https://www.theextinctions.com/blog daily 0.75 2020-11-23 https://www.theextinctions.com/blog/roger-eknhs monthly 0.5 2019-08-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ce82d5d7cff9a0001025c64/1565805995594-KDNI0YKWQU3ZBRC26PCY/20160125-A05A0708.jpg Blog - Roger's Story https://www.theextinctions.com/blog/philippe-w3jak monthly 0.5 2019-08-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ce82d5d7cff9a0001025c64/1565804058045-462YEG020FFTE0TSYJQ5/dog-4.jpg Blog - Philippe's Story https://www.theextinctions.com/blog/pepper-5c6b7 monthly 0.5 2019-08-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ce82d5d7cff9a0001025c64/1565806129140-3N3COIW4L455FAXL8XFW/A05A8746-2.jpg Blog - Pepper's Story https://www.theextinctions.com/blog/hank-xl9ff monthly 0.5 2019-08-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ce82d5d7cff9a0001025c64/1565805541409-VADKO8ECSUGGFH3PW6SJ/HankPortrait2.jpg Blog - Hank's Story https://www.theextinctions.com/blog/michael-fbkyg monthly 0.5 2019-08-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ce82d5d7cff9a0001025c64/1565806291853-5281R8TP875AC389ZG8W/dog-3.jpg Blog - Michael's Story https://www.theextinctions.com/blog/tia-cxhbe monthly 0.5 2019-08-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ce82d5d7cff9a0001025c64/1565806359829-M0YHYCNT1OB16V2YR814/dog-6.jpg Blog - Tia's Story https://www.theextinctions.com/blog-1 daily 0.75 2024-08-27 https://www.theextinctions.com/blog-1/natures-ghosts-book-review monthly 0.5 2024-08-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/237f5d41-07ac-4e07-80d3-4f90c71cb88b/512Li7ZD3zL._AC_UF1000%2C1000_QL80_.jpg Blog - Nature’s Ghosts - book review - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.theextinctions.com/blog-1/extinctions-in-our-time monthly 0.5 2021-11-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/cba9c590-62a5-49a1-b0fa-716309272573/IMG_7075.JPG Blog - Extinctions in our time - Make it stand out Fig 1. A vista of Atlantic Rainforest in Murici, Brazil. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Attribution 2.0 Generic license, and is by author Ben Phalan. The image is unedited and the original can be found here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1634322980631-QDJK6FKLNGPP010C35MN/alagoas+curassow.jpg Blog - Extinctions in our time - Make it stand out Fig 2. A depiction of the Alagoas Curassow (Mitu mitu) by 19th century naturalists Nicolas Huet II and Jean-Gabriel Prêtre. Terms of use: No Rights Reserved https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1634323053054-NDYEM313GUV2VHYZHBNZ/Glaucus+macaw.JPG Blog - Extinctions in our time - Make it stand out Fig 3. A pair of glaucous macaw (Anodorhynchus glaucus) Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported. It is attributed to Andrés González. The image is unedited and the original can be found here https://www.theextinctions.com/blog-1/podcast-launch-and-more monthly 0.5 2021-09-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1630755412388-BCBZQ6TMF73KUKMFO352/FKQJD0Xt+%281%29.jpg Blog - The Second Launch - podcast, patreon and more - Make it stand out Figure 1. An Eemian scene of Northwestern Europe, circa 120kya. Animals from left-to-right are red deer (Cervus elaphus), barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus), a European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), aurochs (Bos primigenius), grey partridges (Perdix perdix), European elephants (Palaeoloxodon antiquus), dholes (Cuon alpinus) and a robin (Erithacus rubecula). Art commissioned by The Extinctions from Hodari Nundu. https://www.theextinctions.com/blog-1/the-hunting-ape-an-essay monthly 0.5 2021-08-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1629531730785-4RTIV56B3WEX3PAP8FFZ/Algerien_Desert.jpg Blog - The Hunting Ape - Make it stand out Figure 1. A hunting scene from the Algerian desert. Terms of use: This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license. It is credited to Gruban, and the original can be found here. The image is unedited. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1629532127742-11U8WE03PX88GCUE1OVK/Hunting_Woolly_Mammoth.jpg Blog - The Hunting Ape - Make it stand out Figure 2. A mammoth-hunt in the Pleistocene. Terms of use: This image is licensed under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. It is uncredited, and the original can be found here. The image is unedited. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1629532322120-KZHFT7OTEW2TMJ97H5MY/Europe-Hunt-Mythology-Greece-Greek-Hunting-1282669.jpg Blog - The Hunting Ape - Make it stand out Figure 3. A hunting-scene from Greek mythology portrayed. Terms of use: This image is licensed under the CC0 1.0 Universal license. https://www.theextinctions.com/blog-1/the-fire-in-the-wood-cause-and-effect-in-species-extinctions monthly 0.5 2021-07-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1626007251509-LGOHLWTWWK6VULD8ECW1/wildfire-forest-fire-blaze.jpg Blog - The Fire in the Wood - cause and effect in species extinctions - Make it stand out Figure 1. A raging forest-fire. Terms of use: This image is licensed under the CC0 1.0 Universal. It is uncredited. The image is unedited and the original can be found here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1626007831326-5UF2SHQ2XL4HG1TZI5XT/Islandsfireinwood.png Blog - The Fire in the Wood - cause and effect in species extinctions - Make it stand out Figure 2. An overview of the hypothetical islands. Diagram by Tristan Søbye Rapp https://www.theextinctions.com/blog-1/voices-of-palaeoart-brennan-stokkerman monthly 0.5 2021-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1624608943103-98J01XS6XMNYSKX7KO05/RsxzR5dN.jpg Blog - Voices of Palaeoart - Brennan Stokkerman - Make it stand out Fig 1. Two phorusrhacids (“terror birds”) stroll along the coast. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1624608961293-VFS8XEI6919IGLX406N7/emGiYe9S.jpg Blog - Voices of Palaeoart - Brennan Stokkerman - Make it stand out Fig 2. Megaloceros giganteus, the Irish elk. https://www.theextinctions.com/blog-1/voices-of-palaeoart-corbin-rainbolt monthly 0.5 2021-06-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1623871713936-RPVHR33I4WYQOLX69RQZ/GiantBeaver.jpg Blog - Voices of Palaeoart - Corbin Rainbolt - Make it stand out Fig 1. The giant beaver Casteroides ohioensis alongside the extant North American beaver (Castor canadensis) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1623871945489-0PH0VP6RT12W225G6VHE/Teratornis.jpg Blog - Voices of Palaeoart - Corbin Rainbolt - Make it stand out Fig 2. A pair of perching Terratornis, a genus of giant American bird of prey. https://www.theextinctions.com/blog-1/voices-of-palaeoart-maija-karala monthly 0.5 2021-06-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1623310712018-N0LXU05OF26BUADG4P9F/Wild_horse_colors-min.jpg Blog - Voices of Palaeoart - Maija Karala - Make it stand out Fig 1. A diagram showing the different colourschemes of the Eurasian Wild Horse (Equus ferus) and the accompanying alleles of each https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1623309463391-BYAGGFTE0JGAOJ7Q0JJL/Stephanorhinus.jpg Blog - Voices of Palaeoart - Maija Karala - Make it stand out Fig 2. Depictions of the two Late Pleistocene species of Stephanorhinus and their respective ranges https://www.theextinctions.com/blog-1/voices-of-palaeoart-julio-lacerda monthly 0.5 2021-06-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1622631547261-F3UVD2OKUPAXG46AL2AB/megaloceros.png Blog - Voices of Palaeoart - Julio Lacerda - Make it stand out Fig 1. An Irish Elk (Megaloceros giganteus) and a carrion crow (Corvus corone) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1622631586490-CU532MM6ZYINR97HHZWQ/winter.png Blog - Voices of Palaeoart - Julio Lacerda - Make it stand out Fig 2. Mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) in the Beringian winter. https://www.theextinctions.com/blog-1/hodari-nundu monthly 0.5 2021-05-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1622013002464-A3ZD3AQGZRIE2FRDT7MV/Protocyon+Rheas.jpg Blog - Voices of Palaeoart - Hodari Nundu - Make it stand out Fig 1. Two Protocyon troglodytes chasing a Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) during a thunderstorm in the Pleistocene Brazillian Cerrado https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1622012970271-TT8XOGBXUTVT6PT8XNXK/Protocyon+2.jpg Blog - Voices of Palaeoart - Hodari Nundu - Make it stand out Fig 2. A pack of Protocyon troglodytes chasing a Xibalbaonyx which is fleeing up a cenote wall in Late Pleistocene Yucatan https://www.theextinctions.com/blog-1/sisyphus-on-the-hill monthly 0.5 2021-05-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1619903507040-AHA67EN83X8EFZPSII0Z/Hippopotamus.jpg Blog - Sisyphus on the Hill Figure 1. A hippopotamus in a Kenyan wetland. Many such animals have escaped into the Colombian wild. Terms of use: This image is licensed under the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. It is uncredited. The image is unedited and the original can be found here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1619110231873-7KHETZXTGNA9DVFFR1MW/28141076120_9d946c423c_b.jpg Blog - Sisyphus on the Hill Figure 1. A pair of Dingos. For decades, a fierce debate has raged in Australia regarding the status of the animal - feral dog or novel species, protected native or introduced pest. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a creative commons Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to Robert Lynch. The image is unedited and the original can be found here https://www.theextinctions.com/blog-1/what-measure-is-a-meadow monthly 0.5 2021-05-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1613659829783-YHWJRXFZUIXY4XOCNQ8Y/34661137891_7ab276fe76_b.jpg Blog - What Measure is a Meadow? Figure 1. A meadow in spring Terms of use: This image is licensed under a creative commons Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to Enneafive. The image is unedited and the original can be found here https://www.theextinctions.com/blog-1/welcome-to-the-extinctions monthly 0.5 2021-01-08 https://www.theextinctions.com/blog-1/tag/Protocyon monthly 0.5 https://www.theextinctions.com/blog-1/tag/Extinction monthly 0.5 https://www.theextinctions.com/blog-1/tag/Conservation monthly 0.5 https://www.theextinctions.com/blog-1/tag/Ecology monthly 0.5 https://www.theextinctions.com/blog-1/tag/Palaeoart monthly 0.5 https://www.theextinctions.com/blog-1/tag/Modern monthly 0.5 https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1 daily 0.75 2025-07-01 https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/surviving-savanna-missing-megafauna-extinction-in-the-tropical-plains-of-south-america monthly 0.5 2025-07-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/d77cdc3b-ce72-4a7c-81d7-e3d41ef31d97/17604511325_ba4f6a071f_b.jpg Articles - Surviving Savanna, Missing Megafauna: Extinction In The Tropical Plains of South America - Make it stand out Figure 1. Cerrado landscape in the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, Brazil. Terms of use: This image is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license. It is attributed to Luís Felipe Figueiredo. The image is unedited and can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/ef18101c-b875-4485-8156-4f0aae99f4f5/Screenshot+2025-06-27+194042.png Articles - Surviving Savanna, Missing Megafauna: Extinction In The Tropical Plains of South America - Make it stand out Figure 2. A mixed forest-savanna landscape in Pleistocene Amazonia with extinct and extant animals. Extinct genera include Xenorhinotherium, Eremotherium, Paleolama, Notiomastodon, Toxodon, and Glyptodon. Art with permission from Júlia d'Oliveira https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/fab7ac15-b0df-4c15-880a-6a4690f1dd6e/7_-_Itahuania_-_Ao%C3%BBt_2008.JPG Articles - Surviving Savanna, Missing Megafauna: Extinction In The Tropical Plains of South America - Make it stand out Figure 3. Aerial photo of the Peruvian Amazon. Terms of use: This image is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license. It is attributed to Martin St-Amant. The image is unedited and the original can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/ceb27bc7-899a-4cda-b885-037130b53a43/1.png Articles - Surviving Savanna, Missing Megafauna: Extinction In The Tropical Plains of South America - Make it stand out Figure 4. Vegetation reconstructed from 8k years ago through to the modern era. Figure with permission from the researchers in Maksic et al. (2018) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/c8fc1ca5-62f3-4e94-a8e2-15ec240ac6a7/2.png Articles - Surviving Savanna, Missing Megafauna: Extinction In The Tropical Plains of South America - Make it stand out Figure 5. Changes in different types of pollen over time in Serra Negra (eastern Cerrado) and Colônia (Atlantic Forest) sites. Arboreal column represents tree taxa, percentages indicate abundance. Climate and CO₂ indicators on the right. Figure with permission from the researchers in De Oliveira et al. (2019) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/765531c1-84df-4401-abee-6d80283eb983/3.png Articles - Surviving Savanna, Missing Megafauna: Extinction In The Tropical Plains of South America - Make it stand out Figure 6. Simulated range of Eremotherium from the LGM vs. mid-Holocene. Figure with permission from the researchers in Lima-Ribeiro et al. (2012) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/287befb9-9ad7-4ffd-abd0-cdaf44e8a443/54032326634_c47179e200_b.jpg Articles - Surviving Savanna, Missing Megafauna: Extinction In The Tropical Plains of South America - Make it stand out Figure 7. African megafauna thrive in the interglacial world, in many types of climates. Terms of use: This image is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license. It is attributed to Daniel Giménez. The image is unedited and the original can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/c5820556-be34-48f9-9d53-05d13e28bfa7/Flora_da_caatinga.jpg Articles - Surviving Savanna, Missing Megafauna: Extinction In The Tropical Plains of South America - Make it stand out Figure 8. Arid Caatinga vegetation in northeastern Brazil. Terms of use: This image is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license. It is attributed to Otávio Nogueira. The image is unedited and the original can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/d56e6d18-fdda-4d7e-bfe1-96289b3966a6/Fishtail-projectile-points-from-Brazil-redrawn-from-their-original-illustrations-a.png Articles - Surviving Savanna, Missing Megafauna: Extinction In The Tropical Plains of South America - Make it stand out Figure 9. Fishtail projectile points from Brazil, redrawn from their original illustrations. Terms of use: This image is licensed under an Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. It is attributed to Daniel Loponte, Mirian Carbonera & Romina Silvestre. The image is unedited and the original can be found here. https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/victim-to-the-woods monthly 0.5 2025-01-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/18be21f6-6ac6-4982-8676-0b487dd4ec9e/Picture1.jpg Articles - Victim to the Woods: Souslik and Steppe Dynamics in the European Holocene - Make it stand out Figure 1: Laurisilva at Cubo de la Galga, La Palma. The laurel forests of Macaronesia may