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Our latest research reveals that the ecological "pawprint" of domestic dogs is much greater than previously realised.
Using the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, we counted how many species are negatively affected by dogs, assessed the prevalence of different types of impacts, and identified regions with the greatest number of affected species.
Dogs are third-most-damaging mammal
We found that dogs are implicated in the extinction of at least 11 species, including the Hawaiian Rail and the Tonga Ground Skink. Dogs are also a known or potential threat to 188 threatened species worldwide: 96 mammal, 78 bird, 22 reptile and three amphibian species. This includes 30, two of which are classed as "possibly extinct".
These numbers place dogs in the number three spot after cats and rodents as the world's most damaging invasive mammalian predators.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by J_Darnley on Wednesday May 03 2017, @10:54PM (10 children)
Man isn't the most damaging invasive mammalian predator? We don't even crack the top 3?
(Score: 2, Funny) by Ethanol-fueled on Wednesday May 03 2017, @11:00PM (1 child)
Wholesome American White folk who own cats and dogs don't allow our animals to attack endangered species. Our animals are fed by our own hand and the occasional vermin or critter, but we breed them responsibly and don't let our litters go feral.
(Score: 4, Informative) by Grishnakh on Thursday May 04 2017, @02:20AM
That's total bullshit. I've spent way too much time in the South to know that there's no truth to this at all.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 03 2017, @11:01PM (1 child)
Humans aren't invasive, unless you count Mexicans.
Build the Wall!
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday May 04 2017, @12:58AM
YES! We are the most intelligent species on Earth... You're right!
DING DING, you win the edumacation award!
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 3, Insightful) by charon on Wednesday May 03 2017, @11:11PM
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 03 2017, @11:36PM (3 children)
We are the root cause for ALL TOP 3 cases. We are in the top 3, thought as 1,2,3, since recondize we are the worst.
1) Cats - note not wild felines (tigers, lions, ...) - They were domesticated for our pleasure. The population grew in cause-and-effect with our population. There are too many to be sustainable on their own. Feral cats are there from us too. Either releasing them to catch and kill rodents or let loose becuase not wanted anymore. They survive because of us too, since we leave a lot of food available for other critters.
2) Rodents - Again, population grew in cause-and-effect with our population. We leave to many good food sources for them eat, plus add in other critters that they eat also living off of our trailing. You get the picture. We leave places for them to live and rasie litters. We try to control them with Cats and Dogs.
3) Dogs - Follow the same pattern as the Cats for their population and their fod supplies.
Now toss in Rabbits in Australia eating food supplies of Marsupial bring down their population. Also toss in Dingoes ("feral" dogs) eating Marsupials. Also Rodents in New Zealand, eating the food supplies for ground birds. Mankind just is source of all the Evil.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Grishnakh on Thursday May 04 2017, @02:37AM (2 children)
1) Cats - note not wild felines (tigers, lions, ...) - They were domesticated for our pleasure.
No, they were domesticated for their usefulness in rodent control. Many scientists don't even consider them fully domesticated, because we don't control their reproduction or food supply the way we do with dogs.
(Score: 1) by Burz on Thursday May 04 2017, @05:33PM
This is true... and it should be noted that 'domesticated' human-fed cat populations have soared and are contributing to a crash in bird populations.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 04 2017, @05:56PM
For you pleasure does not always mean pleasure as fun.but filling a need rat control or purring are both for our pleasure.
(Score: 1) by DavePolaschek on Thursday May 04 2017, @04:02PM
Man is number zero as the world's most damaging invasive mammalian predator. C not Pascal.