extinctions
Total population deaths
Extinctions is the plural of extinction, which denotes the complete dying out of a species or the end of something's existence.
Scientists track mass extinctions in Earth's history, such as the one that killed the dinosaurs.
The term extends beyond biology to describe the disappearance of languages, cultures, or practices.
Human activity has accelerated the rate of extinctions worldwide.
In psychology, extinction refers to the gradual weakening of a conditioned response when reinforcement stops.
Preserved ancient organism traces
- paleontologyStudy of ancient organisms
- dinosaursExtinct prehistoric reptiles
- CretaceousFinal Mesozoic period
- PermianLate Paleozoic geological period
megafauna · trilobites · mammoths · mastodons · dodo · ice age · K-Pg boundary · asteroid impact
Total elimination of something
- annihilationUtter, complete destruction
- obliterationTotal destruction or erasure
- exterminationComplete destruction of a group
- disappearanceAct of going missing
die-off · wipeout · demise · vanishing · loss · decimation · dying out · terminal decline
Planetary atmospheric transformation
- habitat lossElimination of living spaces
- overhuntingExcessive wildlife killing
- poachingUnlawful wildlife capture
- deforestationLarge-scale woodland elimination
invasive species · pollution · overfishing · disease · environmental degradation · exploitation · fragmentation · anthropogenic
At risk of extinction
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- speciesFinest taxonomic rank
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
- threatenedExpressed intent to harm
wildlife · ecosystem · preservation · sanctuary · reintroduction · protected · recovery · captive breeding
fossils
Preserved ancient organism traces
- paleontologyStudy of ancient organisms
- dinosaursExtinct prehistoric reptiles
- CretaceousFinal Mesozoic period
Permian · megafauna · trilobites · mammoths · mastodons · dodo · ice age · K-Pg boundary · asteroid impact · Jurassic
eradication
Total elimination of something
- annihilationUtter, complete destruction
- obliterationTotal destruction or erasure
- exterminationComplete destruction of a group
disappearance · die-off · wipeout · demise · vanishing · loss · decimation · dying out · terminal decline · no survivors
climate change
Planetary atmospheric transformation
- habitat lossElimination of living spaces
- overhuntingExcessive wildlife killing
- poachingUnlawful wildlife capture
deforestation · invasive species · pollution · overfishing · disease · environmental degradation · exploitation · fragmentation · anthropogenic · colonization
endangered
At risk of extinction
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- speciesFinest taxonomic rank
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
threatened · wildlife · ecosystem · preservation · sanctuary · reintroduction · protected · recovery · captive breeding · genetic diversity
- historyancient civilizations, past events, historian, epochs, era
- catastrophesdisasters, disaster, natural disasters, catastrophe, apocalypse
- climate impactsglobal warming, rising temperatures, rising temps, extreme weather, sea level rise
extinctionssurvivals
Things that persisted
continuations · persistences · preservations · endurances · recoveries
extinctionsproliferations
Rapid increases in quantity
radiations · revivals · resurgences · booms · expansions
extinctionsoriginations
Acts of bringing forth
emergences · diversifications · radiations · evolutions · births
- facing extinctionApproaching complete disappearance
- mass extinctionLarge-scale species elimination
- mass extinction eventWidespread rapid species loss
- species extinctionPermanent end of a lineage
- dinosaur extinctionEnd of giant reptiles
- back from extinction