570 vanished lives

97Cenozoic

This black-bear-sized beaver had ridged teeth and depended on extensive wetlands.

98Recently extinct

One of the world’s largest freshwater fish migrated the length of the Yangtze.

99Recently extinct

This small sea duck had a specialized bill for feeding in shallow coastal water.

100Recently extinct

This large coastal sea lion bred on rocky islands across the Sea of Japan.

101Paleozoic

Paddle-shaped hind limbs carried this sea scorpion through shallow coastal water.

102Paleozoic

Bony armor enclosed its head and chest while jointed pectoral appendages steadied it on the bottom.

103Paleozoic

Weight-bearing limbs accompanied a fish-like tail in an animal still deeply tied to water.

104Paleozoic

This tiny insect hunter belonged to an early generation of vertebrates freed from laying eggs in water.

105Paleozoic

Crossbars projected from the spines of its tall sail above a broad plant-processing body.

106Mesozoic

A handful of colossal vertebrae and limb bones indicate one of the largest land animals known.

107Mesozoic

This huge, robust dromaeosaur used strength and a curved second-toe claw to control prey.

108Mesozoic

Huge arms, a broad bill, a tall back and wide feet formed one of the strangest dinosaur silhouettes.

109Mesozoic

Two rows of elongated neck spines made its profile unique, though their soft-tissue covering remains debated.

110Mesozoic

This long-snouted armored crocodyliform was not a direct ancestor of living crocodiles.

111Cenozoic

Nearly everything known directly comes from one enormous skull, leaving the body unusually uncertain.

112Cenozoic

It resembled a rhinoceros but belonged to the extinct brontotheres and carried paired nasal horns.

113Cenozoic

A massive body, broad feet and four ossicones made this giraffid resemble both deer and cattle.

114Cenozoic

Short blade-like canines, long forelimbs and a sloping back suited pursuit of large prey.

115Cenozoic

Ice Age art usually shows this immense cat without the heavy mane of many modern male lions.

116Cenozoic

Without large predators, this heavy island rabbit evolved small ears and lost efficient hopping.

117Recently extinct

A saddle-backed shell and long neck reached high vegetation; the last known individual died in 2012.

118Recently extinct

Brilliant orange males gathered briefly each rainy season within a tiny highland range.

119Recently extinct

Females swallowed fertilized eggs, suppressed stomach acid and released developed froglets from the mouth.

120Recently extinct

This palm-sized insect bat fell from island-wide abundance to a final acoustic signal in 2009.