If you could make any one species go extinct, which would it be?

Probably some sort of parasite like tape worms or some other sort of worm that burrows into your flesh. Heart worms? ick. Those just gross me out.

I could have sworn we did this recently.

Gong off-list I join RTF and go with Guinea Worms ASAP … I would like to have Jimmy Carter get to see that day.

On the list cows. Mind you I enjoy a good steak but the impacts to the world … to the environment, to global climate change, to world hunger, would be a net benefit with cows gone. Chickens are just a much more efficient protein factory and even pigs are not as bad.

It’s called accepting the premise, people.

I’d go with pigs. Sure, pork is great but there are people who live without it. Losing eggs or milk would be a greater blow to human cuisine. There’s an emotional attachment to cats and dogs. And the threat to humans is the reason I’m willing to make the choice.

He said we’re not limited to the 6 he mentioned. But if we were, I think I’d also go with pigs. They probably contribute the least to society and frankly, I like beef better than pork.

If we can pick anything, then mosquitos is the obvious answer. I do wonder how losing them would impact the things that eat them, though.

One word- **Bacon. **

I am with MEBuckner and would get rid of Polio.

I considered Malaria or the Anopheles mosquito, but that disease does somewhat protect some environments from human encroachment.

My thought- strike all current human males sterile.

So…uh…if all human males were sterile, then what’s the plan? I can fully understand you feeling that all humans should not be permitted to breed, but if all are sterile then you’re just voting for human extinction the slow way.

I suppose if existence pressure were on like that, efforts to research a form of biological or technological immortality would have enormous resources poured into them. But it is not guaranteed these efforts would succeed…

" …strike all** current **human males sterile."

Those not yet into puberty will soon be able to father kids, there are gallons in sperm banks, etc.

We’d lose one generation of kids. That would be great. We’d likely be able to come up with a solution for Global Warming then, before it got too bad.

Giant ragweed. If I’m limited to those 6, domestic cats.

I’d rather switch from pork bacon to beef bacon than from ice cream to rice cream.

If you kill malaria like Colibri suggested, then you can let those cute little Anopheles alone.

I figured the premise was we had to pick a desirable species. So we could substitute in something like horses but using this as a means to get rid of a species we don’t like anyway would just piss off God. And when God’s already in one of his extinction moods, you don’t want to piss him off any further.

Humans are the main reason so many animals are extinct , I say get rid of human and let nature take is course .

http://news.discovery.com/animals/endangered-species/human-caused-322-animal-extinctions-in-past-500-years-140724.htm

Roaches. All of them. Fuck roaches!

We did.

I miss those rhinos. We should really use this power more wisely.

My choice: fleas. Aggravating little bastards that have no purpose in life.

From the list, I pick dogs. My ex-wife and her boyfriend live next door to me and my girls (yeah, lucky me) and their 3 flea-bitten, mangy dogs are always pooping on my lawn. They also gave our little shnoodle dog, Daisy, a bad case of fleas. I think God may mistake Daisy for a cat (she looks more feline than canine), so she may escape his wrathful extinction. If not…meh…she’s lived long enough and isn’t much fun in her twilight years anyway. Besides, I don’t like the taste of dog. Cat is ok (I’m pretty sure the Chinese fast food joint down the road uses cat in their moo goo gai pan–it’s purrrfect).

If I can go off-list it’s a tie between Pseudomonas aeruginosa (when they party in your flesh they smell nauseatingly like grapes) and chipmunks (they act all cute and all, but they’re nothing more than little furry assholes).

I’m not too fond of 3-toed sloths, either. The one’s with 4 toes are ok, though.

… disconcerting …

Wow! I’m amazed. My house has been infested with pandas on multiple occasions. Glad to know I’m not alone.

Musca domestica, the common housefly. Filthy as fuck, uglier than sin, and considered by the ancients to be the only one of earth’s creatures not designed by God.