The hasty pace in which climate change is progressing at present is alarming to say the least. Aside from its hazardous effects on human life, plentiful of other species have suffered because of the drastic hike in temperature.
Experts claim that about one-fourth of the world's species would be heading for extinction by 2050 because of climate change. In fact in the past few years, climate change and global warming have already taken their first casualties. In 1999, the last of the Golden Toad in Central America died due to rising temperatures. Corals in the world's ocean have also begun bleaching out as the heat kills the colorful algae which is necessary for their survival.
Scientists and researchers have been knee-deep in research trying to figure out a way to halt the alarming rate earth has been hiking its temperatures. Some strides have been more effective than others. However, it seems like the recent extinction due to climate change is not the first instance this phenomena has been observed in this planet.
Recently paleontologists from the University of Oxford published an academic paper detailing the extinction of an ancient species due to climate change.
According to these researchers, the ichthyosaur, a dolphin like marine reptile, was wiped out by the rising temperatures during the planet's earlier years. The species were apparently wiped out in two phases. They finally began to disappear at the beginning of the Late Cretaceous period about 100 million years ago when they failed to evolve with the Earth's changes.
The hike in climate caused the ichthyosaur's food supply to deplete. New more adaptable species also begun evolving thus making it harder for these marine reptiles to find migratory routes and birthing places.
"At that time, the Earth's poles were essentially ice-free, and sea levels were much higher than today," read a part of the statement released by the University of Oxford.