Extinction

Before ancient megafauna went extinct, mastodons kept broad-leaved vegetation, such as black ash trees, in check. (Image credit: Barry Roal Carlsen, University of Wisconsin-Madison.)

Find out everything there is to know about extinction and stay updated on the latest extinction news with the comprehensive articles, interactive features and pictures at LiveScience. Learn more about amazing discoveries scientists are making as they uncover the causes and other details of mass extinctions throughout history.

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An illustration shows a top and underside view of Arthropleura, and a reconstruction of its head seen from the front.

Never-before-seen head of prehistoric, car-size 'millipede' solves evolutionary mystery

By Sierra Bouchér published

The fossil showed unique stalked eyes and centipede-like characteristics.

Extinct Species
Frozen carcass of a 4-year-old woolly rhino laid out on a sheet of plastic. The carcass is covered in mud but we see fur and mouthparts.

32,000-year-old mummified woolly rhino half-eaten by predators unearthed in Siberia

By Sascha Pare published

Researchers found the carcass in August 2020 in Russia's Sakha Republic, and the discovery has revealed a never-before-seen characteristic of woolly rhinos: a fatty hump on the animal's back.

Extinct Species
Two woolly mammoths trample through a snowy forest under blue skies. A small rabbit looks on.

Pollen allergies drove woolly mammoths to extinction, study claims

By Sascha Pare published

A boom in vegetation at the end of the last ice age may have created so much pollen, it blocked mammoths' sense of smell. A new study suggests this drove the beasts to extinction, but not everyone agrees.

Mammoths
An illustration of a duck-billed dinosaur with a huge snout on a purple background.

Duck-billed dino with absolutely enormous honker unearthed in Mexico

By Sierra Bouchér published

The newly named dinosaur is unique to Mexico, and it's helping change scientists' understanding of dinosaur ranges across the Americas.

Dinosaurs
Artist illustration of mosasaur swimming near a reef.

80 million-year-old sea monster jaw filled with giant globular teeth for crushing prey discovered in Texas

By Richard Pallardy published

Rare fossils of the mosasaur Globidens alabamaensis — a 20 foot predator with strange, mushroom-shaped teeth — unearthed in northeastern Texas.

Extinct Species
An illustration of a thylacine eating another marsupial species

Fossils of bone-crushing and meat-slashing Tasmanian tiger ancestors discovered in Australia

By Sierra Bouchér published

Three newfound thylacine relatives recently unearthed in Australia suggest that marsupial predators were more widespread in ancient Australia than previously thought.

Extinct Species
A black and white photo of two thylacines

Tasmanian tiger: Facts about the extinct thylacine

By Tia Ghose published

Discover interesting facts about where the Tasmanian tiger lived, what it ate, why and when it went extinct, and whether we could ever bring one back.

Extinct Species
A rendering of a woolly mammoth walking through a snowy landscape

Woolly mammoths: Facts about these extinct, shaggy beasts that once roamed the Arctic

By Tia Ghose last updated

The woolly mammoth, a cousin of today's elephants, died out about 10,000 years ago. It may be possible to bring them back by cloning, but should we?

Extinct Species
A collage of a woolly mammoth inside a petri dish with a pipet above it

'Closer than people think': Woolly mammoth 'de-extinction' is nearing reality — and we have no idea what happens next

By Sascha Pare published

Scientists are getting very close to bringing a few iconic species, like woolly mammoths and dodos, back from extinction. That may not be a good thing.

Extinct Species
Illustration of a hunting scene with Pleistocene beasts including a mammoth against a backdrop of snowy mountains.

6 extinct species that scientists could bring back to life

By Sascha Pare published

De-extinction — the science of resurrecting extinct species — is progressing in leaps and bounds. Here are six creatures that researchers could bring back to life.

Extinct Species
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