There are not many animals that disappear because of humans, but most of them go unnoticed. But in Australia, there is an animal that can successfully take revenge on humans after decades of extinction.
This is the thylacine, once the beast at the top of the Australian food chain, with the appearance of a wolf, but more cunning and tenacious than a wolf, and a marsupial like a kangaroo.
However, with the invasion of humans, the species was recognized as completely extinct nearly a century ago.
Photo of the last thylacine
Thylacine: An Australian ecological guardian pushed to extinction by human activity
The name thylacine comes from the fact that the head and body structure of this animal are relatively similar to those of wolves, and this similarity stems from the fact that both thylacines and wolves have undergone a process of convergent evolution. The thylacine also has strong forelimbs and sharp claws, can easily climb trees, and can quickly adapt to its familiar habitat of flat ground and woods.
A: Thylacine B: Australian dingo C: Thylacine embryonic specimen
They were once widely distributed in Australia and inhabited arid and semi-arid open areas, including shrubland, grasslands, semi-deserts and along the coast. They are agile, adaptable and able to survive in harsh ecological conditions, but they are eventually threatened by human activities.
The thylacine's ecological role and diet are also very interesting. They are true carnivores and feed mainly on small mammals and birds. They are also considered important controllers of Australia's ecosystem, helping to control mammal overproduction in local ecosystems.
Although there have been many problems with the survival of the thylacine, it will not lead to its complete extinction. But the truth is that the last thylacine was admitted to be completely extinct after 1936.
The human-damaged ecological food chain, the truth behind the disappearance of the endangered species thylacine
Thylacines were hunted and habitat destroyed, and later attacked by local population bait, a combination of factors that led to a significant decline in the thylacine population, which was eventually declared extinct in 1936 and disappeared from the face of the earth forever.
Careful analysis, the hunting and capture of thylacines by humans is the main cause of their extinction. Because human livestock is exactly the size of thylacines that they can catch, it is thought that they will have a negative impact on local agriculture, resulting in large-scale hunting and capture of thylacines.
In addition, thylacines are also considered vectors of plague and other diseases, factors that have prompted government measures to kill thylacines.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the government issued killing orders to reward people for killing thylacines. Such policies led to bloody species extinction killings of local residents for money, and large numbers of thylacines were killed.
According to official statistics, between 1888 and 1914, 2,268 thylacines were killed, not including thylacines who escaped with injuries. Such hunting has caused the thylacine population to decline so sharply that it cannot be recovered.
In addition to hunting, the destruction and development of thylacine habitat by humans is also an important cause of its extinction, and humans have reclaimed land on a large scale on the thylacine habitat, built houses and factories, and also raised livestock
At the same time, large-scale coal mining and logging activities have been carried out in thylacine habitats, destroying the environment on which the thylacine depends, and the thylacine has reduced its food source, making it difficult for it to survive.
Serious consequences of thylacine extinction: Australia's ecosystem faces huge challenges!
The thylacine, a native animal of Australia, once thrived in Australian grasslands and forests, however, the disappearance of this animal has had a huge impact not only on ecosystems, but also on humans and other animal species.
First, the extinction of the thylacine has had a huge impact on the Australian ecosystem.
The thylacine is a small to medium-sized carnivore that feeds mainly on kangaroos and other small mammals. They usually hunt at night, using their keen sense of smell and hearing to track their prey, usually attacking kangaroos from the rear while they are unprepared, then pounce and bite to death.
While thylacines were still present, they could control the population of herbivores such as kangaroos and thus maintain ecological balance. However, with the extinction of the thylacine, the number of herbivores such as kangaroos increased significantly, leading to their eventual flooding.
In the absence of natural predators, these herbivores reproduce extremely quickly, constantly eroding the land, destroying vegetation, and seriously affecting the local ecological environment.
According to the data, in the years after the extinction of the thylacine, the decline of the thylacine population led to a sharp increase in the number of animals in other local ecosystems, resulting in local agriculture being eaten, and even the indiscriminate movement of herbivores would disturb tourists and have an impact on local tourism.
This time the government realized the seriousness of the problem, but it was too late. Since then, the thylacine species, which has lived on Earth for more than 4 million years, has disappeared from this beautiful planet.
In conclusion, the extinction of the thylacine has had a profound impact on Australia's ecosystem, humans and other animal species. We should attach importance to the protection of the ecological environment and actively take measures to protect endangered species and maintain ecological balance.
epilogue
The extinction of the thylacine is a reflection of human attitudes towards the natural environment and biodiversity, and the continuous expansion and development of human beings for their own sakes has led to a large number of deforestation and land reclamation, which directly damaged the living environment of the thylacine.
In addition, human hunting and killing have accelerated the extinction of thylacines, all of which indicate a lack of understanding of the natural environment and biodiversity, and insufficient understanding of the consequences of ecosystems.
Therefore, it is essential to protect the living environment of wildlife. Not only the extinction of the thylacine, but also many animals have been affected by human activities, for example, the proboscis monkey is endemic to Malaysia, Indonesia and other places, is one of the largest monkeys in the world, the more famous of which is the Gongling proboscis monkey in the rainforest.
A restored model of a thylacine
However, due to severe deforestation, habitat desertification, climate change and other factors, the population of proboscis monkeys has been greatly reduced and is listed as an endangered species in the world.
Similarly, the habitat of African elephants is threatened by hunting and deforestation, causing their populations to decline dramatically. In addition, polar bears' habitat is also affected by global warming, and the loss of sea ice has reduced their food supply.
Coupled with various problems affecting the balance of nature, such as the extinction of the thylacine, humans should be prompted to reflect on their own behavior and take effective action measures, from protecting biodiversity to protecting their own interests.
In addition, we should also formulate relevant laws and policies to prohibit illegal hunting and killing, and protect the survival rights and interests of wild animals.
Thylacine's nursery bag location
The ecosystem is a complex system in which each organism plays an integral role, and thylacines are an important part of the Australian ecosystem, and their extinction has had irreversible effects throughout the ecosystem.
Therefore, what should we humans do in the future and how to protect the balance of the ecosystem, while at the same time making everyone clearly aware of these hazards, and I believe that people can learn more from these mistakes.
Bibliography:
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3. 《Bag Wolf》 Fukuro Wolf [J].Junior High School Geography Teaching, 1992(06):25.