Tag Archives: Extinction

The moo of the wild

Posted on November 11, 2015 by twilightbeasts

In a sense, Pleistocene megafauna are still with us even in post-industrial England. It may not seem like it but the humble heifer is probably the most successful species of megafauna on the planet, outnumbering all the elephants, rhinos, whales, … Continue reading →

Posted in Aurochs | Tagged ancient DNA, Aurochs, cave art, Chauvet Caves, cow, DNA, domestication, extinct, Extinction, Heck cattle, Lascaux Caves, Nazis, Pleistocene, Ross Barnett | 12 Comments

Clovis hunting an African elephant

Posted on October 14, 2015 by twilightbeasts

One of the advantages of having entered academia after the internet revolution is that the majority of my library is virtual. My laptop PDF paper collection is currently at 6,554 items (and there are another 1,500 or so waiting to … Continue reading →

Posted in Clovis hunters | Tagged Africa, Clovis culture, Elephant, Extinction, human, Hunting, Mammoth, Mastodon, Overkill, Pleistocene, Ross Barnett | 6 Comments

The last squawk of the dodo

Posted on August 28, 2015 by twilightbeasts

Extinction isn’t preordained. Species have no idea if they will vanish from the face of the Earth forever. Yet they do. An animal’s daily life is a struggle for survival: find the next meal, avoid being eaten. Many individuals die. … Continue reading →

Posted in Dodo | Tagged Caloenas nicobarica, Decan Traps, Dodo, Extinction, Jan Freedman, Mare aux Songes, Mauritius, National Museum, Nicobar Pigeon, Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Prague, Raphus cucullatus, Tyrannosaurs rex, University of Copenhagen Zoological Museum | 20 Comments

A striped wonder

Posted on August 26, 2015 by twilightbeasts

If you haven’t already, take a few minutes to watch this YouTube video. Think about what you are watching. The animal in the grainy film is extinct. When the last member of its species died out, a significant branch of … Continue reading →

Posted in Thylacine | Tagged Australia, David Fleay, Dingo, Extinction, Marsupial, Marsupial Lion, New Guinea, Nullarbor Caves, Ross Barnett, Tasmanian Devil, Tasmanian tiger | 18 Comments

Seeking redemption

Posted on August 24, 2015 by twilightbeasts

Extinction, they say, is forever. There’s the distressing aspect of poaching and trophy hunting (can you tell the difference any more? No, me neither) as highlighted by the senseless, savage deaths of rhinos, elephants, lions, tigers and many more creatures. … Continue reading →

Posted in Quagga | Tagged Africa, ancient DNA, Extinction, London Zoo, Quagga, Rena Maguire | 8 Comments

Yesterday’s Camel

Posted on June 11, 2015 by twilightbeasts

Camels are weird. I think we like them because their curmudgeonly reputation reminds us of someone we know (or ourselves!). Easy to recognise and totally unlike any other mammal, the “ship of the desert” is always included in Noah’s ark … Continue reading →

Posted in Camelops | Tagged alpaca, ancient DNA, art, Bering Straits, Beringia, camel, Camelidae, Camelops, Extinction, guanaco, llama, Pleistocene, Ross Barnett, Vicuña | 10 Comments

Overkill

Posted on March 25, 2015 by twilightbeasts

“But how could they have killed them all with just pointy sticks?” This question, or a variation thereof, has been asked of me, seemingly whenever I bring up the concept of overkill as the likely cause of Pleistocene megafaunal extinction. … Continue reading →

Posted in Sea cow | Tagged Bering, Bering Island, Bering Straits, Commander Islands, Extinction, Ground sloth, Holocene, Hunting, Hydrodamalis gigas, Mammoth, Mastodon, Medny Island, Megatherium, Naivety, Overkill, Paul S Martin, Pleistocene, Sirenia, St Lawrence Island, St Paul Island, Steller, Steller's sea cow, Wrangel Island, Yupik | 14 Comments

When is an aardvark not an aardvark? When it’s from Madgascar!

Posted on February 25, 2015 by twilightbeasts

I think about extinction a lot. Its hard not to when researching Pleistocene mammals. One of the sobering things about this kind of research is that you become aware of the high likelihood of “unknown unknowns”: animals that existed but … Continue reading →

Posted in Bibymalagasy | Tagged aardvark, ancient DNA, ancient protein, eupleridae, Extinction, fossa, giant lemur, Madagascar, Malagasy | 4 Comments

The most lonely places

Posted on December 4, 2014 by twilightbeasts

“Vouronpatra: A large bird which haunts the Ampatres [marshy places] and lays eggs like the ostrich’s; so that the people of these places may not take it, it seeks the most lonely places.” The beasts of the Pleistocene cause … Continue reading →

Posted in Elephant Bird | Tagged Aepyornis, ancient DNA, Etienne de Flacourt, Extinction, giant lemur, Madagascar, Malagasy, Megaladapis, moa, Mullerornis, Pleistocene, pygmy hippo, radiocarbon, Ratites, Sir David Attenborough | 5 Comments

The pouched lion

Posted on October 10, 2014 by twilightbeasts

Australia is a land stripped of megafauna. The largest surviving kangaroo is a dwarf compared to the elephants, giraffes, rhinos, and hippos of Africa. Similarly, the largest living carnivorous marsupial, the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harisii), is a stunted furball when … Continue reading →

Posted in Marsupial Lion | Tagged Australia, Carnassials, Carnivores, cave art, Dasyuromorphia, Diprotodon optatum, Extinction, megafauna, Richard Owen, Sarcophilus harisii, Tasmanian Devil, Tasmanian tiger, Thylacine, Thylacinus cynocephalus, Thylacoleo | 7 Comments

	The most (and least)… on A very brief introduction to…
	The most (and least)… on The Nipple Tooth
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	The most (and least)… on The Stuff Of Night-Mares
	The most (and least)… on The beasts within

	The most (and least)… on A very brief introduction to…
	The most (and least)… on The Nipple Tooth
	The most (and least)… on The burrowers
	The most (and least)… on The Stuff Of Night-Mares
	The most (and least)… on The beasts within