An animal is considered extinct when the last remaining member of its species dies out and there is not a single individual left on Earth. Causes of extinction might include an epidemic, extreme climate changes, loss of food sources, and destruction of their natural habitats. When a large number of species goes out of existence in some major calamity, it is called an extinction event
Out of all the extinction events witnessed by the Earth since it first came into existence, the ‘Big Five’ extinction events have been the most crucial in making the world the way it is today. These major extinction events have caused gigantic animals like dinosaurs, mammoths, and giant sloths to go out of existence, while certain birds and smaller animals like the dodo and golden toad could not survive either.
Billions of species have been lost throughout the planet’s history, whether due to natural causes or human activities. Though dinosaurs are the first to come to our mind when thinking about extinct animals, countless other, equally fascinating, species have been pushed to extinction over time.
There are still numerous animals and birds that have gone extinct in recent decades, with even more of them on the verge of dying out. Animals like the Spix’s macaw (Brazil), Zanzibar leopard (Tanzania), Baiji River Dolphin (China), and Pinta Island Tortoise (The Galápagos) are considered extinct with their last (known) surviving specimens dead; though there are often reports of possible sightings, which needs further verification.
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Multiple wildlife conservation organizations keep track of different species and their population trends, taking measures to help them survive. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), established in 1948, is one of the most authoritative among these.
They classify animals in various conservation statuses (depending on their number and population trends), including ‘Least Concern’, ‘Threatened’, ‘Endangered’, and lastly ‘Extinct’. This makes it easy for us to find out any animal’s ‘Conservation Status’.
Dinosaurs have fascinated kids and adults alike since the very beginning of the discovery of their existence.