provide a glimpse into Europe’s subtropical past Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative commons 4.0 attribution-share alike international license, and is attributed to Frank Baldus. The image is unedited, and the original can be found here. The latest taxonomic revision by Simonov and colleagues (2024) recognises 18 species of Spermophilus, with a distribution across mid-latitude Eurasia, from the Czech Republic to China, along the Eurasian steppe belt. New species continue to be described, and some have only recently gained scientific acceptance in the light of genomic studies. One of these cases is Spermophilus odessanus with 36 chromosomes to the west of the river Dnieper and Spermophilus suslicus, with 34 chromosomes, to its east (11). Together, the two species were and still are commonly treated as Spermophilus suslicus sensu lato, the speckled souslik. In this essay, we will adopt this latter designation for the sake of simplicity, although it should be borne in mind that Spermophilus suslicus s.l. actually refers to two sister species. Sousliks are smallish creatures, decidedly smaller than some of their close relatives within the squirrel family (Sciuridae), the marmots (Marmota) and prairie dogs (Cynomys). They are of a long and slender physique with short extremities, and tend to be coloured in light hues of brown, yellow or grey; only the speckled souslik is strongly spotted. Like most of their kin, sousliks are for the most part gregarious animals that live in colonial burrows underground. During the course of a year they spend varying but significant amounts of time in aestivation (in summer) or hibernation (in winter) underground to evade harsh conditions, and accordingly, their size and weight fluctuates considerably: Before winter hibernation the largest species may weigh up to 2kg, but during the rest of the year, especially after hibernation, they are much leaner (12). As their scientific name suggests (gr. σπέρμα sperma – seed; φίλος philos – friend, lover) they are fond of seeds especially, but generally subsist on a variable diet that may also include other plant parts, as well as small invertebrates. Although the genus’ genesis is complicated and kinship ties between the different species are not easily established, it appears that when the genus arose in the Late Miocene, it diverged into four distinct lineages. One of these contains all living representatives in Western Eurasia: the European souslik, the Anatolian souslik (Sp. xanthoprymnus) and the Taurus souslik (Sp. taurensis) and, as sister to this group, the speckled souslik (11). During the Pleistocene and early Holocene, however, there was a sixth species in this lineage: Spermophilus citelloides, which henceforth we will call the Pannonian souslik, after the Pannonian Basin, where its centre of distribution appears to have been. Its range was not, however, limited to this region, but instead extended into Dobrudja, Serbia and Germany, especially during glacial periods. The species is known from a number of localities in this area from the middle Pleistocene onwards, before going extinct sometime in the first half of the Holocene (13). As hinted at by its scientific name, when the Hungarian palaeontologist Tivadar Kormos described it in 1916, he saw in the Pannonian souslik (Sp. citelloides) an ancestor of the European souslik (Sp. citellus) which has since taken its place in Central Europe (13). Instead, recent research paints a different, much more intricate picture of the relationship between the two species, and how one came to eventually replace the other. In lieu of being ancestral to the European souslik, as assumed by Kormos, the Pannonian souslikis now consideredas sister to the speckled souslik, whose range extends from easternmost Poland and Moldova through Ukraine and into southern Russia, in keeping to the east of the Carpathians (13). During the Pleistocene the speckled souslik lineage (here defined as Sp. citelloides + Sp. suslicus s.l.) thus inhabited a broad belt between Central Europe and the Ural Mountains. By contrast, the European souslik belongs in a primarily Anatolian kinship group, and was for the entirety of the Pleistocene limited essentially to areas south of the Danube, with the potential exception of the Serbian Vojvodina and the Wallachian Plain (14). Then, commencing around 6kya, it suddenly mounted a comparably rapid invasion along the Danube and into Central Europe (14, 15). To understand how the modern situation came about, with the European souslik as the only species in Central Europe, the speckled souslik lineage restricted to Eastern Europe and the Pannonian souslikextinct, it is necessary to seek for clues in both the past and the present, and what they can tell us about what might potentially have taken place. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/fdea0544-2472-417e-b87e-c20b7cf936b6/Picture2.jpg Articles - Victim to the Woods: Souslik and Steppe Dynamics in the European Holocene Figure 2. A Podolian souslik (Spermophilus odessanus). Given their close relationship, the Pannonian souslik may also have had a speckled pelt. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/66269fc3-18c2-476c-ac78-8979903607cd/Picture3.jpg Articles - Victim to the Woods: Souslik and Steppe Dynamics in the European Holocene - Make it stand out Figure 3: Two European elephants (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) in a mixed Eemian landscape in the European temperate forest biome. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative commons attribution 4.0 international license, and is attributed to Brennan Stokkermans. It is unedited and the original can be found here. With the end of the Last Glacial and the—initially stagnant but ultimately inevitable—advent of the most recent interglacial, the Holocene, all of this was about to change at unprecedented scale. How modern humans made their way into Europe—and the dire consequences this had for the natural world—has been illuminated on other occasions, and shall not be our concern here. And yet the end result was decisive: Between 50 and 40kya humans gained a definite footing in Europe (20) and by around 30kya, the decapitation of the Palaeoloxodon fauna was complete, with the elephant and both species of rhino extinct (21, 22). The consequences were profound: As the climate warmed and the mammoth steppe fauna that had characterised the last Ice Age declined, Europe was left without an intact community of megafauna for the first time in millions of years. As the large animals disappeared, so did their impact—the grazing, browsing and habitat maintenance—and in response a proliferation of vegetation began, the likes of which where probably unprecedented (23). The extent to which pre-Neolithic Europe was covered by forest remains a matter of debate, with Vera's wood-pasture hypothesis being the strongest voice of dissent, but the evidence suggests that forest cover was at least higher than it had been in previous interglacials, suggesting that the megafauna’s demise had far-reaching consequences (24). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/0a528bee-0d54-4a51-96d8-07914ecfe96e/Picture4.jpg Articles - Victim to the Woods: Souslik and Steppe Dynamics in the European Holocene - Figure 4: The existence of sousliks depends on open, short vegetation. With the megafauna extirpation this prerequisite was often lost and the vegetation grew tall, as in this case, turning into forest eventually. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative commons attribution share-alike 4.0 international license and is attributed to Jozefsu. It is unedited and the original can be found here. Figure 4: The existence of sousliks depends on open, short vegtation. With the megafauna extirpation this prerequisite was often lost and the vegetation grew tall, as in this case, turning into forest eventually. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative commons attribution share-alike 4.0 international license and is attributed to Jozefsu. It is unedited and the original can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/b9055782-fdd5-4ce4-a53c-40c939e5e036/Screenshot+2025-01-12+164717.png Articles - Victim to the Woods: Souslik and Steppe Dynamics in the European Holocene - Make it stand out Figure 5. Scene set in the early-middle Holocene of the Pannonian Basin, showcasing a colony of Pannonian sousliks, alongside other contemporary steppe fauna. These are, from left to right, Asiatic lions (Panthera leo leo), European wild ass (Equus hemionus hydruntinus), European rollers (Coracias garullus),great bustards (Otis tarda) and a lesser grey shrike (Lanius minor). Terms of use: Artwork by Hodari Nundu and Commissioned by The Extinctions https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/91a39bf6-72da-4e2f-9b70-ac41a98f5276/Picture6.jpg Articles - Victim to the Woods: Souslik and Steppe Dynamics in the European Holocene - Make it stand out Figure 6: A photograph of a Romanian hamster (Mesocricetus newtoni). This species is a little-known, threatened endemic of Southern Romania, and a close relative of the golden hamster, a common pet animal. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative commons attribution 4.0 international license, and is attributed to Demian Hiß. It is unedited, and the original can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/a64505b9-e696-4530-818a-ee7206a80c54/Picture9.jpg Articles - Victim to the Woods: Souslik and Steppe Dynamics in the European Holocene - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/6a4d7449-f15d-4163-bba2-acf84ee732b0/Picture10.png Articles - Victim to the Woods: Souslik and Steppe Dynamics in the European Holocene - Make it stand out Figure 7: A sociable plover (Vanellus gregarius)in its habitat, accompanied by a range map on the bottom. Summer breeding areas are green and wintering areas are blue; areas from where the species has been extirpated are indicated by dashed lines. Terms of use: The image on the top is licensed under a Creative commons attribution 4.0 international license, and is attributed to andrewbazdyrev. The image on the bottom is licensed under a Creative commons Attribution-share Alike 4.0 license, and is attributed to the user The Great Mule of Eupatoria. Both images are unedited and the originals can be found here and here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/fc176386-e870-45d4-b04b-eb6e8ae771d6/Picture11.png Articles - Victim to the Woods: Souslik and Steppe Dynamics in the European Holocene - Make it stand out Figure 8: A map of the spread of farming from the fertile crescent into Europe up to about 3800 BC. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Attribution International license. It is attributed to Detlef Gronenborn and Barbara Horejs. The image is unedited, and the original can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/3847b53b-a099-493d-b1b3-e891d89e0f1e/Picture12.jpg Articles - Victim to the Woods: Souslik and Steppe Dynamics in the European Holocene - Figure 9: An image of an adult steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis). The species is strongly dependent on sousliks, and declines in population are associated with declines in souslik populations. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Attribution International license. It is attributed to PJeganathan. The image is unedited, and the original can be found here. Figure 9: An image of an adult steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis). The species is strongly dependent on sousliks, and declines in population are associated with declines in souslik populations. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Attribution International license. It is attributed to PJeganathan. The image is unedited, and the original can be found here. https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/the-lost-rhinos-of-europe monthly 0.5 2024-11-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/28723b10-4c55-4f90-bdd3-3610c6e3000f/Coelodonta_antiquitatis_by_Benjamin_Langlois.jpg Articles - The Lost Rhinos of Europe - Make it stand out Figure 1. Artist’s reconstruction of the Late Pleistocene woolly rhinoceros, Coelodonta antiquitatis. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International. It is attributed to Benjamin Langlois. The image is unedited and the original can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/665e44d4-3457-4694-8e0f-48c1450fe597/Stephano.JPG Articles - The Lost Rhinos of Europe - Make it stand out Figure 2. Skull of Stephanorhinus etruscus, kept at the Musee d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a creative commons attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. It is attributed to user Ghedoghedo. The image is unedited and the original can be found here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/6b3cd1c8-550b-4fdc-9a63-8be7b93e51b7/Narrow_nosed_rhino.JPG Articles - The Lost Rhinos of Europe - Make it stand out Figure 3. Eemian scene showcasing a herd of narrow-nosed rhinoceroses (Stephanorhinus hemitoechus) crossing a river in autumn, somewhere in ancient Central Europe. In the foreground can also be seen Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra) and a European dipper (Cinclus cinclus). Terms of use: Artwork by Hodari Nundu and Commissioned by The Extinctions https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/88c0edf7-bab9-4e08-941b-ed64a1b389d8/Elasmotherium_Final.png Articles - The Lost Rhinos of Europe - Make it stand out Figure 4. Skeletal reconstruction of Elasmotherium sibiricum, rendering the nasal horn according to the traditional interpretation. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International. It is attributed to Ivan Iofrida. The image is unedited and the original can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/f5457d1b-6432-491b-8d62-995996b82d8a/EuropeII.jpg Articles - The Lost Rhinos of Europe - Make it stand out Fig 5. A group of human hunters, having tracked and brought down a large woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis), must now defend it from a pack of hungry hyenas (Crocuta crocuta). On the far left hand is an early domestic dog or proto-dog (Canis lupus familiaris). Scene set circa 20kya, during the Last Glacial Maximum. Terms of use: Artwork by Hodari Nundu and Commissioned by The Extinctions https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/the-lesser-sundas-part-2-timor-and-the-remaining-isles monthly 0.5 2024-08-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/6137d239-e33a-48ef-a8e3-d4c498343e22/TIMOR.png Articles - The Lesser Sundas Part 2: Timor and the Remaining Isles - Make it stand out Figure 1. Map of Timor in the Lesser Sundas, along with sites mentioned in the text. Terms of use: Own work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1d948ff8-4b39-46d4-b645-8a9c31c437dc/Picture1.png Articles - The Lesser Sundas Part 2: Timor and the Remaining Isles - Make it stand out Figure 2. Spotted Tree Monitor (Varanus timorensis) is the only native species of monitor lizard on the island of Timor and is endemic to Timor and small neighbouring isles. