Explained: What Is The 'Endling' Species

By: EjazUlHaqBhat

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An "endling" is the last known individual of a species or subspecies, whose death signifies the extinction of that species

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The term highlights the stark reality of extinction and the loss of a unique form of life

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Examples of endlings include Martha, the last passenger pigeon, and the last known thylacine (Tasmanian tiger)

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Endlings are often viewed as haunting symbols of biodiversity loss and the consequences of extinction

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Their death marks the irreversible extinction of that species

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Martha, the passenger pigeon: Died in 1914 at the Cincinnati Zoo, marking the end of the passenger pigeon species

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The last thylacine (Tasmanian tiger): Photographed at the Hobart Zoo in 1933, its death confirmed the species' extinction

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The term "endling" was coined by physicians at a convalescent center to describe the last person in a family line, or the last survivor of a species

Image: Pexels

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