The on-line gambling site PaddyPower.com, under its Novelty Bets category called BP Special – "First to become extinct", takes bets on the species that may first dissapear because of the devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Several species are listed as most likely to become extinct. Currently, after about 50 bets received, the odds indicate that the Kemp's Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys kempii), a critically endangered species that migrates to the Gulf at this time of year, would go first. The turtle's range includes the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico and relies on the affected region as its sole breeding ground.
Listed as second most likely to become extinct is the Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus). Bluefin tuna populations are already at risk because of overfishing in international waters. The species encounter fishing hooks while migrating across the Atlantic to spawn in the Gulf of Mexico, and now the oil spill threatens to kill those that make it this far. Furthermore, marine biologists have warned that the bluerfin tuna are at risk not only from oil but also from oil dispersants.
Other
gulf species like The White Shrimp are getting help from some unexpected sources [ok this part isn't true , but it's a nice pic]
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