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a creative commons attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. It is attributed Mark O’Shea. The image is unedited and the original can be found here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/efa17165-0945-4f79-881c-7123de735127/Timor.jpeg Articles - The Lesser Sundas Part 2: Timor and the Remaining Isles - Make it stand out Figure 3. Timor dragons flocking around their kill, a Stegodon timorensis on a grassy hillside on Timor during the Late Pleistocene. The remaining herd looks on from afar. Artwork commissioned for The Extinctions by Hodari Nundu. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1fc28679-d93c-46c1-95c8-9c59e3f4d36b/Picture2.jpg Articles - The Lesser Sundas Part 2: Timor and the Remaining Isles - Make it stand out Figure 4. Cave paintings from Lene Hara. The painting dates to the Holocene, with older carvings dating back almost 30 thousand years (20). Terms of use: This image is licensed under a creative commons attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. It is attributed David Palazon. The image is unedited and the original can be found here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/04c62fd8-9f13-4307-88b2-ca4b882ebb34/Timor_Timeline.jpg Articles - The Lesser Sundas Part 2: Timor and the Remaining Isles - Make it stand out Figure 5. Timeline of key events at Timor, green denoting periods with megafauna present, yellow denoting units not bearing dated fossils and red lacking megafauna. Terms of use: Own work Extinction in the Lesser Sundas The underlying cause of the extinction of the megafauna of Timor is difficult to evaluate conclusively, due to a scarcity of evidence, but human- and climate-caused extinctions remain by far the most popular explanations. Assuming that megafauna extinctions in Flores and Timor are roughly synchronous and that Homo sapiens colonised Flores shortly before, or after, they colonised Timor. This would put the earliest evidence of human arrival in the Lesser Sundas within spitting distance of the disappearance of its megafauna – rendering it a compelling hypothesis. There is no direct evidence of human hunting of megafauna in the Lesser Sundas. Even supposing a human-driven extinction, this is unsurprising. It is difficult to evaluate how long it would take for Homo sapiens to eradicate the Lesser Sundas megafauna under an overkill hypothesis, however the stratigraphy from Liang Buas well-studied layers suggests there may have been at most a few thousand years overlap, and perhaps less. Given that the amount of fossil evidence from the Lesser Sundas is limited and localised in time, the vast majority of remains likely predate human arrival. Evidence of human hunting would truly be a lucky discovery. A human-driven cause therefore presents a plausible hypothesis, but one lacking direct evidence outside of a temporal correlation. How then does a climatic hypothesis hold up in comparison? There’s unfortunately very little data from Timor to go on. The primary studies investigating this subject matter come from the archaeological periods, that is, presumably after the megafauna extinctions have occurred. At Lailli Cave, the oxygen and carbon isotopic data from local gastropods suggests that despite major changes in sea levels during the Late Pleistocene, the conditions were relatively stable from 44,000 years and until the onset of the Holocene (3). This however tells us very little about the local conditions in the period 130kya to 45kya, which would be of interest in evaluating a climate-based hypothesis. In the same vein, Hidayah et al 2021 investigated the palaeoenvironment of Timor and its change over time based on pollen evidence from the Atambua Basin, but these records cover only the Middle Pleistocene well prior to the extinction of the megafauna. As discussed in part 1, current evidence from Flores indicates that there is no evident connection between the megafaunal collapse and climate change. Thus, as of the 2024, there’s an absence of any local data supporting a major climatic shift in conjunction with the demise of the Lesser Sundas megafauna and additional studies will be needed to verify any hypothesised connection. The giant rats of Timor and elsewhere seem to survive the original colonization of the island by Homo sapiens and last well into the Holocene (11), it has been proposed that their extinction may be in line with habitat loss due to deforestation during the Late Holocene by indigenous tribes. Interestingly, this is despite evidence of prolonged and extensive hunting, as observed by large abundances of cut and burnt bones during the Pleistocene (11). The small size (relative to megafauna) and likely fast reproduction rates of the endemic rats seem to have been sufficient to maintain their populations in the face of hunting pressure. Inferences regarding the Timor crane are difficult to make as it is known only from a single Late Pleistocene specimen, however the large buttonquail is known from a range of deposits, with the terminal records coinciding roughly concurrently with the disappearance of the giant rats (14). On the whole, human-caused extinction presents the most persuasive explanation for the megafaunal collapse in the Lesser Sundas during the Late Pleistocene. Liang Buas stratigraphy provides the most compelling evidence with megafauna remains immediately prior to the appearance of more complex stone tools. This coupled with the dating of concrete human remains from Timor around the same time point in time, point towards a relationship between the arrival of Homo sapiens and the disappearance of the Lesser Sundas megafauna. In contrast a climatic explanation of extinction in the region lacks any clear evidence of correlation, let alone causation. Existing data from Flores suggests that climatic shifts occurred prior to, and well after the disappearance of megafauna from the archipelago. References 1. Aplin, K. P., Helgen, K. M. (2010) Quarternary Murid Rodents of Timor Part 1: New Material of Coryphomys buehleri Schaub, 1937, and Description of a Second Species of the Genus. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 341, 1-80. 2. Arida, E., Reilly, S. (2021) Varanus timorensis. The IUCN Red list of Threatened Species 2021: e.T83778959A101752375 3. Hawkins, S., O’Connor, S., Maloney, T. R., Litster, M., Kealy, S., Fenner, J. N., Aplin, K., Boulanger, C., Brockwell, S., Willan, R., Piotto, E., Louys, J. (2017). Oldest human occupation of Wallacea at Laili Cave, Timor-Leste, shows broad-spectrum foraging responses to late Pleistocene environments. Quarternary Science Reviews 171, 58-72. 4. Hawkins, S., O’Connor, S., Louys, J. (2019) Taphonomy of bird (Aves) remains at Laili Cave, Timor-Leste, and implications for human-bird interactions during the Pleistocene. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 11, 6325-6337. 5. Heaney, L. R. (1991) A synopsis of climatic and vegetational change in Southeast Asia. Climate Change 19, 53-61. 6. Hidayah, A. R., Wibowo, U. P., Purwoarminta, A., Price, G. J., Noerwidi, S. (2021). Palaeoenvironments and palaeontology of the Atambua Basin, West Timor, Indonesia. Quarternary International 693, 82-89. 7. Hocknull, S. A., Piper, P. J., van den Bergh, G. D., Due, R. A., Morwood, M. J., Kurniawan, I.. (2009) Dragon’s Paradise Lost: Palaeobiogeography, Evolution and Extinction of the Largest-Ever Terrestrial Lizards (Varanidae). PLoS One 4(9) e7241. 8. Hooijer, D. A.. (1972a). Varanus (Reptilia, Sauria) from the Pleistocene of Timor. Zoologische Mededelingen 47(34), 445–448. 9. Hooijer, D. A. (1972b) Pleistocene vertebrates from Celebes. XIV. Additions to the Archidiskodon-Celebochoerus fauna. Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie Te Leiden 46 (1). 10. Jensen, B. J. L., Dufrane, A., Mark, D., Zaim, Y., Rizal, Y., Aswan, A., Hascary, A., Ciochon, R., Gunnell, G., Larick, R., Zonnveld, J. P. (2017) Newly Described Tephra Provide Age Constraints to Stegodon Fossils in West (Indonesian) Timor. American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting. 11. Louys, J. (2016) The Giant Rats of Timor. Australasian Science 37 (3), 24-26. 12. Louys, J., Price, G. J., O’Connor, S. (2016) Direct dating of Pleistocene Stegodon from Timor Island, East Nusa Tenggara. PeerJ 4:e1788. 13. Louys, J., O’Connor, S., Mahirta, Higgins, P., Hawkins, S., Maloney, T. (2018) New genus and species of giant rat from Alor Island, Indonesia. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity 11, 503-510. 14. Meijer, H. J. M., Louys, J., O’Connor, S. (2019) First record of avian extinctions from the Late Pleistocene and Holocene of Timor Leste. Quarternary Science Reviews 203, 170-184. 15. O’Connor, S. (2007) New evidence from East timor contributes to our understanding of earliest modern human colonisation east of the Sunda Shelf. Antiquity 81 (313). 16. O’Connor, S., Mahirta, Kealy, S., Boulanger, C., Maloney, T., Hawkins, S., Langley, M. C., Kaharudin, H. A. F., Suniarti, Y., Husni, M., Ririmasse, M., Tanudirjo, D. A., Wattimena, L., Handoko, W., Louys, A., Louys, J. (2019) Kisar and the Archaeology of Small Islands in the Wallacean Archipelago, The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, 14(2), 198-225. 17. Rhodin, A. G. J., Thomson, S., Georgalis, G. L., Karl, H-V., Danilov, I. G.,Takahashi, A., de la Fuente, M. S., Bourque, J. R., Delfino, M., Bour, R., Iverson, J. B., Shaffer, H. B., van Dijk, P. P.. (2015). Turtles and Tortoises of the World During the Rise and Global Spread of Humanity: First Checklist and Review of Extinct Pleistocene and Holocene Chelonians. Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises Chelonian Research Monographs 5. 18. Setiyabudi, E. (2009) An early Pleistocene giant tortoise (Reptilia ; Testudines ; Testudinidae) from the Bumiayu area, Central Java, Indonesia. Journal of Fossil Research 42(1), 1-11. 19. Clarkson, C., Jacobs, Z., Marwick, B., Fullagar, R., Wallis, L., Smith, M., Roberts, R. G., Hayes, E., Lowe, K., Carah, X., Florin, S. A., McNeil, J., Cox, D., Arnold, L. J., Hua, Q., Huntley, J., Brand, H. E. A., Manne, T., Fairbairn, A., Shulmeister, J., Lyle, L., Salinas, M., Page, M., Connell, K., Park, G., Norman, K., Murphy, T., Pardoe, C. (2017). Human occupation of northern Australia by 65,000 years ago. Nature 547, 306-310 20. Aubert, M., O'Connor, S., Mcculloch, M., Mortimer, G., Watchman, A. & Richerlafléche, M.. (2007). Uranium-Series dating rock art in East Timor. Journal of Archaeological Science 34, 991–996. https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/inner-melanesia-the-bismarcks-amp-solomons monthly 0.5 2024-07-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/f37e3537-c636-467d-bd5f-290d97ee9697/4ead1d39-a69b-4848-a62c-5743711cd19b.jpg Articles - Inner Melanesia - the Bismarcks & Solomons - Make it stand out Figure 1. Map of the Inner Melanesia region, highlighting the Kilu Cave site on Buka Island. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/8cf51636-920a-4bd1-9da7-97296b597f9f/Lamsbie_Bay_Sentral_New_Ireland.jpg Articles - Inner Melanesia - the Bismarcks & Solomons - Make it stand out Figure 2. Beach looking out at Lamasbie Bay in New Ireland, the northernmost part of the Bismarck Archipelago Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International. It is attributed to Konoagila. The image is unedited and can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/3231bb59-eb90-4901-9623-8e571c9d2c05/Inner-Melanesia.jpg Articles - Inner Melanesia - the Bismarcks & Solomons - Make it stand out Figure 3. Late Pleistocene scene on New Ireland. From left to right the animals shown are: Homo sapiens, Cacatua sp., Porphyrio sp., a ribbon-tailed drongo (Dicrurus megarhynchus), a D'Albertis' python (Leiopython albertisii), pied coucals (Centropus ateralbus), an introduced grey cuscus (Phalanger orientalism) and Bismarck hanging parrots (Loriculus tener). Terms of use: Artwork by Hodari Nundu and Commissioned by The Extinctions https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/37c99725-14cf-43ba-b152-6af191168f70/Cassowary.JPG Articles - Inner Melanesia - the Bismarcks & Solomons - Make it stand out Figure 4. Painting of the dwarf cassowary, Casuarius bennetti, which occurs in the Bismarck Archipelago even to this day. Its relative, the southern cassowary (C. casuarius), is attested from the fossil record. Terms of use: The copyright of this image has expired and it is in the public domain https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/f8033726-2c0c-4fbd-b5af-cdca747a98ab/article_topimage_Three_Sisters_Island.jpg Articles - Inner Melanesia - the Bismarcks & Solomons - Make it stand out Figure 5. View of the Olu Malau or Three Sisters Islands, Makira-Ulawa Province, Solomon Islands. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Public Domain-Merket 1.0 Universal. It is attributed to RH D 22. The image is unedited and can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/d5e57d99-1ebb-4540-b95c-29ad02361f0b/Capture.JPG Articles - Inner Melanesia - the Bismarcks & Solomons - Make it stand out Figure 6. Image of a Solomon Islands skink, Corucia zebrata, an arboreal, prehensile-tailed lizard endemic to the archipelago which is the largest extant species of skink. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. It is attributed to JSutton93. The image is unedited. https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/lesser-sunda-islands-part-1-flores-and-sumba monthly 0.5 2024-09-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/9ca90f85-0fe1-4681-8b78-504ea06acbac/Flores+map.png Articles - Lesser Sunda Islands Part 1 – Flores & Sumba - Make it stand out Figure 1. Map of Flores in the Lesser Sundas, along with sites mentioned in the text. Terms of use: Own work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/fa844004-1de5-4624-8185-a3f9bf042a5f/Komodo+Dragon.jpg Articles - Lesser Sunda Islands Part 1 – Flores & Sumba - Make it stand out Figure 2. The Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is the only surviving megafauna species on Flores and its apex predator. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to Mark Dumont. The image is unedited and can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/20ba5fbc-4411-4180-b88b-f3f20c7f1c6f/Grassbird.jpg Articles - Lesser Sunda Islands Part 1 – Flores & Sumba - Make it stand out Figure 3. The Striated Grassbird (Megalurus palustris) is the only species of the genus Megalurus and inhabits much of South Asia, including Java. It is a candidate for the extinct remains described Meijer et al 2017. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to Imran Shah. The image is unedited and can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/2ca243fa-da64-4e05-825d-78e833404a37/Qx8YELpr.jpg Articles - Lesser Sunda Islands Part 1 – Flores & Sumba - Make it stand out Figure 4. Late Pleistocene Floresian landscape featuring, from left to right, a group of Flores Hobbits (Homo floresiensis), the Flores Monitor (Varanus hoojeri)., Flores giant rats (Papagomys armandvillei), giant storks (Leptoptilos robustus), Floresian vulture (Trigonoceps sp.), Floresian dwarf stegodons (Stegodon floresis) Terms of use: Artwork by Hodari Nundu and Commissioned by The Extinctions https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/f33df5e5-259b-4ebe-80e8-5814a7dc78c6/Liang+Bua.jpg Articles - Lesser Sunda Islands Part 1 – Flores & Sumba - Make it stand out Figure 5. Photograph of the interior of Liang Bua, the most important fossil site in the Lesser Sundas. