How prehistoric animals can help save today's endangered species
Artists’ colourful drawings of prehistoric animals could help keep endangered species alive.
If you think paleoart has something to do with trendy, paleolithic meals then you’d be quite wrong. Rather, it’s a term for the colourful representations of prehistoric animals such as the Tyrannosaurus rex, wolly mammoths, and other animals that all have one thing in common: they’ve gone extinct.
In a new book recently launched at the Zoological Museum in Copenhagen, paleoartist Mauricio Anton brings the creatures of the past, amongst them the sabre-toothed tiger, back to life.
Anton believes that he and other paleoartists can help still-living species, because reminders of the extinction of prehistoric animals will get people to take better care of the species we still have.
"Curiosity is a basic instinct for us and when people look at drawings of prehistoric natural life and fossils I hope it’ll make them value the species we have today more – and make them look better after them," he says.
How many species are left in a 100 years?
Anton isn’t the only one who believes that past beasts such as the sabre-toothed tiger can benefit the species still alive on our Earth. David Nogués-Bravo of the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate at the University of Copenhagen where he studies how the extinction of different species affects the overall biodiversity, sees paleoart as a good tool to generate interest in extinct and living animals.
"Art is a good way of telling people what animals and plants that were here just 20,000 years ago," he says. "When they see this art, people will perhaps ask themselves the question, 'will animal species continue to die out?'"
We still lack knowledge about today's animal species
According to the United Nations, the species on our planet are currently reaching extinction between 100 and 1,000 times faster than what is considered natural.
Both Nogués-Bravo and Anton believe that we should learn as much as possible about present animals, so we don’t end up with the same problem as we have with dinosaurs: our knowledge about them comes from studying fossils only. In fact, 99 per cent of all species that have ever lived on the Earth are extinct today, says Anton.
"There are things we will never learn about the prehistoric animals," says Anton. "That is extremely frustrating, but imagine if we lost the tigers… we’d have the same problem as we have with the dinosaurs, where there are still so many questions we don't have the answers to."
Translated by: Michael de Laine
Jinsi wanyama wa kale wanaweza kusaidia kuokoa spishi zinazokabili hatari ya kutoweka leo Michoro ya wasanii yenye rangi ya wanyama wa kale inaweza kusaidia kuhifadhi spishi zinazokabili hatari ya kutoweka. Kama unafikiri paleoart ina kitu cha kufanya na mtindo, paleolithic chakula basi wewe'd kuwa kabisa makosa. Badala yake, ni neno kwa ajili ya uwakilishi rangi ya wanyama wa kabla ya historia kama vile Tyrannosaurus rex, wolly mammoths, na wanyama wengine kwamba wote kuwa na kitu kimoja kwa pamoja: wao wamekwenda extinct. Katika kitabu chake cha kwanza, kilichochapishwa hivi karibuni katika Jumba la Makumbusho la Zoolojia huko Copenhagen, mchoraji wa kale Mauricio Anton alirudisha viumbe wa zamani, miongoni mwao simbamarara mwenye meno ya upanga, kwenye maisha. Anton anaamini kwamba yeye na wasanii wengine wa kale wanaweza kusaidia spishi ambazo bado ziko hai, kwa sababu kukumbusha juu ya kutoweka kwa wanyama wa kabla ya historia kutawashawishi watu kutunza zaidi spishi ambazo bado tunazo. "Udadisi ni kichocheo cha msingi kwa sisi na wakati watu wanapoangalia michoro ya maisha ya asili ya kabla ya historia na visukuku natumaini itawafanya kuthamini zaidi spishi tunazo leo na kuwafanya waangalie vizuri baada yao, "anasema. Ni spishi ngapi zinabaki katika miaka 100? Anton si mtu pekee anayeamini kwamba wanyama wa zamani kama vile simbamarara mwenye meno ya upanga wanaweza kufaidi spishi ambazo bado ziko hai duniani. David Nogues-Bravo, Mkurugenzi wa Kituo cha Macroecology, Evolution na Hali ya Hewa katika Chuo Kikuu cha Copenhagen, anaangalia jinsi kutoweka kwa spishi tofauti kunavyoathiri utofauti wa kibiolojia kwa ujumla, na anaona paleoart kama chombo kizuri cha kuchochea maslahi katika wanyama waliopotea na walio hai. "Uchoraji ni njia nzuri ya kuwaambia watu wanyama na mimea ambayo ilikuwa hapa miaka 20,000 iliyopita, ""alisema." "Wakati wataona sanaa hii, labda watu watajiuliza swali, 'Je, spishi za wanyama zitaendelea kutoweka?'" Kwa mujibu wa Umoja wa Mataifa, spishi za wanyama duniani zinakabili hatari ya kutoweka kwa kasi ya mara 100 hadi 1000 kuliko kawaida. Nogués-Bravo na Anton wote wawili wanaamini kwamba tunapaswa kujifunza zaidi iwezekanavyo kuhusu wanyama wa sasa, kwa hivyo hatutakuwa na tatizo sawa na tunavyo na dinosaurs: maarifa yetu juu yao hutoka kwa kusoma visukuku tu. "Kwa kweli, asilimia 99 ya spishi zote zilizowahi kuishi duniani zimeangamia leo, ""Anton anasema." "Kuna mambo ambayo hatuwezi kamwe kujifunza kuhusu wanyama wa kabla ya historia", asema Anton. "Hiyo ni ya kukatisha tamaa sana, lakini fikiria kama tungekuwa tumepoteza simbamarara... tungekuwa na tatizo sawa na tulilo na dinosaurs, ambapo bado kuna maswali mengi ambayo hatuna majibu." Ilitafsiriwa na: Michael de Laine