Scientists have described how human activity contributed to the extinction of a large number of animals. Humans have had a significant impact on the extinction of wildlife species, and many animals have suffered from this impact. Exact numbers on how many animal species have gone extinct vary, making it difficult for scientists to give a definitive answer. However, there are some estimates and studies that help approximate the scale of the problem. Since the beginning of the modern period, about 777 animal species have become extinct since 1500, according to the IUCN Red List. While some disappearances may have been natural, human influence likely played a key role. Historical data on extinctions before this time is scarce, but it is known that human influence on nature began long before 1500. The IUCN estimates that only about 5% of known species are extinct, meaning there are many extinctions that have not yet been recorded. According to a study by Robert Cowie of the University of Hawaii, published in the journal Biological Reviews, between 150,000 and 260,000 known species may have disappeared on Earth over the past 500 years. The study found that animal extinction rates ranged from 150 to 260 extinctions per million species per year (E/MSY), with an average of about 100 E/MSY. This means that of the approximately 2 million known species, about 100,000 have gone extinct in the last 500 years, not including unknown species. Scientists estimate that over the past 500 years there have been more than 380,000 human-related extinctions, although this figure is only an estimate. John Elroy of Macquarie University in Australia noted that it is extremely difficult to accurately calculate extinction rates in the modern era. According to the scientist, to accurately understand the overall rate of extinction, researchers need to know the number of existing species. Much wildlife, especially in understudied regions such as the tropics, remains unknown to science, making assessment difficult. Elroy believes that despite current estimates, humans are helping to accelerate extinction, and the actual number of extinct species is significantly higher than the 777 recorded by the IUCN. The post Scientists release data on animal species driven to extinction by humans appeared first on Anomalien.com.