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to Rosino. The image is unedited and can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/6a621846-7958-4822-8bc8-af50e7477a62/Flores_Timeline.png Articles - Lesser Sunda Islands Part 1 – Flores & Sumba - Make it stand out Figure 6. Timeline of units at Liang Bua and key events in Flores, green denoting units with megafauna present, yellow denoting units not bearing fossils and red lacking megafauna. Terms of use: Own work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/65ee8170-93b1-410e-8130-7b1ba0e659f5/Norway+Rat.jpg Articles - Lesser Sunda Islands Part 1 – Flores & Sumba - Make it stand out Figure 7. The brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) is one of a number of introduced murids and was likely in direct competition with the large endemic rats on Flores. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to Peter O’Connor. The image is unedited and can be found here. https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/mid-late-holocene-extinctions-in-the-yukon-and-alaska-amp-implications-for-future-restoration monthly 0.5 2023-11-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/84fddeb5-7ed8-479d-b60c-44827d1ec2b9/Bison_%2847494520321%29.jpg Articles - Mid-Late Holocene Extinctions in the Yukon and Alaska & Implications for Future Restoration - Make it stand out Fig 1. American Bison (Bison bison) in the Yukon Wildlife Preserve. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to Gloran Vaclic, and the original can be found here. The image is unedited https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/760c0beb-33c8-447e-a048-1bb803055156/elk.jpg Articles - Mid-Late Holocene Extinctions in the Yukon and Alaska & Implications for Future Restoration - Make it stand out Fig 2. The Wapiti or American Elk (Cervus canadensis) are present in the modern Yukon, but constitute a reintroduction to the area Terms of use: no rights reserved https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/5c4376e0-e176-4f11-8281-b58816fcd4db/Woolly_mammoth.jpg Articles - Mid-Late Holocene Extinctions in the Yukon and Alaska & Implications for Future Restoration - Make it stand out Fig 3. Woolly mammoths were potentially ecosystem engineers in Yukon, their browsing and behaviour likely increased mortality amongst trees and may have promoted openness Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to FunkMonk, and the original can be found here. The image is unedited https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/evolutionary-anachronisms-in-the-western-palearctic-part-i-puzzling-pomes monthly 0.5 2024-10-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/bb794de7-ba48-448e-a0b5-45e469e97798/Coffeetree.jpg Articles - Evolutionary Anachronisms in The Western Palearctic – Part I: Puzzling Pomes - Make it stand out Fig 1. Kentucky coffeetree pods, human hand for scale Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to Вікторія Тротнер(Приймачук), and the original can be found here. The image is unedited https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/a97cd836-2786-432c-8104-db4e65afc95b/WPalearctic.png Articles - Evolutionary Anachronisms in The Western Palearctic – Part I: Puzzling Pomes - Make it stand out Fig 2. A map of the Western Palearctic. For the purpose of this article, a slightly different definition is adopted, which does not protrude so far into the Sahara and instead includes Iranian Azerbaijan and adjacent Hyrcania in the east (indicated by the black oval). Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to Jimfbleak, and the original can be found here. The image is edited. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/7896794c-9c98-48f8-8499-e932237184b9/Service+Tree.jpg Articles - Evolutionary Anachronisms in The Western Palearctic – Part I: Puzzling Pomes - Make it stand out Fig. 3 A service tree in autumn near Kronberg, Germany Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to Heinz-Vale, and the original can be found here. The image is unedited. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/fef3b729-1ba4-4e47-8ba6-d0b111d49e0a/Crabapple.jpg Articles - Evolutionary Anachronisms in The Western Palearctic – Part I: Puzzling Pomes - Make it stand out Figure 4 A multi-stemmed crab apple tree. Note: pictured is a morphologically wild specimen. Due to the frequent hybridisation and the imperfect reliability of diagnostic features, it is not possible to reliably distinguish apples of wild and hybrid parentage without genetic testing Terms of Use: The photograph was taken by the author https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/f2d4734d-113e-4812-a141-9b08ed836ba8/Rhino.jpg Articles - Evolutionary Anachronisms in The Western Palearctic – Part I: Puzzling Pomes - Make it stand out Figure 5 A Merck’s Rhinoceros (Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis) forages underneath an old crab apple, alongside a roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), a fieldfare (Turdus pilaris) and two redwings (Turdus iliacus, next to the tree’s trunk). Later, the rhino will excrete the seeds, securing the crab apple’s posterity. Similar interactions would have probably been a regular sight in Europe’s not too distant past. Terms of use: Artwork by Hjalte Kjaerby and used with the kind permission of the artist https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/16b12a2f-0546-490e-a576-af225ac9b336/Fruits.jpg Articles - Evolutionary Anachronisms in The Western Palearctic – Part I: Puzzling Pomes - Make it stand out Figure 6 From left to right: 3 Sorb apples (C. domestica), 2 wild pears (P. pyraster), 2 crab apples (M. sylvestris), some of them already bletting. Despite no closer relationship other than being Maleae (pomes), the fruits show striking overlap in shape, dimensions, texture and smell. More strikingly, being situated on disparate branches of the Maleae tribe, European crab apples and sorb apples are more similar to each other than they are to some of their close, bird-dispersed kin. This suggests convergent evolution, driven by similar or the same dispersal partners. Note also the considerable variation in size in sorb apples. Terms of Use: The photograph was taken by the author https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/23d7fc83-0f70-4771-b4f3-f6f3edafc62d/Medlar.jpg Articles - Evolutionary Anachronisms in The Western Palearctic – Part I: Puzzling Pomes - Make it stand out Figure 7. Bletted (centre) and ripe but still unpalatable medlars (left and right) Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to Istvan Takacs, and the original can be found here. The image is unedited. https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/the-history-of-the-decline-and-fall-of-the-great-auk monthly 0.5 2023-08-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/cac58dec-7f9c-4dde-843a-a5aeea703da4/Great_Auk.jpg Articles - The History of the Decline and Fall of the Great Auk - Make it stand out Figure 1. Illustration of two great auks by famous artist John James Audubon from his book The Birds of America Terms of use: No Rights Reserved https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/7a2d761c-f5de-4a4f-97c4-ea5aec17bd8c/Novaya_Zemlya.png Articles - The History of the Decline and Fall of the Great Auk - Make it stand out Figure 2. Illustration of two natives of Novaya Zemlya wearing ‘penguin suits’ by Pierre-Martin de La Martinière, published in 1671. Terms of use: No Rights Reserved https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/d0b78ab7-b4f5-43c5-ba8b-012ee408f3a9/Great+Auk.png Articles - The History of the Decline and Fall of the Great Auk - Make it stand out Figure 3. Map of the former range of the Great Auk, with geographic locations mentioned in text. Question marks denote areas where it is unclear if Great Auk once inhabited. Terms of use: Own work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/ea70f9d4-34f0-4a2e-90bb-d1b0bbe3b631/Ilustracio%CC%81n_sin_ti%CC%81tulo.jpg Articles - The History of the Decline and Fall of the Great Auk - Make it stand out Figure 4. The killing of the last confirmed Great Auk on the island of St. Kilda in 1840. After the auk was captured by three sailors who intended to sell the bird, it supposedly conjured up a storm forcing the men to take refuge on the island for three days. Concluding that the bird was a witch the sailors clubbed it to death, marking the ignoble end of the species in Britian. Terms of use: Artwork by Hodari Nundu and Commissioned by The Extinctions https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/b96d82fa-6410-4cc6-a609-d691edef9402/Eldey.jpg Articles - The History of the Decline and Fall of the Great Auk - Make it stand out Figure 5. Eldey Island. Owing to its remoteness and inaccessibility, it was the final breeding ground of the Great Auk. Even so, many naturalists made the journey to collect specimens. Terms of use: This image is licensed under an Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to Dagur Brynjólfsson. The image is unedited and can be found here. https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/norfolk-island monthly 0.5 2023-06-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/79b5ca3f-a527-425a-9319-c600f670479b/Norfolk+Island.png Articles - Isles of the Tasman Sea – Part II: Norfolk Island - Make it stand out Fig 1. Map of the Norfolk Island Group Terms of Use: Own Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/a7ca4912-9e37-4068-b0bb-097eb80d107f/23681372716_76915d01ab_o.jpg Articles - Isles of the Tasman Sea – Part II: Norfolk Island - Make it stand out Fig 2. The Norfolk Parakeet (Cyanoramphus cookie), one of the surviving endemic birds of Norfolk Island. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Redlist. Terms of use: This image is licensed under an Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to David Cook. The image is unedited and can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/ec74905a-b5b3-4570-8af2-07e30847e52e/1200px-Starr-141030-2690-Eucalyptus_globulus-habitat_with_Polynesian_rat_in_parking_lot-Hosmers_Grove_HNP-Maui_%2825129932392%29.jpg Articles - Isles of the Tasman Sea – Part II: Norfolk Island - Make it stand out Fig 3. A Polynesian Rat (Rattus exulans), a common commensal of the Polynesian people which is nearly ubiquitous in the South-West Pacific. Terms of use: This image is licensed under an Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to Forest and Kim Starr. The image is unedited and can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/6ff5a8b7-3d1c-4564-b833-b18669f6bada/Untitled_Artwork.jpg Articles - Isles of the Tasman Sea – Part II: Norfolk Island - Make it stand out Fig 4. Around sundown, a small group of British sailors are luring in dozens of Providence Petrels (Pterodroma solandri) using a campfire. The approaching birds are bludgeoned to death and collected for food. This follows the descriptions of hunting laid out by Medway 2002. Terms of use: Artwork by Hodari Nundu and Commissioned by The Extinctions https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/f8cf7abd-65c1-431a-875d-a07b14496a4c/Norfolk+booboob.jpg Articles - Isles of the Tasman Sea – Part II: Norfolk Island - Make it stand out Fig 5. An illustration of the Norfolk Island Boobook (Ninox novaeseelandiae undulata) by Henrik Grønvold. This sub-species now only exists as a hybrid and is highly threatened. Terms of Use: No Rights Reserved https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/pachyderms-power-and-politics-the-history-of-the-elephant-in-northeastern-afric monthly 0.5 2023-02-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/21b4fb31-99ba-4b5b-a37c-1de4684ae559/Picture1.png Articles - Pachyderms, Power, and Politics: The history of the elephant in Northeastern Africa - Make it stand out Fig. 1. A Meroitic royal figure riding an elephant, from a relief at Musawwarat es-Safra. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269278631_The_Meroitic_Empire_Trade_and_Cultural_Influences_in_an_Indian_Ocean_Context/figures?lo=1 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/adad232e-3142-4bec-a45f-2df818588dd6/Pachyderms.png Articles - Pachyderms, Power, and Politics: The history of the elephant in Northeastern Africa - Make it stand out Fig 2. Map of sites mentioned in text, as well as the extant and possibly extinct range of Elephants in North-East Africa, according to IUCN Data. Terms of use: Own Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/2735183d-29a0-42d8-abf2-eda2090ebd92/y5TGq6BR.jpg Articles - Pachyderms, Power, and Politics: The history of the elephant in Northeastern Africa - Make it stand out Fig 3. Greek travelers in the kingdom of Aksum, alongside their local escort, encountering a large herd of African bush elephants (Loxodonta africana) in 6th century Ethiopia. Terms of use: Artwork by Hodari Nundu and Commissioned by The Extinctions https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/lord-howe monthly 0.5 2023-06-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/2849ed61-2ccd-4d97-845d-2a57c93a8832/Lord_Howe.png Articles - Isles of the Tasman Sea – Part I: Lord Howe - Make it stand out Fig 1. Map of the Lord Howe Island Group, including the Ball’s Pyramid (Located SE of Lord Howe & not shown to scale). Terms of Use: Own Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/aa963d16-0a9e-41e0-ad31-091352cdab08/HfOKtqrl+%281%29.jpg Articles - Isles of the Tasman Sea – Part I: Lord Howe - Make it stand out Fig 2. Two male Meiolania platyceps fighting for territory on the Jungle slopes of Mt Gower on Lord Howe Island. A Lord Howe Woodhen (Hypotaenidia sylvestris) flees the scene and two Lord Howe Red-crowned parrots (Cyanoramphus subflavescens) fly overhead. In the foreground a Lord Howe Stick Insect (Dryococelus australis) forages in the branches of the forest. Terms of use: Artwork by Hodari Nundu and Commissioned by The Extinctions https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/50b391fb-92af-44e2-ad5c-0f7365b83d23/White_Swamphen.jpg Articles - Isles of the Tasman Sea – Part I: Lord Howe - Make it stand out Fig 3. One of only two museums specimens of the White Gallinule (Porphyrio stanleyi), on exhibit at Worlds Museum in Liverpool. