How many species died their last death in 2006? Hard to uncover, but a decade ago, Edward O Wilson, the Harvard naturalist, estimated that about 30,000 species were going extinct each year – an extinction rate of about three an hour. So let’s say 30,000 species disappeared in 2006 – including the Yangtze River Dolphin & the Western black rhino – nobody will be seeing them ever again. Fun headlines from reputable sources are all systems go at David’s Extinction site:

One Third of Primates Face Extinction (BBC—2002)

One quarter of mammals face extinction within 30 years (United Nations—BBC—2002)

Mass Extinction of Freshwater Creatures Forecast (WWF Report)

90% of all large fish gone from world’s oceans ( Nature 2003 )

World’s amphibians face extinction (Chicago Tribune—2006)

Half of earth’s plant species face extinction ( BBC Science)

Etc etc….. And if present trends continue one half of all species of life on earth will be extinct in less than 100 years, as a result of habitat destruction, pollution, invasive species, and climate change.

No doubt other species / nature / lizard-people overlords are praying for the likes of Bird Flu, AIDS, Mad Cow Disease & Ebola to get together and mutate into some kind of ravenous, unstoppable salvaging beast.