development.
"But we need continued support from organizations and the public if we are to have a chance at saving it from extinction," he said. "Time is running out."
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