Most people are familiar with the dodo and the dinosaur, but extinction has occurred throughout the history of life, with the result that nearly all the species that have ever existed are now extinct. Today, species are disappearing at an ever increasing rate, whilst past losses have occurred during several great crises. Issues such as habitat destruction, conservation, climate change, and, during major crises, volacanism and meteorite impact, can all contribute towards the demise of a group. In this Very Short Introduction, Paul B. Wignall looks at the causes and nature of extinctions, past and present, and the factors that can make a species vulnerable. Summarising what we know about all of the major and minor exctinction events, he examines some of the greatest debates in modern science, such as the relative role of climate and humans in the death of the Pleistocene megafauna, including mammoths and giant ground sloths, and the roles that global warming, ocean acidification, and deforestation are playing in present-day extinctions ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

"By covering a currently hot topic, this book will capture the interest of students, researchers, and nonprofessionals alike." - Conservation Biology

"This book will capture the interest of students, researchers, and nonprofessionals alike" - Conservation Biology

"Extinction is a pressing societal and political problem, but we must get the science right. In this excellent book, Paul Wignall draws on a broad range of recent studies on the great mass extinctions of the past and the present biodiversity crisis to provide the evidence that will inform the debate." - Michael J. Benton, Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology, University of Bristol