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International. It is attributed to the vertebrate Zoology Curator. The image is unedited and can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/fd72c541-23b3-48f8-b167-1a8a60cb59ef/49696026116_476aa9a742_o.jpg Articles - Isles of the Tasman Sea – Part I: Lord Howe - Make it stand out Fig 4. The Lord Howe Woodhen (Gallirallus sylvestris), one of the surviving endemic birds of Lord Howe Island. The species is a key conservation and is on the rebound after extirpation of pigs (Sus domesticus). Terms of use: This image is licensed under an Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to David Cook. The image is unedited and can be found here. https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/first-and-last-men-part-i-adams-kindred monthly 0.5 2022-12-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/47c4c41d-dc87-44c5-8419-ad75132414bf/Le_Moustier.jpg Articles - First and Last Men Part I - Adam's Kindred - Make it stand out Fig 1. Le Moustier by Charles R. Knight - painted in 1920. The painting shows a group of Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) living in a cave in Southern France. Terms of use: No Rights Reserved https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/60ee4163-322b-46f4-bcf7-9a14cf9ff8c8/Denisova+Cave.jpg Articles - First and Last Men Part I - Adam's Kindred - Make it stand out Fig 2. Tourists visiting Denisova cave, which has become famous for its hominid remains - Particularly those of the Denisovans Terms of use: This image is licensed under an Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to ЧуваевНиколай and is unedited https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/83540ae1-4465-44f2-8048-c0054f918f3a/Ilustracio%CC%81n_sin_ti%CC%81tulo.png Articles - First and Last Men Part I - Adam's Kindred - Make it stand out Fig 3. An attack on a Neanderthal (Homo neanderthalensis) village by marauding Homo sapiens of the Aurignacian culture. Set in the Late Pleistocene of the Balkans just after human arrival. Terms of use: Artwork by Hodari Nundu and Commissioned by The Extinctions https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/unwelcome-guests-coextinction-of-parasites monthly 0.5 2022-11-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/ece707cc-efae-40e8-9b69-bc76294266de/Parasites1.jpg Articles - Unwelcome Guests – Coextinction of Parasites - Make it stand out Fig 1. Potential outcomes for parasite conservation (clockwise from top left). Black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) and botfly Gyrostigma rhinocerontis. Band-tailed pigeon (Patagioenas fasciata) and louse Columbicola extinctus. Huia (Heteralocha acutirostris) and louse Rallicola extinctus. California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) and louse Colpocephalum californici. From Dougherty et al. (2015). Terms of Use: Attributed to John Wiley and Sons and Copyright Clearance Center. Used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/9b9c044d-d503-452f-b848-5febe39bdd0d/Parasites2.jpg Articles - Unwelcome Guests – Coextinction of Parasites - Make it stand out fig 2. Female Halarachne americana, a mite only known from the nasal passages of the Caribbean monk seal (extinct 1952). Lice commonly display a high degree of host specificity, as illustrated by this species and its two living close relatives, which are also only known from the noses of a single seal species each (21). From Banks (1904). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/cbac9d59-5244-4f2a-8ed1-cdad0dfd9e38/Parasites3.png Articles - Unwelcome Guests – Coextinction of Parasites - Make it stand out Fig 3. Micrographs of nematode remains recovered from dessicated dung of the Shasta ground sloth (Nothrotheriops shastensis). Upper row depicts Agamofilaria oxyura, lower row depicts Strongyloides shastensis. The growth stage of these worms indicate they were young parasites excreted by the sloths, not a free-living species that happened across the dung. From Schmidt et al. (1992). Terms of Use: Fair Use under Section 107 of the US Copyright Act. https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/plugging-the-gap monthly 0.5 2022-10-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/b252d130-2259-4c47-b93a-3260fe3c168c/Wapiti_Article.jpg Articles - Changing the Guard: Extinction and Migration in Ice Age America - Make it stand out Fig 1. A male Wapiti/Elk (Cervus canadensis) Terms of use: No Rights Reserved https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/57bb030a-634a-4a5c-97d3-46d6c495c558/Moose_Article.jpg Articles - Changing the Guard: Extinction and Migration in Ice Age America - Make it stand out Fig 2. Bull Moose/Elk (Alces alces) Terms of use: This image is licensed under an Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to The Government of Alberta and is unedited https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/0e973250-6e82-47fb-95dc-a5d8bc9ef3f4/Cervid_Timeline.png Articles - Changing the Guard: Extinction and Migration in Ice Age America - Make it stand out Fig 3. Timeline of colonisation events mentioned in text for the wapiti (Cervus canadensis) & moose (Alces alces) Terms of use: Own Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1e3de724-07ad-457f-8a33-e39a575b0056/Bear_Article.jpg Articles - Changing the Guard: Extinction and Migration in Ice Age America - Make it stand out Fig 4. A North American Brown Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) Terms of use: No Rights Reserved https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/afc545ab-5cf2-4daf-af16-603c9d041b36/Bear_Timeline.png Articles - Changing the Guard: Extinction and Migration in Ice Age America - Make it stand out Fig 5. Timeline of colonization events mentioned in text for the brown bear (Ursus arctos) Terms of use: Own Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/11f3934d-7078-45b8-9c60-60bdd98739ff/BeringianWolves.jpg Articles - Changing the Guard: Extinction and Migration in Ice Age America - Make it stand out Fig 6. A pack of Beringian wolves (Canis lupus) hunting woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) in Pleistocene Yukon Terms of use: Artwork by Hodari Nundu and used with the permission of the artist https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/af18395f-4445-4ed3-b09e-1cb8adafe8e7/Wolf_Timeline.png Articles - Changing the Guard: Extinction and Migration in Ice Age America - Make it stand out Fig 7. Timeline of colonization events mentioned in text for the Grey Wolf (Canis lupus) Terms of use: Own Work https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/plight-of-the-undertakers-the-extinction-of-carrion-birds-in-the-americas monthly 0.5 2022-09-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/2bc299b1-3482-4127-889f-c8d66a8763de/Patagonia3.png Articles - Plight of the Undertakers – the extinction of carrion birds in the Americas - Make it stand out Fig 1. The stormy Patagonian coast got the better of an elephant seal bull. A feast is ready, but the flock of Caracara sp. and the giant petrel are not keen to share. The carcass is attracting more giant petrels, a condor, and even a stork, Ciconia lydekkeri. Terms of use: Artwork by the author https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1e5be86a-248c-41f0-a9a1-54adb47f98ef/Teratorn3.png Articles - Plight of the Undertakers – the extinction of carrion birds in the Americas - Make it stand out Fig 2. Megafauna is a great source of food for large carrion birds. In fact, this carcass has attracted California condors, Teratorns, and even a Breagyps clarki from far and wide. Terms of use: Artwork by the author https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/66d5147a-0b51-4b1e-a0f5-b04e303f9003/Turkeyvulture3.png Articles - Plight of the Undertakers – the extinction of carrion birds in the Americas - Make it stand out Fig 3. Somewhere in the US midwest, a turkey vulture and a flock of black vultures have gathered around the remains of a dead mammoth. There is no food left in the bones, but it's a good place to wait for more meals. Terms of use: Artwork by the author https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/europe-part-iii-into-the-holocene monthly 0.5 2022-09-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/2705fb49-df28-4a1f-80e9-4acd1aa12454/6798160268_21f5054980_b.jpg Articles - Europe - part III: Into the Holocene - Make it stand out Fig 1. Glaciers in the Swiss Alps. Today one of the last remnants of the great continental glaciers of the Pleistocene, their march and retreat during the Early Holocene tells a story of turbulent change. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to Trey Ratcliff, and the original can be found here. The image is unedited. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/e30e8ea7-d234-4e9b-9e48-72b16e18a52b/Reconstructed_Mesolithic_round-house_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1091110.jpg Articles - Europe - part III: Into the Holocene - Make it stand out Fig 2. A reconstructed round-house of the early Mesolithic. Like most Mesolithic settlements, it is erected by the coast. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to Andrew Curtis, and the original can be found here. The image is unedited. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/9d1c0f82-ea4b-4787-b275-0a0cbb1498c6/1200px-En_jysk_f%C3%A5rehyrde_p%C3%A5_heden.jpg Articles - Europe - part III: Into the Holocene - Make it stand out Fig 3. A shepherd on the great heath of Jutland, by artist Frederik Vermehren. Though today an ancient and iconic landscape, the creation of the vast heath was the product of human actions, of deliberate cutting and burning, carried out by the first Indo-Europeans in Denmark. Terms of use: No rights reserved. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/6f0ad848-ec9d-43a5-8c05-a722f5422fc3/bison2.jpg Articles - Europe - part III: Into the Holocene - Make it stand out Fig 4. A group of hunters find themselves caught in a bison-stampede of their own making. The scene takes place in ancient Thrace, circa 200 BC, very near the site of modern bison-reintroductions carried out by Rewilding Europe. Terms of use: Artwork by Hodari Nundu and Commissioned by The Extinctions https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/the-flightless-wren-and-the-lighthousekeepers-cat monthly 0.5 2022-09-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1629476277202-MA76XJV8EVQCYMEBCDI0/Lyalls+Wren.jpg Articles - The Flightless Wren and the Lighthouse Cat - Make it stand out Fig 1. A male Lyall’s wren perches on a branch. Terms of use: No Rights Reserved https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1629476298953-WV1HV1O88ZZJNR46T9BR/Lyall%27s+Wren.png Articles - The Flightless Wren and the Lighthouse Cat - Make it stand out Fig 2. Location of Stephen’s Island and its lighthouse within New Zealand. The Lyall’s Wren is known from fossil remains from the two main islands of New Zealand but was only ever recorded live on Stephen’s Island. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1629476247678-SQM6D7KQYWF43A0UGCL4/800px-Stephens_Island_Wren.png Articles - The Flightless Wren and the Lighthouse Cat - Make it stand out Fig 3. A male (Left) and female (right) Lyall’s Wren (Traversia lyalli). Males are distinguishable due to their bright yellow plumage on the chest and neck (7) Terms of use: No Rights Reserved https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/the-last-terror-birds-a-review-of-phorusrhacids-and-their-plio-pleistocene-occurences monthly 0.5 2022-09-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1632052500667-LNJIQQJJGPJEDBXISL22/Sireima_2_REFON.jpg Articles - The Last Terror Birds: A review of Phorusrhacids and their Plio-Pleistocene occurrences - Make it stand out Fig 1. A red-legged seriema (Cariama cristata), one of the closest living relatives of the terror birds. Terms of use: This image is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. The image is attributed to José Reynaldo da Fonseca and is unedited. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1632052168064-ACI9L1BTRZQVAT3HAKKU/242146176_968232127107995_7971957124382692950_n.png Articles - The Last Terror Birds: A review of Phorusrhacids and their Plio-Pleistocene occurrences - Make it stand out Fig 2. Putative Pleistocene Phorusrhacid sites. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1632052105010-A2ZTHF0VVI2K0FQI13BH/Psilopterus.jpg Articles - The Last Terror Birds: A review of Phorusrhacids and their Plio-Pleistocene occurrences - Make it stand out Fig 3. Two Psilopterus over the fossilised skull of an older, far larger species of terror bird, some time in the Late Pleistocene. Terms of use: Artwork by Hodari Nundu and Commissioned by The Extinctions https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/elephants-of-the-aegean-dwarfs-and-giants-of-the-ancient-sea monthly 0.5 2021-10-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1628330946037-X4SOLXUF8F5VJ5ACQ6FB/Mammuthus-creticus-738x591.jpg Articles - Elephants of the Aegean - Dwarfs and Giants of the Ancient Sea - Make it stand out Fig 1. Cretan dwarf mammoth (Mammuthus creticus). Art by Roman Uchytel, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1628330768962-N80BSG7Y0J0LDI8D7KEY/Aegean.jpg Articles - Elephants of the Aegean - Dwarfs and Giants of the Ancient Sea - Make it stand out Fig 2. Known distribution of Aegean elephants. Data from Sen, S. (2017) and Athanassiou, A., van der Geer, A. and Lyras, G. (2019) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1628331071443-DT6NZBCFZYGJQL7SEL9Z/Tilos_Greece_aerial_image.jpg Articles - Elephants of the Aegean - Dwarfs and Giants of the Ancient Sea - Make it stand out Fig 3. The isle of Tilos in the Dodecanese. Small and mountainous, it nevertheless held its own species of elephant for many thousands of years. Terms of use: This image is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. The image is attributed to Chrischerf and is unedited. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1628331236875-P04LC2SN8JFPQ0BJ66AK/Rekhmire_tomb_elephant.jpg Articles - Elephants of the Aegean - Dwarfs and Giants of the Ancient Sea - Make it stand out Fig 4. The elephant on the tomb of Rekhmire. Often suggested to be a pygmy elephant, the plausibility of this has been questioned. Terms of use: This image is in the public domain. https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/beasts-of-the-bible-and-babylon monthly 0.5 2021-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1627123669121-J6RVO6CEUC9H9VTL2TSZ/Elephant.jpg Articles - Beasts of the Bible and Babylon - Make it stand out Fig 1. Depiction of Syrians bringing an elephant and a bear from the Tomb of Rekhmire. ca. 1504–1425 B.C. Terms of use: No rights reserved https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1627122640279-351YO8CF4UOOY2AMC7AZ/Syrian+Elephant.jpg Articles - Beasts of the Bible and Babylon - Make it stand out Fig 2. An Assyrian king and his retinue hunting a Syrian elephant (Elephas maximus asurus) causing a rampage of Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) and mountain gazelles (Gazella gazella) Terms of use: Artwork by Hodari Nundu and Commissioned by The Extinctions https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1627123275535-5W4PCNOHXYNCQAOVNO1I/Aurochs.jpg Articles - Beasts of the Bible and Babylon - Make it stand out Fig 3. Assyrian Ivory carving of a cow with a suckling calf, potentially belonging to the Aurochs (Bos primigenius). Ca. 9th–8th century B.C. Terms of use: No rights reserved https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1627123291075-JZ3VD4BVB1GIHSRDV9SA/Hippo.jpg Articles - Beasts of the Bible and Babylon - Make it stand out Fig 4. Furniture element made from a hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) incisor found in an Assyrian storehouse. Ca. 9th–8th century B.C. Terms of use: No rights reserved https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/islands-socotra monthly 0.5 2021-10-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1624699589955-V1WPR490RK5X1UKXDGJD/Map-showing-the-study-areas-Hagher-Momi-Qatanin-Maaleh-in-integrating-two-maps-with_W640.jpg Articles - Islands - Socotra - Make it stand out Fig 1. Map of Socotra showing the current and potential distribution of Dracaena cinnabari. From Al-Okaishi, A. (2021). