Earth & kids

It was once believed that deep sea volcanoes were so dangerous, no animal could ever exist or live nearby. After a series of dives done in the late 1970s, scientists were shocked, to say the least, to find organisms surviving near these volcanoes. It begs the question about what’s an endangered animal if one can find new organisms surviving on its own. Could it possible then for animals to survive and evolve without human intervention? Is it possible for our children to never have to answer their children about what’s an endangered animal?

Logic dictates that the only way this is possible is if we stop polluting the environment and land grabbing from animals. Then life will start to recover naturally. As for the animals and organisms found beneath the deep seas and living near deadly underwater volcanoes, this is indeed a blessing. It was once believed that plants and algae be unable to survive without the sun, so how does one explain the “marine snow” that was found near active underwater volcanoes? Scientists believe that animals that fed on other animals adapted and that’s how they were able to survive such treacherous environments. These animals are crabs, worms, snails, shrimp, mussels, and fishes. They have what scientists call microbe and it helps these animals process the food through the chemicals found in the ocean’s vent fluids and seawater. The question that pops up would then be if these animals are edible since they live in such toxic conditions where the pressure is immense and the temperature swings from one extreme to another. It is exciting though to know that new species and life forms are being born.

Reference: Illustrated Encyclopedia of endangered animals.