Endangered animals have a role in the biodiversity of our planet. If they happen to become extinct, there will be repercussions. It may not directly affect us or affect us immediately, but it will over time.
An obvious effect on our lives is that the animal that would feed on the one that became extinct would suddenly have no food source, and a domino effect would occur. The animal could also adapt and start eating something else, taking food away from other animals. The end result would be many animals fighting over food, and only the strong will survive.
If you will notice, many of the endangered animals are not the strong predators. If they are, then their problem is a shift in their natural habitat or humans hunting them down. It is possible that animals will begin to turn into mutants and start a new species, just like a dog would mate with another breed, and the offspring will be a cross between 2 breeds.
In addition, food like fresh-water mussels, which has over a thousand sub-species, some of which are now placed under the endangered species, are no longer available to eat. Many adults remember eating these flavorful food items as children. This something their children will never experience. Since this mussels and mollusks are natural water filters, the risk of their becoming extinct will cause the quality of water to suffer. In places where they grow, should they suddenly disappear, humans will no longer be able to swim on those water, or drink from that source. This is because without the mussels, bacteria will grow and contaminate the water. It will also kill the fish and other living things in the area.
This is just one of the endangered species. To think, there are thousands of animals all over the world on the brink of being becoming wiped out. Many animals have already become extinct, and while it is true that we have continued to live our lives normally, it is less colorful and dramatic. The acceptable rate of animal extinction according to the experts is one species for ever million species a year, with a new species replacing it to sustain the equilibrium. That isn’t happening because the current rate is exponential. For this reason, many scientists are claiming that we are facing the 6th mass extinction, not from natural causes, but because of man-made products and events like pollution, exploitation, and global warming.
Reference: Illustrated Encyclopedia of endangered animals.
