What Does Extinction Mean
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.
The current rate of extinction is estimated to be 100 to 1,000 times higher than the natural background rate. Human activities such as deforestation, pollution, overhunting, and climate change are driving this accelerated loss of biodiversity. Unlike prehistoric mass extinctions caused by asteroid impacts or volcanic eruptions, the current crisis is directly attributable to human influence on the planet's ecosystems.
Some of the most tragic extinction stories involve species that disappeared just as science was beginning to understand them. The thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, was declared extinct in 1936, just 59 days after the last known individual died in captivity. The Caribbean monk seal vanished in the 1950s before proper studies could be conducted. These losses represent not just the disappearance of species, but the permanent loss of unique genetic information and ecological relationships that took millions of years to evolve.