Global Extinctions

Extinctions have occurred in all animal and plant groups, but most well documented extinctions are mammals and birds. These animals are more loved by people, so people notice these disappearances faster than disappearances in other animal groups, like arachnids and worms.

Photo: "The Blue Marble" is a famous photograph of the Earth taken on 7 December 1972 by the crew of the Apollo 17 spacecraft en route to the Moon at a distance of about 29,000 kilometers. It shows Africa, Antarctica, and the Arabian Peninsula. This file is in the public domain because it was created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted".

The subjoined table shows the number of species and subspecies that recently became globally extinct according to this website and the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Version 2011.1). Click on one of the list names to see the complete lists of recently extinct animals, plants and red algae.

References

IUCN (2011). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 25 June 2011.

TSEW (2011). The Sixth Extinction Website. <www.petermaas.nl/extinct>. Downloaded on 17 November 2011.