Extinction
Extinction is when a species disappears completely, caused by changes in the environment, new predators, disease or human activity.
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Extinction is when a species disappears completely, caused by changes in the environment, new predators, disease or human activity.
- Habitat loss is a major cause
- Dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago
- Conservation aims to prevent it
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is Extinction?
Within Biology, which covers cells, the human body, genetics, evolution, plants and ecosystems: the science of living things, this topic explains Extinction. Biology topics show how living things work, from the cell up to whole ecosystems, with models you can explore step by step.
Check that you can explain Extinction in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding Extinction helps you explain how living things stay alive and respond to their surroundings, which is central to biology exams.
Extinction in detail
Extinction is when the last individual of a species dies, so the species no longer exists. Causes include changes in climate, new predators or diseases, competition from new species, habitat destruction, hunting and a single catastrophic event, such as an asteroid.
Mass extinctions, such as the one that ended the dinosaurs about 66 million years ago, have happened several times. Today the rate of extinction is much faster than normal, largely due to human activity. Species with a small population or specialised needs are most at risk. Conservation efforts aim to prevent loss of species.
How the interactive helps you understand Extinction
Watch the population model in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the population model responds.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Extinction.
Real-life uses and examples
- Connect Extinction to health, food and medicine in everyday life.
- Use Extinction to interpret a diagram, graph or microscope image from a practical.
- Structure a longer answer about Extinction by moving from definition to example to consequence.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Listing the steps of a process without saying how one step causes the next.
- Using everyday words, such as “energy” or “bad”, without their scientific meaning.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about Extinction
What is Extinction?
Extinction is when a species disappears completely, caused by changes in the environment, new predators, disease or human activity.
What are the most important points about Extinction?
The main points are: Habitat loss is a major cause; Dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago; Conservation aims to prevent it.
Why is Extinction useful?
Understanding Extinction helps you explain how living things stay alive and respond to their surroundings, which is central to biology exams.
How can I practise Extinction?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to Extinction?
Related topics in Biology include Cloning, Energy Transfer and Pyramids, The Nitrogen Cycle.