EXTINCTION

Skeleton projected onto life-sized elephant model at ’The Secret World of Elephants’ exhibit.

Explore the Secret World of Elephants With the American Museum of Natural History’s New Exhibition

A new exhibit coming to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City examines elephants’ past, present, and future.

Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers in John James Audubon's ‘Birds of America.’

10 Facts About Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers, North America’s Most Famous (Probably) Extinct Bird

Here’s your introduction to this legendary, (maybe?) extinct avian—and a look-alike species that might be the source of all the rumors.

Jacques Barraband, ‘Carolina Parakeet’ (1801)

The Curious Extinction of the Carolina Parakeet: An Avian Cold Case

The North American parrots vanished mysteriously in the early 20th century. Now scientists are closer to solving their disappearance.

Woolly mammoths may have existed alongside humans for millennia, according to one study.

How Mammoth Poop Is Changing What We Know About Their Extinction

When did woolly mammoths go extinct? Their fossilized bones say one thing, but their poop paints a messier picture.

"Volcanic Winters" May Have Allowed Big Dinosaurs to Emerge, Study Finds

A new study explains how T. rex's feathered ancestors may have survived the extinction event that wiped out nearly half of all quadrupeds.

An illustration of a woolly mammoth, blissfully unaware of its species impending doom.

20 Cool Facts About the Ice Age

How many ice ages have there been so far? The same number of ‘Ice Age’ movies that have been released. (Five.)

Game of Thrones’s Dire Wolves Existed—But a New Study Suggests They Weren’t Really Wolves

New research suggests that the real-life inspiration for Ghost from 'Game of Thrones' wasn’t a wolf species.

The Anchisaurus polyzelus is one of the dinosaur's duking it out for title of Massachusetts's state dino.

Massachusetts Could Be Getting a State Dinosaur—And You Can Help Choose Which One

Massachusetts already has its fair share of state symbols (including Boston cream pie and Boston cream doughnuts), but you can never have too many.

An artist’s interpretation of the birth of a baby mosasaur.

This Football-Sized Fossil Egg is the First Found in Antarctica, and It May Have Belonged to a Mosasaur

The 68-million-year-old fossil egg’s mystery mother may have been one of the fiercest marine predators from the Late Cretaceous period.

A Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, in captivity circa 1930.

Researchers Just Unearthed ‘Lost’ Footage of the Extinct Tasmanian Tiger—Watch It Here

The 21-second clip shows the last Tasmanian tiger—or thylacine—ever in captivity roaming her cage at Beaumaris Zoo.

How Thomas Jefferson's Obsession With Mastodons Partly Fueled the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Thomas Jefferson thought mastodons might still be lurking somewhere out West—and he was determined to find them.

11 Facts About the Vaquita, The World's Most Endangered Porpoise

Its been just over 60 years since we discovered the species—and now there may be less than 20 of them left in the world.

A view taken on June 13, 2014 shows paintings of animal figures on the rock walls of the Chauvet Cave in Vallon Pont d'Arc.

13 Facts About the Chauvet Cave Paintings

The Chauvet Cave paintings are tens of thousands of years old and depict iconic animals that are now extinct. Even Werner Herzog was impressed.

The Whitsunday Islands in Australia's Great Barrier Reef

For the First Time Ever, a Mammal Has Been Declared Extinct Due to Climate Change

The Bramble Cay melomys was a tiny rodent that lived on a tiny Australian island. The now-extinct animal was killed off by climate change, scientists say.

How Mammoth Poop Gave Us Pumpkin Pie

When you express gratitude with your loved ones this Thanksgiving, don’t forget to be grateful for mammoth poop.

8 Animals That Were the Last of Their Species

From Benjamin the thylacine to Lonesome George the Pinta Island Tortoise, these endlings had an unfortunate claim to fame.

Drawing depicting the Great Auk, from the book 'Birds of America' by John James Audubon.

10 Tragic Stories of Extinct Animals

The dodo isn't the only tragic tale.

Matthias Heyde/Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Flickr // CC BY-ND 2.0

Norway's Doomsday Seed Vault Is Getting a $12.7 Million Makeover After Flood

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is designed to safeguard the world's crops against extinction, and it's getting a major upgrade to keep it safe.

5 Rediscovered Species That Made Headlines In 2017

Some of 2017’s best feel-good stories involved the sudden, dramatic reappearances of ultra-rare animals.

Crocheted Costumes That Make Pigeons Look Like Extinct Species

California-based artist Laurel Roth Hope brings extinct birds to life by making costumes designed to fit the common rock dove.

Gray, George Robert; Hullmandel & Walton; Hullmandel, Charles Joseph; Mitchell, D. W / Public Doman

DNA Tests Show ‘Extinct’ Penguin Species Never Existed

The presumed remains of the ancient penguins are a “jumbled mixture” of bones from three modern species.

Leon Brooks, Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Mass Extinction That Killed the Dinosaurs Also Led to 'Explosive Radiations of Frogs'

Ninety percent of frogs alive today descend from just three lineages that survived the extinction 66 million years ago.

Courtesy of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

10 Fascinating Facts About the La Brea Tar Pits

There’s a gooey time capsule in the heart of Los Angeles, left over from an era when saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, camels, and giant sloths prowled southern California.

5 Extinctions That Wiped Much of Life off Planet Earth

The next time you’re feeling less than brave, remind yourself you’re already one of nature’s great success stories.