We have the means to drive species to extinction. Are humans the only species that has this ability?

Generally speaking, humnas are the only species that can drive another species to extinction. The animal and plant kingdoms have a natural system of checks and balances built into it, as Charles Darwin, et al. , have determined.

Had man or other (alleged) intelligent, sentient, self-aware creature, never existed, and if you exclude natural disasters, and consider only the course of time, then predators and prey would simply co-exist, with prey far outnumbering the predators. This includes such relationships as the lion and the lamb, as well as the flowers and bees, etc. This system was "designed" to ensure that predators would never exceed their food supply, and prey could never be totally eliminated (again, natural threats, such as environmental changes and diseases could wipe out entire species, but those are deemed to be very rare). If there were a reduction in the number of prey, then the number of predators would either dwindle as well, or the prey would find other sources of food.

Thus, without man's interference, life on Earth would evolve far more gradually than it has, vis-a-vis, species eliminated due to man's destruction of natural habitats, as well as poaching and unnecessary hunting to extinction or near extinction. That creatures have changed to match their environment proves how flexible life on Earth truly is, without any intervention from man.So, given the above limitations, it is highly unlikely that any creature would or even could drive any other species to extinction. An excellent example of this is the parasitic Cowbird, which lays eggs in other birds' nests; upon hatching, Cowbird young push the unwary foster chicks out of the nests.

You'd think that would mean Cowbirds would have eliminated the other species by now.In fact, the overal number of cowbirds has not changed drastically in decades, most likely due to high chick mortality and low fertilization rates; thus, nature has kept Cowbirds in check, preventing it from wiping out other species, which keep it alive.

No. Extinction is a normal part of evolution. Usually a species or subspecies is driven to extinction by some normal competitor.

Sometimes this happens quickly when a new predator appears due to a geographical change. What is tragic and unique about humans is the scale and speed of the devastation humanity has wreaked. Humans have driven many species to extinction before their time and threaten far more.

This is in a matter of a few centuries, completely out of scale with normal evolutionary time lines. But your question is can other animals drive species to extinction. The answer is yes.

Rats, feral dogs, and assorted invasive species such as brown tree snakes have all driven other species to extinction. Humans have been to blame for transporting these creatures around to previously isolated islands and continents in such large numbers so rapidly. But this could and would happen naturally over a long period of time.

This in no way implies that human caused extinctions are less of a disaster! Normally extinction and the evolution of new species are in balance, maintaining natural diversity. Humans have destroyed the balance.

" Because indirectly, one animal can cause another's extinction (Dodo vs. Feral Dogs), but the humans introduced the dog which eradicated the Dodo, so technically, it was the humans but realistically it was the dogs. Good question! Thanks!

The number one cause of animal extinction in most recent times have been human demand, either for animal resources or for the natural resources constituting the animal's habitats. Introduction of invasive species to biodiversity rich areas damaged habitats of native species and destroy their safe existence. One example is that of the Galapagos tortoises.

Goats during the 20th century which were introduced to the Galapagos islands fed on tortoises' food supply. Pig, dogs and rats ate tortoise eggs resulting to the dramatic lowering of the tortoise numbers.

If you believe in the Judeo-Christian belief system, then outlined within the contents of scripture you will find 1. God gave man the task of naming all the plants and animals 2. Also he gave him dominion over them.

I am not quite sure man has the ability to drive an entire species to extinction, it seems like cataclysmic events, and weather patterns always play a part in that as well. Man is the only species capable of creating sophisticated weapons and waste products that may lead to extinction. There are theories that the dinosaurs created their demise by the amount of methane gas they emitted into the air, I am not so sure how reliable that is but I do find it ironic.

Other than viruses etc... because other species evolved within boundaries of other species.. each keeping the other in check.. until humans came along and mucked things up.. you can read more on the current extinction event here scienceray.com/biology/ecology/the-holoc....

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.