To read the review of a new book entitled, "Rat Island" which was written by William Stolzenburg ,
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/64decd04-b6ca-11e0-ae1f-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1TfFiqz5y
The reason I am mentioning this review and this book is due to comments made by Clive Cookson, who reviewed this book. In his review Mr. Cookson states:
"The current extinction is taking place at an uneven pace across the world and, as the American wildlife writer William Stolzenburg shows in his gripping new book, islands are suffering most. Islands have produced 20 per cent of Earth’s animal species on 5 per cent of its landmass, but two-thirds of the birds and reptiles lost over the past 3,000 years have been insular species.Today they harbour almost half of the world’s critically endangered species."
I had no idea that is the islands on this planet which have produced this large a percentage of the Earth's animal species, did you? I also was shocked as I am sure you are, to learn that two-thirds of the birds lost to extinction in our World over the past 3,000 years have been insular species. (The word "insular" in this context refers to "Living or located on an island." (source:http://www.thefreedictionary.com/insular )
Why are these animals on these islands going extinct? Is it because humans have encroached on the habitats of these animals? Is it due to the fact that humans have moved to these islands and cut down all the trees and jungles which were the habitats of these animals? Is it due to the fact that some sort of disease was transmitted to the island by humans which caused these animals species which had no resistence to the disease to be wiped out? I know that humans are responsible for bringing over snakes to some islands which consequently wiped out species of birds on an island.
I am sure we would all like to have some explanation for this terrible loss of animal species on the islands of our planet. Has anyone read "Rat Island"? If so could you tell us what William Stolzenburg views as the reasons for this loss of so many bird and reptitile species on the islands of this World.
