Emily Chan
Right underneath our very noses, entire species are vanishing without a trace while we remain blissfully unaware of their demise or even of their existence in the first place.
This phenomenon is called “dark extinction,” and it’s a real threat to the biodiversity of our world, especially as human-induced climate change puts more and more plants, insects, and animals at risk.
The term “dark extinction” refers to the extinction of species before they can be discovered or named, so they are unable to receive a taxonomic classification. The label is usually reserved for species that have died off as a direct result of human-driven climate change.
However, dark extinctions aren’t just limited to modern times. They go all the way back to prehistoric periods and our ancestors’ hunting practices. Many lost species have been noted in the fossil record, but experts believe there are more we don’t know about.
In the 14th century, advances in maritime technology allowed Europeans to travel to other parts of the world, bringing invasive creatures that messed with the native wildlife.
During this time, a lot of the species that died were not scientifically recorded, so it is unclear exactly how many perished. The taxonomic period started in the 19th century. Scientists began naming, defining, and classifying organisms into groups.
“We know what we’ve lost and described, but the big unknown is what disappeared before description, and in some cases disappeared before the science of taxonomy even started,” said Dr. Alexander Lee from Manchester Metropolitan University. “The post-Linnaean world—in which we’ve been describing species—has really only been moving forward for a few centuries. So anything prior to that age of Linnaean discovery could be completely unknown.”
As a result, experts don’t know how many dark extinctions have taken place throughout the course of human history, and it’s unlikely that they will ever know because that would require finding the remains of every species that has gone extinct.
Over the years, scientists have made guesses about the number of dark extinctions that have occurred. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, there are currently 909 extinct species of plants and animals that we know of.
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