The Sixth Extinction

The Sixth Extinction is a blog that features extinct, rare, and unique species of animals.

[herpsandbirds]

Southern Gastric Brooding Frog (Rheobatrachus silus), family Myobtrachidae, found in the Blackall Range and Conondale Ranges in southeast Queensland, north of Brisbane, Australia

EXTINCT.

First discovered by western science in 1972 (possibly 1914), the last wild specimen was encountered in 1981, and the last captive specimen died in 1983.

The cause(s) for decline and extinction are unclear, but may include introduced species, habitat degradation, and the Chyrtrid fungus.

There is a project currently working to clone this frog. They have only been successful, so far, in cloning an embryo.

Females would swallow fertilized eggs, and brood them and tadpoles in her stomach. The metamorphosed froglets would emerge from her mouth later on.

There is considerable disagreement as to which family they should be included in (with some herpetologists putting the 2 species of Rheobatrachus into their own family).

illustrations via: MAHN Museum of Natural History

photograph by Michael Tyler

[rayleeschobel]

2025 Patreon Print Recap 10/12: Labrador Duck

Patreon reward for October 2025

Labrador Duck

The Labrador Duck, Camptorhynchus labradorius, is an extinct sea duck species. It is notable for also being the first endemic North American bird species to go extinct after the beginning of the Columbian Exchange.

Labrador Ducks were specialized to feed on mullosks, such as snails and clams, and some fishermen even reported catching them accidentally when using mussels as bait. Their bills were highly modified from that of most ducks, having a wide, flattened tip with lamellae inside. The beak was also notably "soft," suggesting that they may have used their beaks to probe for food in sediment.

The reason for the Labrador Duck's extinction is difficult to identify. They were said to have tasted bad and rotted quickly, making hunters generally avoid them. However, egg harvesting and feather demand may have had an effect on the species' population. It seems like human influence on the Eastern North American coast played much more of a role in the demise of the species. On the Eastern Seaboard, increasing human population and industry led to a decrease in shallow-water mussel populations, a food source that the Labrador Ducks were dependent on.

The last known Labrador Duck was shot in 1978 in southwest New York. According to legend, it was shot by a teenage boy hunting for food for his family. By the time a local ornithologist arrived with hopes of collecting the skin, the bird had already been plucked and eaten. All that remained were the head and some feathers, but this was enough for the specimen to be identified as the last known Labrador Duck.

[lifeinterconnected]

ivory bills and heath hens. extinct species and extinct subspecies

[waterwitchings]

Skin of a Javan tiger in the collection of the Tropenmuseum, 1915

A tiger fight in Java, 1870–1892

A group of men and children poses with a killed tiger in Malingping in Banten, West Java, 1941

A tiger killed along with seven Javan leopards during Rampokan in Kediri, East Java, circa 1900

[drhoz]

#2541 - Aptornis defossor - South Island Adzebill

One of three species in the now extinct family Aptornithidae - the other two were the North Island adzebill, (Aptornis otidiformis), and a possible species Aptornis proasciarostratus from the remarkable Saint Bathans fauna of the Miocene.

A large omnivorous bird of uncertain affiities, originally described as a small Moa, that lived in dryer more open country. Unlike the last few species I've covered, this one was already extinct before Europeans showed up - the Māori name was "ngutu hahau", presumably when they weren't calling it "lunch".

The photo above is of a reconstruction on display at Te Papa, the national museum in Auckland. There are no records of the colour of the living birds.

Te Papa, Wellington, New Zealand

[mariolanzas]

GEOLOGICAL PERIOD LOGOS (Jurassic Park style)

Logos I made for the intro of my series of VIDEOS dedicated to each geological period. Some of them are now also available for t-shirts and other items HERE

_____

Youtube Channel

Instagram (new account)

Prints and more items of my artwork

[rayleeschobel]

2025 Patreon Print Recap 9/12: Carolina Parakeet

Patreon reward for September 2025

The Carolina Parakeet, Conuropsis carolinensis, was a small neotropical parrot that was native to the Eastern, Midwest, and Plains states in the US. It was the only parrot species indigenous to its range, and only one of three parrot species native to the United States. They had been called puzzi la née or pot pot chee by the Seminole tribe and kelinky by the Chickasaw. The earliest known reference to the species was in 1583 in Florida, and their first scientific description was by English Naturalist Mark Catesby in 1731.

