GOOD WHILE IT LASTED

Earth is losing species at an unprecedented rate, which, many believe, is the planet's sixth mass extinction. Since the biodiversity loss this time is the doing of humans, the event also marks the beginning of the Anthropocene Epoch, a self-aggrandising nomenclature that highlights our disproportionate and irreversible impacts on the surroundings

-  RICHARD MAHAPATRA

1st Extinction

The Ordovician Era

443 million years ago 85% of all species went extinct Reasons: An ice age“ followed by a rapid warming

2nd Extinction

The Devonian Age

374 million years ago 75% of all species went extinct Reasons: Fluctuating sea levels, altering global cooling and warming, drop in Co, concentration and periods of low oxygen

3rd Extinction

The Permian Age

250 million years ago 95% of all species went extinct Reasons: An asteroid hit the planet, filling the air with pulverised particles, leading to inhabitable climate conditions

4th Extinction

The Late Triassic Age

200 million years ago 80% of all species went extinct Reasons: Some colossal geological activity in the today's Atlantic Ocean that resulted in high CO,, global warming and acidified oceans

5th Extinction

Cretaceous Period

65 million years ago 76% of all species went extinct Reasons: Meteor crash in the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico, high volcanic activity

6th Extinction

The Holocene Epoch

About 99% of the planet's species have been lost in the previous five mass extinctions

Ongoing

Reasons: Anthropogenic factors like climate change and introduction of invasive plant species