The disappearance of species
An animal species is seriously threatened with extinction when its population is broken up. Extinction is a natural process that may be caused by natural selection, shortage of food or natural calamities. It has been calculated that 9 species out of 10 of those that have appeared on Earth over the centuries have disappeared. Man’s action on nature has also caused entire animal species to disappear over the years. Hunting, deforestation, pollution, the conversion of uncultivated areas into pastures, the illicit trade of wild animals as well as climatic changes have made life difficult for many animals. The areas that have been hit hardest by the rise in the Earth’s temperature are the Arctic and the oceans. In these places, animals suffer because they have lost their habitat and find it hard to find food to eat. This results in a decrease of births and therefore in the slow disappearance of some species. In the oceans, the reduction of plankton caused many types of fish to migrate and many invertebrate organisms to disappear.
Special reports
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31 August 2013
The Red List of Italian animals
Italy has a rich biodiversity due to its distinctive geographic...
10 February 2014
Coral turns pale!
The coral reef is one of the ecosystems with the richest biodiversity...
29 April 2013
Intruders in the Mediterranean
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27 September 2012
Over 7 billion people on Earth
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5 January 2005
Tsunami in the Maldives
On the 26th December 2004, an earthquake that took place 300 km west of the Island of Sumatra...
2 July 2014
A hoax? No thank you, I prefer to find out myself!
In Italian, bufala: a hoax, also means a female buffalo...
11 June 2012
Bats, facts and fiction
In ancient Rome, bats were nailed to the door of the house as a protection from witches...
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31 August 2013
The Red List of Italian animals
Italy has a rich biodiversity due to its distinctive geographic...
10 February 2014
Coral turns pale!
The coral reef is one of the ecosystems with the richest biodiversity...
-
29 April 2013
Intruders in the Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea has always been considered of fundamental importance...
-
27 September 2012
Over 7 billion people on Earth
Demographers have estimated that on 31 October 2011 world population...
-
31 August 2013
The Red List of Italian animals
Italy has a rich biodiversity due to its distinctive geographic...
-
10 February 2014
Coral turns pale!
The coral reef is one of the ecosystems with the richest biodiversity...
-
29 April 2013
Intruders in the Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea has always been considered of fundamental importance...
From the Multimedia section
Facts
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Ant and fish activities
A small insect like the antilion, digs funnel shaped traps in the sandy ground when it is in the larva…
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3 April 2012
The whale shark
<p>The whale shark <i>(Rhincodon typus</i>) is the biggest fish in the world...</p>
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11 May 2011
Ant and fish activities
A small insect like the antilion, digs funnel shaped traps in the sandy ground when it is in the larva…
-
3 April 2012
The whale shark
<p>The whale shark <i>(Rhincodon typus</i>) is the biggest fish in the world...</p>