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1624698950293-5ONVJ1PVNS33976GKREP/Socotraplants.png Articles - Islands - Socotra - Make it stand out Fig 2. An assortment of Socotrian vegetation. From left to right: A cucumber tree (Dendrosicyos socotranus, dragon blood trees (dracaena cinnabari) and a desert rose “bottle tree” (Adenium obesum socotranum) Terms of use: This images are licensed under, respectively, an Attribution 2.0 Generic (attributed to Gerry & Bonni and is unedited), and an Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (both attributed to Rod Waddington, the dracaena is cropped). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1624701335731-PBXMNWW4PI46O9BNJK3S/Socotraruins2.png Articles - Islands - Socotra - Make it stand out Fig 3. Some of the innumerable ruins scattered across the Socotrian interior. From left to right: A raised grave ("mdoqo’"), the ruins of a limestone house, and the ruins of one of the many ancient walls that course the island. Images from Weeks et al. (2003). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1624701561510-M9Q79CBANVVFS9NI4GY2/16243813274_1fd2fa7012_b.jpg Articles - Islands - Socotra - Make it stand out Fig 4. The uplands of the Hajhir mountains are the only places on Socotra still moist enough to sustain running water and permanent greenery. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to Valerian Guillot, and the original can be found here. The image is unedited. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1624701815025-34OJASJSQNGOQKQ05OQ6/11071282544_2538969425_b.jpg Articles - Islands - Socotra - Make it stand out Fig 5. An Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea). One of only 2 surviving genera of giant tortoises in the world, they are the last remaining in the Indian ocean. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to David Stanley, and the original can be found here. The image is unedited. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1624702006736-7PH6QQ4S3QWE8MPS9HAW/49278335703_e1a24e5a0b_b.jpg Articles - Islands - Socotra - Make it stand out Fig 6. A forest of dragon blood trees, one of the relatively few remaining on the island. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to Valerian Guillot, and the original can be found here. The image is unedited. https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/the-mysterious-origins-of-the-dromedary monthly 0.5 2021-05-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1621970160819-93YONAJNT2WRV2CR2VFY/Dromedary.jpg Articles - The Mysterious Origins of the Dromedary - Make it stand out Fig 1. The dromedary (Camelus dromedarius) is the smallest of the three extant old world camels and one of the most important domesticated animals in human history Terms of use: This image is licensed under a creative commons attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. It is attributed to Jjron. The image is unedited and the original can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1621969838129-C993WNIXUMSAQK807AVW/Bactrian+Camel.jpg Articles - The Mysterious Origins of the Dromedary - Make it stand out Fig 2. The Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) is the closest living relative of the dromedary and played a similar role to the dromedary in Central and East Asia Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International. It is attributed to Edmart80. The image is unedited and can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1621970590687-FLMB8JH4B27W3T2I6UI6/Arabian+desert.jpg Articles - The Mysterious Origins of the Dromedary - Make it stand out Fig 3. A section of the Arabian desert, showing scant pieces of vegetation amidst the dunes which dromedary feeds on Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to Cliff Hellis. The image is unedited and can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1621969670391-Z1JKYGR1L4EFYYHC818U/Dromedary_origin.jpeg Articles - The Mysterious Origins of the Dromedary - Make it stand out Fig 4. The Middle Pleistocene-Holocene fossil sites of various camel species from the Middle East and North Africa. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1621969614811-Z28TE6ZRZ1J58YJI5RA3/Camels.jpg Articles - The Mysterious Origins of the Dromedary - Make it stand out Fig 5. A Late Pleistocene faunal assemblage at the El Kowm Basin in Syria. The site was an arid steppe. Depicted are the camels Camelus moreli (Centre) and Camelus concordiae (Left), The Syrian Wild Ass (Equus hemionus hemippus), Leopard (Panthera pardus), Goitered Gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa), and Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita). Terms of use: Artwork by Hodari Nundu and Commissioned by The Extinctions https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/passenger-pigeons-stewards-of-the-hardwood-forests monthly 0.5 2021-09-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1618155344162-V8IWMA6CZ1LN17N84NJC/Passenger+Pigeon+-+Birds+of+America.jpg Articles - Passenger Pigeons: Stewards of the Hardwood Forests fig 1. Illustration of a male (below) and female (above) passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorious) from James Audobon’s ‘The Birds of America’. Terms of use: No Rights Reserved https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1618155513226-98WOS9UMT1I0Y3I2ST1W/American_Chestnut.jpg Articles - Passenger Pigeons: Stewards of the Hardwood Forests fig 2. Leaves (left), nuts (right) and nutcases (top right) of the American Chestnut (Castanea dentata). Despite the abundance of the chestnut, the mast of this species is only eaten in the absence of other masting species. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported. It is attributed to Peatcher. The image is unedited and the original can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1618155639056-DOYLIGGY4XMINTS34YMG/White+Oak.jpg Articles - Passenger Pigeons: Stewards of the Hardwood Forests fig 3. The white oak (Quercus alba), a common masting species of the North-Central hardwood forests. This species uniquely masts during the autumn, a possible adaptation against the passenger pigeons (Ectopistes migratorious). Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported. It is attributed to Msact. The image is unedited and the original can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1618156006890-OYKJ6ERMAOCEJEF32BXB/Bachmans+Warbler.jpg Articles - Passenger Pigeons: Stewards of the Hardwood Forests Fig 4. An illustration of the male (left) and female (right) Bachman’s warbler (Vermivora bachmanii), an extinct species of song bird native to North America. This species was dependent on fire regimes and the extinction of the passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorious) may have contributed to its demise. Terms of use: No Rights Reserved https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1618157566220-TJ60JGSGY8WB4SSEW6FS/Webp.net-resizeimage.jpg Articles - Passenger Pigeons: Stewards of the Hardwood Forests Fig 5. Photograph of ‘Martha’ the last known Passenger Pigeon, kept at the Cincinnati Zoo until her death on September 1st, 1914. Terms of use: No Rights Reserved https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/5wa1nzaq7zveeuawomiqu2n3c6cfdj monthly 0.5 2024-11-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1615314723252-AYON8J8JEUNUIZ0X0301/Foidl+Horse+Image.jpg Articles - The European Wild Horse Fig. 1: Life reconstruction of the European wild horse based on coat colour genetics and the assumption of an erect mane. © Daniel Foidl https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1615314871253-IKP7QB9O8GMKRYDUYVVY/Tarpan.jpg Articles - The European Wild Horse Fig. 2: The only horse considered a tarpan that was photographed, the Cherson Tarpan. Terms of use: No rights reserved https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/wildfowl-extinctions monthly 0.5 2021-07-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1615735830606-W65PMC7VAAV7YQARHPSQ/Threatened+Waterfowl+SG+IUCN+SSC+%28High+Res%29.png Articles - Wildfowl Extinctions © IUCN https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1615736303797-I0PBEHLMAZ8VXQV2HA60/Madagascar+Pochard.jpg Articles - Wildfowl Extinctions Figure 1. The Madagascar Pochard (aythya innotata) Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to Frank Vassen. The image is unedited and the original can be found here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1615737214889-E4G1PW2EXUEQBLJJ8BUC/Chechelychen+quassus.jpg Articles - Wildfowl Extinctions Figure 2. An artists interpretation of the Kaua’I Turtle-jawed Moa-nalo (Chelychelynechen quassus) Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported. It is attributed to Stanton F. Fink. The image is unedited and the original can be found here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1615736821241-S411LSQMPMO297JRVGHY/Pink+Headed+Duck.jpeg Articles - Wildfowl Extinctions Figure 3. Preserved specimen of the Pink-Headed Duck (Rhodonessa caryophyllacea) from the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported. It is attributed to Huub Veldhuijzen van Zanten/Naturalis Biodiversity Center. The image is unedited. https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/ns0atubs8qd60o16itraa69zhw7e0w monthly 0.5 2021-08-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1615223763818-054UBQPH3NVZCQHMUBJV/Foidl+Image1.jpg Articles - The Aurochs Fig. 1: Life reconstruction of an aurochs bull, based on the Preljerup skeleton © Daniel Foidl https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1615223804618-JQX24C0QS0AH2RBNXA7E/Foidl+Image+2.jpg Articles - The Aurochs Fig. 2: Life reconstruction of an aurochs cow, based on the Sassenberg cow skeleton. © Daniel Foidl https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1627318722191-P96ZRK0HZB9KPYGERGKQ/Bos_primigenius.jpeg Articles - The Aurochs The estimated natural range of Bos primigenius. Data was obtained from Phylacine (17). Images are samples of habitats within the range. Terms of use: The images used are attributed to (From middle to right): Adityamadhav83 and Christian Bolz. Both under a CC BY-SA 4.0. No rights reserved on the left-most image. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1615224217066-2J5VXZKZOS5R9K24QQQY/Foidl+Image+3.jpg Articles - The Aurochs Fig. 3: A Taurus bull in the Lippeaue reserve which optically resembles the aurochs. © Daniel Foidl https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/europe-part-2-the-human-dimension monthly 0.5 2021-11-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1615046378068-59WMDZXC7TOH9723JA1G/Paul_S_Martin%2C_by_Thomas_R_van_Devender.jpg Articles - Europe - Part II: The Human Dimension Figure 1. Paul S. Martin (1928-2010). American geoscientist and palaeontologist, and originator of the overkill-hypothesis. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic license. It is attributed to Thomas R. van Devender. The image is unedited and the original can be found here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1635577848857-6VCUX3GND61QN7USRJSS/EuropeII.jpg Articles - Europe - Part II: The Human Dimension Fig 2. A group of human hunters, having tracked and brought down a large woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis), must now defend it from a pack of hungry hyenas (Crocuta crocuta). On the far left hand is an early domestic dog or proto-dog (Canis lupus familiaris). Scene set circa 20kya, during the Last Glacial Maximum. Terms of use: Artwork by Hodari Nundu and Commissioned by The Extinctions https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1635577821596-KOW1V17W428MSJ8YRBGL/Grotte_d%27Aurignac-Main_en_r%C3%A9serve-1962.jpg Articles - Europe - Part II: The Human Dimension - Make it stand out Figure 3. Painting of a hand from the Cave of Aurignac in southwestern France. Paintings and objects from the caverns date to upwards of 45,000 BP, making them pieces of the oldest culture attributed to modern humans in Western Europe. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a creative commons attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. It is attributed to Daniel Villafruela. The image is unedited and the original can be found here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1615047365779-M4W4P3ROCQSJWDYW91C6/Map_IceAges01_full+%281%29.jpg Articles - Europe - Part II: The Human Dimension Figure 3. Europe during the end-glacial, after the retreat of the ice from the Doggerland plain and the formation of the Ancylus Lake. Vast swathes of the continent were still virtually uninhabited by humans until the very end of the Pleistocene. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International. It is attributed to Stoolddog13. The image is unedited and the original can be found here https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/extinctions-the-sahul-theatre-part-2-climate monthly 0.5 2021-10-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1613665100265-KUB6L81S80GY1QB34LQY/SahulClimate.jpeg Articles - Sahul - Part II: Climate Change Fig 1. Map showing the borders of the Pleistocene continent of Sahul (Dark grey) and modern-day landmasses (Light grey). The location of each site mentioned is indicated (Red dots). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1613665236581-LFZLBGSK3JCYH5NHI09W/1200px-Common_wombat_6.jpg Articles - Sahul - Part II: Climate Change Fig 2 The Common wombat (Vombatus ursinus) is a strict grazer found in South-eastern Australia and Tasmania. Prior to the Late Pleistocene extinction its diet comprised primarily of rich C4 grasses, but around 45,000 years ago it incorporated a lot of C3 plants into its diet. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International. It is attributed to Dmitry Brant. The image is unedited. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1613665383290-ZSVLW8OY7EZ48RFNV7IY/Callitris_columellaris_tree.jpg Articles - Sahul - Part II: Climate Change Fig 3. The Cypress-Pine Callitris columellaris, part of a species complex which spans Australias major climatic zones, ranging from the arid interior to the tropical North. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a creative commons attribution 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to djpmapleferryman. The image is unedited, and the original can be found here. https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/extinctions-the-sahul-theatre-part-1-timeline monthly 0.5 2024-10-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1611231176336-SQMVOQV2ID2NCXOWN84R/600px-Macropus_giganteus_-_Brunkerville.jpg Articles - Sahul - Part I: Timeline Fig 1. An Eastern Grey Kangaroo and its offspring. This species is the largest extant mammal native to Sahul alongside the Red Kangaroo. During the Pleistocene it grew to over 200kg (1). Terms of use: This image is licensed under a creative commons attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International. It is attributed to J. J. Harrison. The image is unedited, and the original can be found here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1611231700875-Y8VDHJS70RDORAZ06SHH/Diprotodon.jpg Articles - Sahul - Part I: Timeline Fig 2. An artist’s interpretation of Diprotodon optatum, the largest known marsupial. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a creative commons attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. It is attributed to Dmitry Bogdanov and is unedited. