There is evidence that they were an important part of the Neanderthal-era diet of North American people their likeness has been found in Paleolithic-era caves. Humans changed all of that, just like they changed the natural course of the Great Auk, a flightless bird that had coexisted with humans for 100,000 years.Īuks look similar to penguins and share several characteristics with them, although they aren’t closely related in terms of biology. Mankind has spent the last few centuries rapidly depleting natural habitats and hunting animals to the brink of non-existence.Ī hundred and fifty years ago, there were woodland bison roaming West Virginia, passenger pigeons were one of the most abundant birds in the world, and monk seals thrived in the Caribbean Sea. This time, it’s not a rogue asteroid or some sort of polar shift that’s causing it – it’s us. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but our planet is currently in the midst of the sixth great extinction, and this time species are disappearing at up to 1,000 the rate as we’ve seen over the past half billion years. Most of us have at least a working understanding of the Cretaceous-Tertiary or K-T extinction (also known as the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction) – or, in layman’s terms: The Thing That Killed All the Dinosaurs.
It’s actually a staggering number to try and comprehend, and my mind runs wild thinking of all the animals that used to gallop and fly and slither through my own backyard.Īs a planet, we’ve gone through five major extinctions, each caused by some sort of natural phenomenon like volcanic eruptions or the normal cyclical shift of climate, and each responsible for completely wiping out between 75-80% of life on Earth. We’re talking billions and billions of animal species that once lived here and no longer do. I read once that scientists estimate that 99% of species that have ever lived on Earth are currently extinct.
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