The World Is In The Midst Of A Mass Extinction, But Not Jellyfish — They’Re Thriving In Warm, Polluted Water
A growing body of evidence suggests the planet is in the midst of a sixth mass extinction. Between 500,000 and 1 million plant and animal species face extinction, many within decades, according to a report from the United Nations. Pollution, habitat loss, warming oceans, and other consequences of climate change are driving animal populations down on an unprecedented scale. But one group of creatures is bucking this ominous trend: jellyfish. Jellyfish have roamed Earth’s oceans for 500 million years . The bell-shaped underwater denizens can be found all over the world; there are some 4,000 species of them, according to the Smithsonian Institute . The world is in the midst of a mass extinction – the sixth time in the planet’s history that species are experiencing a major global collapse in numbers. Up to 1 million species are threatened with extinction, many within decades, according to a United Nations report. Human activity is to blame: Habitats are being destroyed due to pol