RIP Yangtze River dolphin. We'll miss you guys.

World's oldest dolphin species declared effectively extinct.

quote:

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BEIJING, China (AP) -- An expedition searching for a rare Yangtze River dolphin ended Wednesday without a single sighting and with the team's leader saying one of the world's oldest species was effectively extinct.

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The white dolphin known as baiji, shy and nearly blind, dates back some 20 million years. Its disappearance is believed to be the first time in a half-century, since hunting killed off the Caribbean monk seal, that a large aquatic mammal has been driven to extinction.

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A few baiji may still exist in their native Yangtze habitat in eastern China but not in sufficient numbers to breed and ward off extinction, said August Pfluger, the Swiss co-leader of the joint Chinese-foreign expedition.

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"We have to accept the fact, that the Baiji is functionally extinct. We lost the race," Pfluger said in a statement released by the expedition. "It is a tragedy, a loss not only for China, but for the entire world. We are all incredibly sad."

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Place yourself on the map at http://www.frappr.com/evc

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The thread about this map can be found here.

that's okay. jesus doesn't love dolphins, only unborn babies. and he's coming back soon, anyways.

There's always hope for them. I remember reading a National Geographic issue that declared that only 7 California Condors remained in existence. That was in the late 80's. But due to conservation efforts, the condors were reintroduced into the wild at Grand Canyon national park. I've been to the canyon four times, and every time I went, I saw numerous ones. I inquired as to how they were doing in that environment and they were pleased to tell me that they are making a marked come back.Now we just have to see if the Florida Panther is going to make a come back. There about seven panthers in Florida, last time I checked. I don't know if they are going to make it. I'd love to have them stay, but it seems pretty hit or miss. I want to say that Everglades national park is a large enough habitat for them, but I don't know.I really wish we still had Tazmanian Wolves left. Those things we're friggin cool. But judging by the size of their mouths, I don't think I'd like to see one up close without some plexiglass in front of me.

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"With derision the atheist points out that there can be no God because this world is so unfair. Without hesitation, I concur with him. Indeed, we live in an unfair world because of all sorts of social ills and perils. I must not contend with such a sentiment because it is factual-- we don't live in a fair world. Grace is unambiguous proof that we live in an unfair world. I received salvation when I deserved condemnation. Yes, indeed this world is unfair." -Andrew Jaramillo-

NJ, the problem I see is that China neither have the resources nor the will to put the necessary efforts into conservation and reintroduction of the dolphins. Japan may have the resources but they don't have the will.

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George Absolutely Stupid Bush the Younger

You're probably right about that.

I for one will be declaring a period of mourning. I had not been paying attention to this issue. It is really sad and should be a wake up call to the world. Tomorrow I will be distributing info on this species to my students.While we all love the warm fuzzies (as us invert zoo guys call some verts) it is important to keep in mind that for every large mammal or bird or reptile or amphibian that is lost forever there are orders of magnitudes of fishes, invertebrates, plants, fungi, bacteria etc. being lost at an alarming rate. Most of these will go unnoticed as they haven't been discovered or described yet. This is not a creo/evo issue, whether you believe they were created 6000 years ago or evolved over billions of years we should all shed a tear for the passing of a species. Cetacean biologists in China have fought for this one for over four decades (at least) with virtually no international support (understanding the role of politics and economics).

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Wanda: To call you stupid would be an insult to stupid people. I've known sheep who could outwit you. I've worn dresses with higher IQs, but you think you're an intellectual, don't you, ape?
Otto: Apes don't read philosophy.
Wanda: Yes they do, Otto, they just don't understand it.
"A Fish Called Wanda"

While there's little topic here to discuss, I think this species deserves another recognition before it is forgotten. After all, it only took a few million years (or a few seconds... if you're a creationist, either way) for this species to come about. If you're an evo, it survived 20 million years just so it could go away quietly into the night. If you're an creo, it survived the great flood and other god's wraths only to suffer extinction from our wrath.Like I said, we'll miss you guys!

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George Absolutely Stupid Bush the Younger

Hey Gasby, Japan may have the will, but they don't have the dolphins! They were in China - look at the map!

When I was referring to Japan, I wasn't talking specifically about the dolphins being discussed. My fault for being vague

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George Absolutely Stupid Bush the Younger

I too think this is a very sad thing, not many fresh water dolphins out there, and the ones that are don't appear to be doing so well.On a broader note, and one that I had intended to start a thread on, should people care about extictions? Especially if its not an ecologically, economically, or culturally important species? Sure save the pandas, and the whales, and the tigers, and the sea otters (who do such cute human things with their paws.) But what abouit other animals that are not so well known...like freshwater mussels.In grad school I worked with freshwater mussels of the Family Unionidae. The vast majority of humans have no clue that these little fellas are NOT the things that you order as an appetizer, and that the majority of them are extinct or endangered.So if nobody is really aware that this creature exists, if most people will never see one, and they have a viable ecological replacement (asian clams...Corbicula fluminea), then would it be a tragedy if they all went extinct? Why? And if it is OK in this situation why not others?

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I mean, this is America. Everybody loves seeing lesbians go at it, as long as they are both hot and not in a monogamous, legally sanctioned relationship.

The answer is very simple. Why not?Say we have species A. Species A does absolutely nothing for us. It doesn't benefit us or the environment at all. Nobody knows it exists. Why, then, should we not want it to go extinct? Because once it's gone it's gone.We should care for these species that are going extinct not because they benefit us in some way but because of the simple fact that they exist.A long time ago, I had a conversation with a friend of mine about extinction and such. He happened to be a philosophy major. Anyway, somehow the topic changed into knowledge. He pointed out to me, and I later agreed, that art is more important science. It is true that science has helped humanity in more ways that art ever did.But in science, the hydrogen atom will always be there even if tomorrow everybody suffers amnesia and all science is lost. The hydrogen atom will still be there for us to rediscover it. But if you lose something like the Mozart Clarinet Concerto, it's gone for good.Why should we care for all the species that are dying out there even though we've never heard of most of them? Because once they're gone they're gone.

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George Absolutely Stupid Bush the Younger

Your answer is different than most I hear. Some poeple don't care one way or the other, others can be hostile if said endangered species occurs on their land, and the ones who don't like to see things go extinct use a "canary in the coal mine" attitude. Sort of every endangered species is an indicator of how shitty we treat the earth, and by extension ourselves, and we should protect them because we as humans will benefit in the effort.Would have been awesome though to see a sky full of carolina parakeets and passenger pigeons.

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I mean, this is America. Everybody loves seeing lesbians go at it, as long as they are both hot and not in a monogamous, legally sanctioned relationship.

Japan would prolly just eat them anyway.

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I mean, this is America. Everybody loves seeing lesbians go at it, as long as they are both hot and not in a monogamous, legally sanctioned relationship.

Relax,gang (and Archer). Just heard a radio interview with the Chinese head of the survey (didn`t catch his name). He reports fishermen and river dwellers are telling him of various sightings. Of course, with habitat pollution due to 'human activities', he predicts the end may just have been postponed.

they've been on their last legs, so to speak, for quite a while.