Lost Animals, Disappearing Worlds Stories of Extinction

About this book

Lost Animals, Disappearing Worlds presents thirty-one extinct species through personal portraits. The intimate approach not only highlights each species but explores the broader implications of losing a species forever. How do we honour such a loss? Can we grieve for species we never knew? These animals range from the well-known passenger pigeon, thylacine and great auk, to lesser-known creatures like the Arabian ostrich, Saint Helena earwig and Bramble Cay melomys. These poignant portraits tug on the heartstrings and aim to inspire readers to protect vulnerable and endangered species today, motivating them to play a positive role in conserving our planet's biodiversity.

Contents

PART ONE
Introduction
Chapter One: Extinction
Chapter Two: Memorializing Grief

PART TWO: THE PORTRAITS
The Aurochs
The Dodo
The Rodrigues Solitaire
Steller's Sea Cow
The Great Auk
The Spectacled Cormorant (or Pallas's Cormorant)
The Falkland Islands Wolf
The Quagga
The Tarpan
The Rocky Mountain Locust
The Japanese Wolf (or Honshu Wolf)
The Passenger Pigeon
The Carolina Parakeet
The Syrian Wild Ass
The Heath Hen
The Thylacine
The Xerces Blue Butterfly
The Arabian Ostrich
The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker
The St Helena Earwig
The Eskimo Curlew
The Tecopa Pupfish
The Southern Gastric-Brooding Frog and the Northern Gastric-Brooding Frog/Eungella Gastric-Brooding Frog
The Dusky Seaside Sparrow
The Golden Toad
The Pyrenean Ibex
The Baiji (Yangtze River) Dolphin
The Pinta Island Tortoise
The Bramble Cay Melomys
The O'ahu Tree Snail

References
Bibliography
Acknowledgements

Customer Reviews

Biography

Barbara Allen is a minister in the Uniting Church in Australia. Her books include Pigeon (2009), Animals in Religion (2016) and Pelican (2019), all published by Reaktion Books.