Extinct and endangered animals since 1500
How a term shapes our perception of wild plants—and why some supposed “weeds” are now themselves under threat. “How to get rid of ground elder,” “Strategies for controlling thistles,” “How to eliminate weeds from your lawn for good,” or “How to get rid of weeds forever”: As gardening season begins,
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“Today the original penguin is extinct.” Robert Silverberg, 1967, p. 84 The great auk was a large, flightless seabird of the North Atlantic. Its population may once have numbered several million individuals. With its black-and-white plumage, upright posture, and short, flipper-like wings, it bore a striking resemblance to today’s penguins
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At first glance, it sounds like good news: in many European habitats, there are now locally more plant species than in the past. An international study led by Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg analyzed 57,390 vegetation time series from across Europe. In total, 199,282 individual vegetation surveys were included; some time
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Many people are now reporting something similar: where numerous butterflies still flew over meadows, gardens, roadside verges or embankments in summer a few years ago, today there are often only a few—or none at all—to be seen. Such observations are initially personal and local; they depend on the weather, the
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Peatlands have long been seen as mysterious, hard-to-reach landscapes. In stories and films, they often appear as dangerous places with unstable ground, dark water and fog—places where someone might sink or disappear without a trace. Ecologically, however, they are far more than this old image: they are among the most
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Europe’s rivers and lakes are among the most heavily altered ecosystems in the world. Hardly any body of water remains unaffected—many have been regulated, dammed, or fundamentally transformed by human use. The updated IUCN Red List (2025)—the most comprehensive assessment of European freshwater fish in 15 years—makes the consequences of
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Species or just a form? The Lake Constance whitefish or kilch belongs to the genus Coregonus—a group of salmonids found in cool, oxygen-rich waters across the Northern Hemisphere. In Europe, they are known as Felchen, Maränen, Reinanken or Renken (whitefish). Hardly any other fish group is considered as taxonomically difficult: many forms have arisen only
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We will probably never find out what the females of Schomburgk’s deer (Rucervus schomburgki) looked like. In historical drawings, travel reports, and museum collections, only remains of males are found—with their unique, many-branched antlers. Females likely carried none, and apparently collectors in the 19th century considered them too inconspicuous to
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When pesticides are discussed, the focus is usually on bees, birds, or residues in food. Less attention is paid to the place where many of their effects begin: the soil. Yet it forms the basis of our food supply and is home to billions of organisms. An international study, published
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Pesticides are among the central drivers of global species extinction. They are used in modern agriculture to secure yields, but they deeply interfere with ecological processes. It has long been known that these chemical plant protection products have effects far beyond their actual target organisms. Recent research increasingly shows the
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