Animals and plants at risk of extinction
Animals we have saved from extinction
It is possible to bring animals and plants back from the brink.
Species humans have driven to extinction
What is a mass extinction?
Human activity is killing nature at an unprecedented rate. We are now experiencing the consequences in the form of a possible sixth mass extinction.
Past extinctions
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Science news
Rediscovering the world’s largest cormorant
The spectacled cormorant went extinct almost 200 years ago – but almost nothing is known about its life.
19 March 2024 -
News
Number of threatened bird species falls in latest conservation update
We now know more about the threats affecting birds than ever before.
14 March 2024 -
News
Migratory fish, mammals and birds at risk of extinction
The first State of the World’s Migratory Species report found that countries aren’t doing enough to save threatened species.
12 February 2024 -
News
World’s first rhino IVF could help save the northern white rhino
Scientists have successfully managed to perform IVF on a rhino for the first time.
24 January 2024 -
Dinosaurs
Prehistoric plants: How to grow a dinosaur garden
As part of our Urban Nature Project, we’re planting a dinosaur garden in front of our iconic building.
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Science news
Climate change threatens thousands of amphibians with extinction
Amphibians are the most threatened group of vertebrates in the world.
4 October 2023 -
Human evolution
Homo habilis, an early maker of stone tools
This ancient human was once thought to be the first to make stone tools, but is this true?
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Science news
Horns in the Natural History Museum's collection confirmed to be from extinct bluebuck antelope
Only four confirmed specimens are known to science.
4 September 2023 -
News
Human ancestors may have almost died out after ancient population crash
Almost 99% of all human ancestors may have been wiped out around 930,000 years ago, a new paper has claimed.
31 August 2023 -
Science news
Our appetite for shellfish risks pushing mussels and scallops into extinction
Bivalves have been touted as a food of the future – but wild populations might not last that long.
15 August 2023 -
News
Australian lizard species rediscovered following extinction fears
The Victorian grassland earless dragon was last seen in 1969, but recent surveys of its habitat have revealed new populations of the species.
27 June 2023 -
News
New sabre-toothed species reveals 'unprecedented' impact of largest ever extinction
A new fossil predator has offered an insight into the chaotic final years of the largest extinction of all time over 250 million years ago.
26 May 2023 -
News
Almost half of all UK bird species in decline
Bird populations in the UK continue to freefall as the government moves further away from achieving its own targets to protect nature.
14 April 2023 -
News
Can ancient food webs help predict biodiversity collapse?
A gradual decline in biodiversity may have led to a more devastating ecosystem collapse during the Permian-Triassic mass extinction.
11 April 2023 -
Anthropocene
Human-elephant conflict: How to live alongside the largest living land animal
Humans have increasingly determined the future of elephants over recent centuries.
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Science news
Extinctions on the island of the dodo are pushing plants towards extinction
Almost a third of Mauritius' native fruits are no longer being dispersed as no animals are big enough to swallow their seeds.
16 March 2023 -
News
Over half of Britain's plant species are now non-native
Of the almost 3,500 British plant species, non-native plants now outnumber native species by 51% to 49%.
10 March 2023 -
Collections
The Legacy of Dürer's Rhinoceros
Dürer's woodcut print of a rhinoceros is as iconic as it is inaccurate. In this article we explore the legacy of this infamous artwork and how it shaped thinking on its subject for more than 200 years after its creation.
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News
Dodo 'de-extinction' announcement causes conservation debate
While some argue de-extinction could help to restore damaged ecosystems, others believe it is an expensive distraction from the threats facing living species.
15 February 2023 -
Science news
New species of large tortoise discovered after a century of mistaken identity
Though it may have gone extinct over 600 years ago, understanding more about Astrochelys rogerbouri could help to save its living relatives.
11 January 2023