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1611231915277-7YHQ1IR4FGZ4DN9JQA81/Sahul.jpeg Articles - Sahul - Part I: Timeline Fig 3. Map showing the borders of the Pleistocene continent of Sahul (Dark grey) and modern day landmasses (Light grey). The location of each fossil site mentioned is indicated with Red dots. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1611232120524-C0IGJR0QOBDTVJ51PQ4M/Benjamin.jpg Articles - Sahul - Part I: Timeline Fig 4. Photograph of ‘Benjamin’, the last known Thylacine. This is a late surviving species on the Australian mainland, lasting until about 3-4kya with a population existing on Tasmania until the early 20th Century. Terms of use: No rights reserved https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/extinctions-the-european-theatre-part-1-climate monthly 0.5 2021-11-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1610039273382-PCF138KZQRS156DEFTSD/UlsterMuseumPrehistoryMe_%28cropped%29.jpg Articles - Europe - Part I: Prelude and Climate Figure 1. Reconstruction of a Mesolithic (middle stone-age) hut from Ireland. Europe in the early Holocene had already been a human-settled landscape for many millennia. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a creative commons attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. It is attributed to Notafly. The image is unedited and the original can be found here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1633273380306-JGLGSALXXR23G3HUDRWV/Bannercropped.png Articles - Europe - Part I: Prelude and Climate Figure 2. An Eemian scene of Northwestern Europe, circa 120kya. Animals from left-to-right are aurochsen (Bos primigenius), grey partridges (Perdix perdix), European elephants (Palaeoloxodon antiquus), dholes (Cuon alpinus) and a robin (Erithacus rubecula). Terms of use: Art commissioned by The Extinctions from Hodari Nundu. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1610039847137-SR7UXFFKCKIH6DU8B11X/SaaleWeichsel_x.png Articles - Europe - Part I: Prelude and Climate Figure 3. The maximum extent of respectively the Saalian (red line) and Weichsel (dotted blue line) glacials. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International. It is attributed to Juschki. The image is unedited and the original can be found here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1610040084198-4VSZKNHEZO4EJMZOE682/Ice_age_fauna_of_northern_Spain_-_Mauricio_Ant%C3%B3n+%282%29.jpg Articles - Europe - Part I: Prelude and Climate Figure 4. Landscape from glacial northern Spain, showing wild horses (E. ferus ferus), woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius), Eurasian cave-lions (P. Spelaea) and a woolly rhinoceros (C. antiquitatis). Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic. It is attributed to Mauricio Antón. The image is unedited and the original can be found here https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/extinctions-new-caledonia monthly 0.5 2022-01-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1608049392559-P55FFZNKOPB00RHSM1FU/Oceania+Image.jpeg Articles - Islands - New Caledonia Figure 1. Position of New Caledonia within Australasia https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/f1bddd80-fc86-439f-91bb-e2fbdd0f872a/New_Caledonia.jpg Articles - Islands - New Caledonia Figure 2. The New Caledonian Maquis during the Holocene, prior to human arrival. The animals shown in art-piece are the Glyptodon-like Meiolania mackayi, the giant galliform Sylviornis neocaledoniae, the large endemic hawk Accipiter efficax, and the yellow-bellied robin (Cryptomicroeca flaviventris) Terms of use: Art commissioned by The Extinctions from Hodari Nundu. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1608049569091-CL34UZRTY70W35RUXVDI/New+Caledonia+Image.jpeg Articles - Islands - New Caledonia Figure 3. The main islands of New Caledonia with the position of the three main fossil sites indicated in red. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1610123125751-9YYFRDJ4OX7EUPLBD6L9/Meiolania.jpg Articles - Islands - New Caledonia Figure 4. Fossil replica of Meiolania platyceps, a close relative of Meiolania mackayi. This species inhabited Lord Howe Island rather than New Caledonia Terms of use: This image is licensed under a creative commons attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic. It is attributed to Steven & Courtney Johnson & Howitz. 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Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, Dr. Tobias Keene brings a bit of unabashed Southern hospitality to all his patients. He moved to Washington, D.C. over thirty years ago as a freshman at Ivy College. Right after graduation, he attended World University’s School of Dentistry. Before opening Keene Dental in 1994, he worked for free clinics and some of the finest practices in the District. He is part of the 123 Dental Association and stays up-to-date on the latest dental discoveries. When not striving to keep his patients happy and healthy, he’s enjoys hiking with his family in Rock Creek Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/07f7beb2-ce16-411c-b876-d165f9e117b9/Syrian+Elephant.jpg Team - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1607622358360-Z31JUBRGITZ527Y09BAP/Billede.jpg Team - Søren Bay Kruse Thomsen — Co-founder I am a well-rounded nature lover, particularly interested in Palaeontology and Conservation. Born and raised in Denmark. I spent my teenage years in Malaysia, received an undergraduate degree in Biology at Imperial College London and am currently doing a Master’s in Nature Management at the University of Copenhagen. Megafauna especially fascinates me, where they roam there is a demonstrably huge ecological impact and yet much of the modern world has languished without them for millennia. I find myself yearning for the landscapes of the past – daydreaming about the world as seen by our distant ancestors. I wish to understand why we lost the vast herds of megafauna – and a host of other organisms and how their loss has shaped the modern-day. My goal with The Extinctions is to explore these topics and more https://www.theextinctions.com/about daily 0.75 2021-11-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/c6780cc9-0505-4ab2-a1ee-d4e4ae8f75b6/74pjNz81.jpg About - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.theextinctions.com/species-list daily 0.75 2025-01-26 https://www.theextinctions.com/species-list-reference daily 0.75 2021-05-31 https://www.theextinctions.com/caprusaegagrus daily 0.75 2021-08-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1617105323145-48VMWKJX7Q3EX8U3M393/6_Bezoar_Goat.jpg.png Wild Goat (Caprus aegagrus) Figure 1. The Bezoar ibex, Caprus aegagrus aegagrus, a sub-species of the Wild Goat. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International. It is attributed to Alexander Malkhasyan. The image is unedited and the original can be found here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1628172150164-N1EF4H3VASPXA1UR6IKK/Capra_aegagrus_Small.png Wild Goat (Caprus aegagrus) The distribution of Capra aegagrus, with the current range in green and the estimated natural range in red. Data was obtained from Phylacine (2). Samples of habitat within the range are also included. https://www.theextinctions.com/lama-guanicoe daily 0.75 2021-08-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1617197674398-CIXNZ72SYAUHQ7BXRITY/Guanaco.jpg Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) Figure 1. A lone Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) in the Patagonian highlands Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International. It is attributed to Georgibulgaro. The image is resized and the original can be found here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1628606229085-UR90POORR7FQ8CBMNVTW/Lama_guanicoe_small.png Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) - Make it stand out Fig 2. The current range and the range inferred from fossil sites of the Guanaco (Lama guanicoe). Fossil data from Palaelobiology database. Samples of habitat within the range are included. https://www.theextinctions.com/haploidoceros-mediterraneus daily 0.75 2021-08-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1628103309082-9DUQYCEB4EDGHRYRVD31/Haploidoceros_mediterraneus.jpeg Haploidoceros mediterraneus Fig 1. Known Fossil sites of Haploidoceros mediterraneus as well as the estimated modern natural range based on Phylacine Data (8) and habitat samples within range https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1627587766791-FEULPC5UUY9A5KNK8EEC/august-helmke-haploidoceros.jpg Haploidoceros mediterraneus Fig 2. The cranium of Haploidoceros mediterraneus. The areas in white are preserved and scaled to lectotype, the areas in grey speculative. Skeletal by August Helmke, used with permission. https://www.theextinctions.com/new-page daily 0.75 2021-04-22 https://www.theextinctions.com/camelus-moreli daily 0.75 2021-08-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1622286840985-DDC3BSUBR3QIOKKD4DTD/Camelus+moreli.jpg Camelus moreli - Make it stand out Fig 1. The giant Syrian camel (Camelus moreli) at a watering hole in the El Kowm Basin in Syria, during the Late Pleistocene. Other species from the site pictured are the Syrian wild ass (Equus hemionus hemippus), leopard (Panthera pardus), goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa), and Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1628160501413-H12U8P84IACE2E0AW098/Camelus_moreli_Small.png Camelus moreli fig 2. The known distribution of Camelus moreli is limited to the El Kowm Basin (Black fossil) and possibly Far’ah II (Red fossil). It may extend much further. Samples of nearby modern habitats are included. https://www.theextinctions.com/camelus-concordiae daily 0.75 2021-08-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1622286709025-5AO81Q26RNV59X6JD9S4/Camelus+concordiae.jpg Camelus concordiae - Make it stand out fig 1. A Camelus concordiae approaching a watering hole in the El Kowm Basin in Late Pleistocene Syria, in the foreground are goitered gazelles (Gazella subgutturosa). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1628159155247-CN45VU7IJ0WG8J5GKERQ/Camelus_concordiae_Small.png Camelus concordiae - Make it stand out Fig 2. Fossil sites and Putative fossil sites of Camelus concordiae as suggested by Martini et al 2019 (1) as well as landscape samples of areas in the region. https://www.theextinctions.com/antifer daily 0.75 2021-08-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1622201097573-BJ2L1TNHGREGFCITGR13/francisco-hueichaleo-antifer-ultra-in-the-rain-01-b.jpg.png Antifer - Make it stand out Fig 1. An artist’s interpretation of Antifer ultra. Painting used with permission from the artist Francisco Hueichaleo https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1628190620802-XNSWCRG372I91ZNBL90W/Antifer_small.png Antifer Fig. 2. The estimated natural distribution of Antifer ultra in red. Data was obtained from Phylacine (7). Fossil sites of Antifer ultra and Antifer ensenadensis from the Late Pleistocene (Lujanian) are shown based on data from various authors (1, 9, 12). Samples of habitat within the estimated range are also displayed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1620244090339-UZGLBW2V9MZAFXQN1MEA/Antlerantifer2.png Antifer Fig 3. Antler of Antifer ultra. Sagittal view of specimen from Nivel Quereo I. Diagram adapted by Tristan Søbye Rapp from Labarca, R. and Alcaraz, M. 2011. https://www.theextinctions.com/epieuryceros daily 0.75 2021-06-18 https://www.theextinctions.com/panthera-atrox daily 0.75 2022-02-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1620757762308-VQLEA7OVNAL0TPHC1NMY/Panthera_Atrox.png Panthera atrox (The American Lion) - Make it stand out An artist’s interpretation of the American lion (Panthera atrox). Painting used with permission from the author Sebastián Rozadilla. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1626129081168-VB6T6SLGJDW1X9224OE3/Panthera_atrox.jpeg Panthera atrox (The American Lion) - Make it stand out Fig 2. Fossil sites of Panthera atrox and the estimated natural range based on Phylacine modeling (11). Images are samples of nature areas within the natural range. Terms of use: No rights reserved https://www.theextinctions.com/morenelaphus daily 0.75 2021-08-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1620935212376-3XVPBL9XNWVS66S6SYHB/Vitor.png Morenelaphus - Make it stand out Fig 1. An artist’s interpretation of Morenelaphus sp. Painting used with permission from the artist Vitor Silva. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1628598247805-XG1RY1F11N1AHWVPPVWQ/Morenelaphus_Small.png Morenelaphus - Make it stand out Fig. 2. The estimated range of the genus Morenelaphus, based on fossil sites. Fossil site data was obtained from Rotti et al 2021. Samples of habitats in the region are also included. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1620934888564-PW7DZM8DHIISP0EV4AEV/Morenelaphus2.png Morenelaphus - Make it stand out Fig 3. Antler of Morenelaphus brachyceros. Side view of specimen MLP 00-XI-1-19. Diagram adapted by Tristan Søbye Rapp from Pêgo, F. B. (2014). https://www.theextinctions.com/panthera-spelaea daily 0.75 2021-08-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1621021684345-Z82RBEXKR0KPZ27Y7ROC/DhruvFranklinPantheraSpelaea.jpg Panthera spelaea (The Cave lion) - Make it stand out fig 1. A male and female Steppe Lion (Panthera spelaea) return home with their kill. Painting used with permission by the author Dhruv Franklin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1628164661261-8ZT1AUW12V869A24CY10/Panthera_spelaea.png Panthera spelaea (The Cave lion) - Make it stand out Fig 2. Natural Distribution of Panthera spelaea in the modern day. Data from Phylacine 1.2 with samples of habitats within the range. https://www.theextinctions.com/phacochoerus-aethiopicus daily 0.75 2021-08-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1623353016568-H22CJQV5SUH2STHSVL41/Desert+Warthog2.jpg Phacochoerus aethiopicus (Desert Warthog) - Make it stand out Fig 1. The somali warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus delamerei) is the only living subspecies of desert warthog. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0). It is attributed to Steve Garvie. The image has been cropped and the original can be found here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1628619790212-KGCHGOGQYSJL54EYX0SG/Phacochoerus_Small.png Phacochoerus aethiopicus (Desert Warthog) - Make it stand out Fig 2. IUCN Ranges of the desert warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus) in blue and the common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) in red, with a purple overlap zone. As seen there are small areas of sympatry but the general range division may indicate a high degree of competition (4). Fossil locations of Phacochoerus are indicated, however in most cases remains are not distinguished between the two species. Cape fossils constituted desert warthog remains. https://www.theextinctions.com/arctotherium-tarijense daily 0.75 2021-09-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1624048683852-8C8LBBSRU7FESY6L9E9N/E4H_VJEUUAAs_dT.jpg  Arctotherium (Pararctotherium) tarijense - Make it stand out Fig 1. An artist’s interpretation of Arctotherium tarijense, with guanacos (Lama guanicoe) in the background. Painting used with permission from the artist Hodari Nundu. