Timeline Of Mass Extinction

INFOGRAPHIC June 24, 2015

Vol 51 Issue 25    Environment · Science & Technology · Science · Animals

Scientists predict that human activity has put the world on the brink of the sixth mass extinction in earth’s history, an event characterized by the elimination of a large number of species within a very short period of time. Here is a timeline of extinction events over the planet’s history:

• 450 million years ago: First Extinction: A bunch of dumb fish die
• 450 million years ago-360 million years ago: Pretty smooth sailing, all things considered
• 360 million years ago: Second Extinction: Following the eradication of 96 percent of all life, planet’s surviving bacteria really living it up
• 250 million years ago: Third Extinction: Despite dire warnings of many within the scientific community, increasingly alarming assertions that another mass extinction could be imminent are largely ignored by dinosaur community
• 205 million years ago: Fourth Extinction: End of winged crocodile species that would have blown your fucking mind
• 65 million years ago: Fifth Extinction: Last living dinosaur on earth walks around confusedly for a few days before falling into a ravine
• 20 million years ago: God dies
• 1500 BCE: First inkling human beings might be plowing through every single species in path
• 1992 CE: Kyoto Protocol tossed into path of oncoming extinction
• 2010 CE: British Petroleum announces yearly earnings of $29.5 billion
• 2015 CE: Town of Stonington, CT holds little recycling drive
• 2200 CE: Sixth Extinction: Centuries of unchecked human activity wipe out 99.9 percent of all remaining species on earth; flora and fauna who are free from sin ascend to heaven
• 2200 CE-800 million CE: Horseshoe crab racked with survivor’s guilt