pastel artwork

newspaper

Merissa says: I think that extinction means that something is all gone. When the dinosaurs are all gone then the people could come. There are more things living now. It is a good thing that some animals go extinct because it makes room for new things like us. I would like to study the tiger. I wonder if it is related to what lived before? The Golden eagle is an endangered animal.

Sean Bell replies: In a nutshell, the cat family has been around for quite a long time. But when you study tigers in the fossil record, there is something really important you need to keep in mind. NO lineage of sabre-tooth cat is at all related to the modern cats. They are distinct groups that are related in the same way that we are to monkeys--close, but not that close.

Merissa asks: Right now I am studying elephants. I know that elephants are endangered. What I don't know is are their any laws that can protect elephants from poachers?

Merissa says: I decided to draw an elephant because I like elephants, and some are endangered.

Ms R-M replies: Dear Merissa, Many people seem to like Elephants. In some cultures, the elephant is seen with their gods and goddesses and sometimes their gods have elephant heads. I wonder what might have changed in these cultures so that elephants were killed for their tusks and ivory and not thought of as scared any more? Ms. R-M   

Merissa replies: Maybe the people wanted money more then they wanted to worship the elephants. They can sell the tusks for money to but food and cars, new hunting guns. Merissa.