Carolina Parakeets lived in massive flocks of as many as 300 individuals, building nests in hollow trees and even sharing nests on occasions. They had been fairly prevalent in the beginning of colonization of the Americas, but studies suggest that the species had been in decline since the last glacial maximum (20-26,000 years ago). Of course, the introduction of Europeans to the continent only served to expedite their extinction.

The species began to collapse as deforestation of the eastern and southern deciduous forests of the United States began. Additionally, hunting played a significant role in their decline. The demand for decorative feathers was high, and the Carolina Parakeets were gorgeous little birds. They were also hunted on occasion by farmers thinking of them as pests, but their tendency to eat invasive cockleburs mediated that a little. The parakeets were an incredibly social species, and mourned for lost members of their flock by gathering around the dead or dying bird. This behavior only served to make them easier targets as far as hunters were concerned, and it allowed for wholesale slaughter of flocks. After 1860, the bird was rarely spotted outside of Florida, the Florida swamps remaining as the last safe haven for the species. The final cause for the species' extinction is not fully understood, as they rapidly declined in population in the early years of the 20th century, the last known wild specimen being killed in 1904.

The last known Carolina Parakeet was named Incas, and was a resident at the Cincinnati Zoo. Incas died on February 21, 1918, in the same cage that Martha, the last Passenger Pigeon, had died in only four years earlier.

[fancyhdraws]

Passenger Pigeon

I went through this phase where I learned about lots of extinct animals and the passenger pigeon always stood out to me. There’s a taxidermy specimen at my local museum so I went to sketch him one day and polished it up afterwards. Love these little guys 🥲

[sayjoart]

Pink-headed duck

Critically endangered probably extinct

Cause of decline hasn’t been confirmed. Probably habitat loss and hunting though they were already uncommon. Before people started paying attention

Watercolor and marker

[jadafitch]

Day 26 of Avian August 2025, Birds of Hawaii, hosted by @cookiedoves: Kiwikiu or Maui Parrotbill (Pseudonestor xanthophrys)

The Kiwikiu is a critically endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper. Once more widespread, it is now found only in a small area of high-elevation, wet montane forests on East Maui. Its parrot-like bill makes it an expert insect hunter, allowing it to pry back bark and bite into stems to reach hidden larvae.

These ʻōhiʻa- and koa-dominated forests contain a rich understory of plants and shrubs, including the pilo (Coprosma montana), a member of the coffee family. While this shrub does not directly provide food for the parrotbill, it supports the insect communities on which the bird depends. In turn, the Kiwikiu helps keep insect populations in balance.

[orofeaiel]

The critically imperiled Quinault Fawn-Lily

[paleoart]

Even though I did kinda jump on the badwagon back when the frozen Homotherium cub was published, I decided to focus on the adult interpretation, though I knew eventually I would like to do something featuring cubs.

And here it is! A nice family portrait.

Patreon • Ko-fi • BlueSky  • Instagram • Prints & Merch  

[snekdood]

but have you ever even heard of the fynbos biome ?!!?!?!?!

a biome so unique in south africa that it's earned an entirely new biome classification for itself. so many plants are endemic to this area, and ofc it's under threat of extinction.

[wiley-treehouse-gardens]

It's a wonderful place! I had the privilege of visiting the fynbos last year and it was as amazing as these photos show and more!

[bhramarii]

no mondays in the cambrian era

[fuckyeahcoelacanths]

I respect this hustle heavily. I love coelacanths for evolutionary reasons (lobe-finned fishes being the cousins to all tetrapods and things like that) but also just because well.,, Look that man in the eyes and tell me he has no charm. That deep-sea down-right swell fellow. I love them quite a lot they are in my top 50 sea critters (this is high praise as I am an aspiring Marine Biologist who prefers inverts to those spine-having. cousins of mine.) I'm sure you're probably already aware of this, but I was recently introduced to the website FishBase by my Ichthyology professor, and I wanted to share it's page on coelacanths!

If you click on the image you can even see some official coins and stamps that have donned this wonderful fish!

FISH BAAAAAAAAAAAASE

Look at that cutie.

[itsghostofthesea]

Helmeted hornbill

These are one of the rarest species of hornbill, mainly because of ivory hunting.

Not because they have any association with elephants, but their heads and more importantly, casques (The big horny lump on the bill) are used as a form of ivory to carve designs into.

GhostoftheSea | EL | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree

Independent Watercolour Artist and Wildlife Illustrator based in the North West of England

[stavrosskundromichalis]

Darwinopterus modularis flaplings getting ready for the big leap 😬🤞