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1628601424374-2Y2IT4F74R3PDFMHE4TZ/Arctotherium_tarijense_Small.png  Arctotherium (Pararctotherium) tarijense - Make it stand out Fig. 2. The estimated range of Arctotherium tarijense, based on fossil sites. Samples of habitats in the region are also included. https://www.theextinctions.com/phacochoerus-africanus daily 0.75 2021-08-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1624111856289-JYOMPUOP6W3US092MDQD/Common+warthog.jpg Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) - Make it stand out Fig 1. A male Southern Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus sundevalli) from South Africa. Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0). It is attributed to Bernard Dupont. The image is unedited and the original can be found here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1628619926943-9D6XAIXUS363VBD99Z5K/Phacochoerus_Small.png Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) - Make it stand out Fig 2. IUCN Ranges of the desert warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus) in blue and the common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) in red, with a purple overlap zone. As seen there are small areas of sympatry but the general range division may indicate a high degree of competition (4). Fossil sites are indicated by ammonite markers, but in most cases the two species of Warthog are not distinguished between so sites are only specific to the genus level. https://www.theextinctions.com/metridiochoerus daily 0.75 2021-08-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1624696567187-R87SEYGFBIDGK6VP93BP/Metridiochoerus.jpg Metridiochoerus sp. (Giant Warthog) - Make it stand out Fig 1. Metridiochoerus jacksoni, a species from the Early Pleistocene Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0). It is attributed to Nobu Tamura. The image is unedited and the original can be found here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1628105498347-KPVHC1VA93DTKW0AJ0OL/Metridiochoerus_Small.jpeg Metridiochoerus sp. (Giant Warthog) - Make it stand out Fig 2. Estimated Natural Range of Late Pleistocene Metridiochoerus based on modeling by PHYLACINE (9) as well as the confirmed and putative fossil sites from the time period and samples of habitat within the natural range. https://www.theextinctions.com/macrauchenia-patachonica daily 0.75 2021-08-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1626116637950-D2DN9CP8W0PTX3SY9NV9/Macrauchenia_%28reconstruction%29.jpg Macrauchenia patachonica - Make it stand out Fig 1. An artists interpretation of an adult Macrauchenia patachonica with offspring. This illustration uses a prorhisces similar to that of the elk (Alces alces) Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0). It is attributed to Ollga. The image is unedited and the original can be found here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1626116513366-HO1MLCBY9VHSMJUDUKRY/Macrauchenia_Patachonica_small.jpeg Macrauchenia patachonica - Make it stand out Fig 2. Fossil sites of Macrauchenia patachonica and the estimated natural range based on Phylacine modelling (18). Images are samples of nature areas within the natural range. Terms of use: The images used are attributed to (From top image to bottom): Allan Patrick, Deyvid Setti and Eloy Olindo Setti, and Hardscarf. Under a CC BY-SA 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 license respectively. All images are edited. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1626116868242-38OUBY0E0I4RSL7WG1H2/Anales_del_Museo_P%C3%BAblico_de_Buenos_Aires_%281864%29_%2817980766940%29.jpg Macrauchenia patachonica - Make it stand out Fig 3, The illustrated cranium of Macrauchenia patachonica,. Note the large nasal openings at the top of the skull, a feature unique to the Macrauchenids Terms of use: No rights reserved https://www.theextinctions.com/xenorhinotherium-bahiense daily 0.75 2022-12-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/178cf2fa-2e91-478b-810d-59504bf9b28a/r5vU3zNQ.jpg Xenorhinotherium bahiense - Make it stand out Fig 1. A group of Xenorhinotherium, including a juvenile with a Notiomastodon in the background. Artwork by Gabriel Ugueto and used with permission of the artist. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1626296514379-HZJ578LYZ7K6DI0IZNPE/Xenorhinotherium_bahiense_small.jpeg Xenorhinotherium bahiense - Make it stand out Fig 2. Fossil sites of Xenorhinotherium bahiense and the estimated natural range based on Phylacine modelling (12). Images are samples of nature areas within the natural range. Terms of use: The images used are attributed to (From top image to bottom): Ivandro batista de queiroz, Neil Palmer and Deyvid Setti and Eloy Olindo Setti. Under a CC BY-SA 3.0, 3.0 and 2.0 https://www.theextinctions.com/megalenhydris daily 0.75 2021-08-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1628606730918-K1QPCFL67HMPDDP648SO/megalenhydris_by_hodarinundu_de9fgvf-fullview.jpg Megalenhydris barbaricina - Make it stand out Fig 1. An artist’s interpretation of Megalenhydris barbaricina attacking a hammerhead shark (Sphyrna) Painting used with permission from the artist Hodari Nundu. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1628607712360-MDZF9JOYEE5IPHOA14FE/Megalenhydris+barbarica_Small.png Megalenhydris barbaricina - Make it stand out Fig 2. The probable range of Megalenhydris barbaricina. Images used by Giancarlo Dessì and cisko66, both licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported. Images are unedited. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1629102777127-95GU826L1R8RG871CNGK/qdjiWUcj.png Megalenhydris barbaricina - Make it stand out Fig 3. Skeletal of Megalenhydris barbaricina. The areas in white are preserved and the areas in grey speculative. More material exists for M. barbaricina but remains unpublished. Skeletal by August Helmke, used with permission. https://www.theextinctions.com/aepyceros-sp-nov daily 0.75 2021-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1629741859117-66OBFK1V8VNQWIYHKZUP/Aepyceros_sp_nov_small.png Aepyceros sp. nov. - Make it stand out Fig 1. Known fossil sites of the Lake Victoria Impala. https://www.theextinctions.com/aepyceros-melampus daily 0.75 2021-08-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1629807374826-BARAPXUB3ZZEYIW4KCNS/Impala.jpg Aepyceros melampus - Make it stand out Fig 1. A Male impala trotting in Northern Botswana Terms of use: This image is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. The image is attributed to Hein waschefort and is unedited. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1629808056059-1JOOX9TTRJJQZSMYUP01/Aepyceros_melampus.png Aepyceros melampus - Make it stand out Fig 2. The extant range (Green) and possibly extant range (yellow) of Aepyceros melampus according to IUCN data (24) as well as a an estimated fossil range (Red) based on fossil remains (Ammonites)(2, 17, 25, 26, 28) and historical data (24, 27). https://www.theextinctions.com/lynx-pardinus daily 0.75 2021-09-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1630835473474-5NGZC8CZZ9RIJS1LGR9L/Iberian_Lynx_endrino03.jpg Lynx pardinus (Iberian Lynx) - Make it stand out Fig 1. An adult Iberian Lynx Terms of use: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Spain License. The image is attributed to Lynx ex situ and is unedited. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1630835014379-GG33VFCK8TTTXRTNLSSX/Lynx_pardinus.png Lynx pardinus (Iberian Lynx) - Make it stand out Fig 2. The extant range (Green) and estimated fossil range (Red) based on fossil remains (Ammonites) of Lynx pardinus from Pleistocene sites (6, 19). https://www.theextinctions.com/pseudoryx-nghetinhensis daily 0.75 2021-09-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1631207696797-NLPDC8D3I24GABGJUORA/saola.png Pseudoryx nghetinhensis - Make it stand out Fig 1. The rare sighting of a saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) by a camera trap in Vietnam Terms of use: This image is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. The image is attributed to Silviaculture and is unedited. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1631208433150-FPSA7Q0QIBHP88BWGWJS/Pseudoryx_nghetinhensis_small.png Pseudoryx nghetinhensis - Make it stand out Fig 2. The extant range (Green) of Pseudoryx nghentinhensis according to IUCN data (6). https://www.theextinctions.com/tapirus-veroensis daily 0.75 2021-11-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1632592301644-6MS8U24DG91R0D7L66IK/Tapirus_veroensis_small.png Tapirus veroensis - Make it stand out Fig 1. The estimated palaeorange of Tapirus veroensis, based on fossil sites (11). https://www.theextinctions.com/quinkana daily 0.75 2021-10-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1634400188376-CO6ENUUV5BRIWSBLISD6/Megalania-quinkana.jpg Quinkana - Make it stand out Fig 1. An artist’s interpretation of Varanus priscus and Quinkana. Painting used with permission from the artist Hodari Nundu. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1634400079884-L2SF1JBKKAR2SSE49B1Q/Quinkanamap2.png Quinkana - Make it stand out Fig. 2. The estimated range of Late Pleistocene Quinkana, based on fossil sites. Based upon data from PaleoDB (17). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1634400503980-DAKU3V8XMXAP1ATB6N6L/Quinkanasmall.png Quinkana - Make it stand out Fig 3. The cranium of Quinkana, not including the King Creek specimen. The areas in white are preserved and scaled to lectotype, the areas in grey speculative. Black bar represents 10 cm. Skeletal by August Helmke, used with permission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1634400328200-7TGPY88XGZ5AX5Q8C9EC/Quinkana.png Quinkana - Make it stand out Fig 4. The cranium of Quinkana. The areas in white are preserved and scaled to lectotype, the areas in grey speculative. The light-grey outline in the back is the estimated size based on the King Creek specimen (tooth). Skeletal by August Helmke, used with permission. https://www.theextinctions.com/nothrotheriops-shastensis daily 0.75 2021-11-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1634490838906-MQRYN7QF664CVUERTUAQ/shasta_ground_sloth_by_philipedwin_dc52do9-fullview.jpg Shasta ground sloth (Nothrotheriops shastensis) - Make it stand out Fig 1. An artist’s interpretation of Nothrotheriops shastensis. Painting used with permission from the artist Philip Edwin. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/1634492346413-KQY2TS1TJFNYYYM64Y42/Nothrotheriops+shastensis+Small.png Shasta ground sloth (Nothrotheriops shastensis) - Make it stand out Fig. 2. The estimated Ranchoblanchean palaeorange of Nothrotheriops shastensis based on fossil sites (6, 14) https://www.theextinctions.com/platygonus-compressus daily 0.75 2021-11-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/64594295-8994-4522-8d00-eb66af06b1a7/platygonus+compressus.jpg Platygonus compressus - Make it stand out Fig 1. A pair of flat-headed peccaries (Platygonus compressus) drinking from a stream at night. Artwork by Hodari Nundu. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/9189d5bd-8155-48c0-8335-c6237e9004e8/Platygonus_compressus.png Platygonus compressus - Make it stand out Fig 2. The Ranchoblanchean fossil range of Platygonus compressus https://www.theextinctions.com/gazella-bilkis daily 0.75 2023-11-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/54b55084-a836-4090-865d-7b9dd51ed9ce/Gazella_biklis.png Gazella bilkis - Make it stand out fig 1. The estimated distribution of G. bilkis and recorded sightings. https://www.theextinctions.com/notiomastodon-platensis daily 0.75 2021-11-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/c785aa7a-6f75-4982-9f45-68e8cf494895/dhruv-franklin-notio.jpg Notiomastodon platensis - Make it stand out fig 1. A bull Notiomastodon stands in the sunrise by the Tepui Kukenán in Venezuela, some time in the Pleistocene or early Holocene. Painting used with permission by the author Dhruv Franklin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/3e8459d7-f0e4-4902-8d1c-91d9fb2c5e65/Notiomastodon+platense+Small.png Notiomastodon platensis - Make it stand out Fig. 2. The estimated range of Notiomastodon platensis based on fossil sites. Based upon data from PaleoDB (11). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/c43cd8e1-4408-4385-9c2e-d5fee0b46553/800px-Stegomastodon_platensis.jpg Notiomastodon platensis - Make it stand out Fig 3. The skull of Notiomastodon (“Stegomastodon”) platensis in the Natural History Museum of London. Terms of use: This image is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. The image is attributed to Ghedoghedo and is unedited. https://www.theextinctions.com/copyright daily 0.75 2024-07-29 https://www.theextinctions.com/homo-floresiensis daily 0.75 2023-11-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/d11bbd7b-fd34-4150-9412-5dab0d8d241b/Homo_floresiensis.jpg Homo floresiensis - Make it stand out Fig 1. A lone Homo floresiensis contests it’s prey, a giant rat, with a scavenging vulture (Trigonoceps). Painting used with permission from the artist Hodari Nundu https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/42d23462-5a40-430c-8fd5-e0a66700f586/Homo_floresiensis.png Homo floresiensis - Make it stand out Fig 2. The estimated palaeorange of Homo floresiensis during the Middle and Late Pleistocene, restricted to only two known sites in Flores. https://www.theextinctions.com/homotherium daily 0.75 2025-01-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/e9928906-3d9f-480b-b700-d73c19e7e983/Picture1.jpg Homotherium - Make it stand out Fig. 1: Two scimitar cats in pursuit of a young woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius). Note: Newer evidence indicates that Homotherium was most likely brown. Painting used with permission by the author Hodari Nundu. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/204a3d56-ccdc-401f-928a-33c8d86f23f9/Picture13.png Homotherium - Make it stand out Fig. 2: A simplified visualisation of Homotherium's relationship to other cats, drawn after Jiangzuo et al. (2022). Xenosmilus and Ischyrosmilus are nested within Homotherium, making Homotherium paraphyletic. Felinae, the outgroup, are the conical-toothed cats. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/77496d23-f7c7-47cb-b523-a89b27bff332/Picture14.jpg Homotherium - Make it stand out Figure 3: Photograph of a now-lost figurine from Isturitz Cave, France, that has variably been interpreted as a depiction of either a lion or a scimitar cat. Certain features, such as the angular chin and short tail (which may have broken off, however), may argue for the latter identification. The image is in the public domain, and can be found here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/cd899176-005f-4ce6-a0ac-52134de66383/Picture15.jpg Homotherium - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fbbf5363c8e8724072a6bc2/8adbfb6b-d8aa-4f15-8aae-83d83cc0421f/Picture16.png Homotherium - Make it stand out Figure 4: Homotherium cub in right lateral and dorsal view (A) and skeleton (B). The image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, and the original can be found here. Figure 5: Homotherium cub in right lateral and dorsal view (A)and skeleton (B). The image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, and the original can be found here.