The Face of Extinction

For so long, the dodo bird has been an icon of extinction, representing the threat of over-hunting without being too serious about it; we miss this bird not because of how its loss changed the world but because we don’t get to see its silly face or watch it try to fly. Now, as we move further into the 21st century, we also move further away—chronologically and emotionally—from the dodo’s loss (it was last seen in 1662). It’s hard to visualize what extinction looks like recently, to grasp how these disappearances are altering the earth and everything it provides.

The sixth great extinction is underway: We’re losing species about 100 times more rapidly than historic “natural” rates. Some experts think the current rate is as much as 1,000 to 10,000 faster. What is speeding up extinctions? Mostly people, our activities, and the ways we have changed the earth: deforestation, habitat destruction, overconsumption, climate change, ocean acidification, pollution, and the threads that intertwine these issues.

These modern extinctions affect humanity and our ability to live comfortably and happily on earth, challenging food production, protection from the elements, tourism, health, and much more. But the extinctions are also sad—more silly faces we will not see, flowers we will not smell, wild calls we will not hear.

The 26 species below, listed from A to Z, represent extinction today, the dodo birds of our time. For each species, I have included an original pen-and-watercolor image based on available photos, videos, and artworks. A new species will appear on this page each week. The placeholder symbol ⧖ is known as the extinction symbol, signifying the earth and our limited time to address this crisis.