Extinction | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/extinction/RSS feed for ExtinctionenMon, 05 Oct 2026 17:38:51 +0000These Five Birds Have Disappeared Forever. Their History Offers a Valuable Lesson for the Futurehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/these-five-birds-have-disappeared-forever-their-history-offers-a-valuable-lesson-for-the-future-180989616/In an exhibition celebrating the natural history of the United States, a small group of taxidermy birds stands as a reminder of loss—and a symbol of hopeMon, 05 Oct 2026 17:38:51 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/these-five-birds-have-disappeared-forever-their-history-offers-a-valuable-lesson-for-the-future-180989616/A 66-Million-Year-Old Feather Trapped in Dinosaur Poop Might Help Explain Why Some Birds Survived Mass Extinctionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-66-million-year-old-feather-trapped-in-dinosaur-poop-might-help-explain-why-some-birds-survived-mass-extinction-180989496/Discovered in Montana in 2016, the cherry-size coprolite contains feathers, bones and evidence of the bird's last meal before the creature was eaten by a theropodWed, 16 Sep 2026 18:45:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-66-million-year-old-feather-trapped-in-dinosaur-poop-might-help-explain-why-some-birds-survived-mass-extinction-180989496/A Geologist in California Found Something Strange Sticking Out of a Creek. A Reverse Image Search Told Her It Was an Ancient Mastodon Toothhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-geologist-in-california-found-something-strange-sticking-out-of-a-creek-reverse-image-search-told-her-it-was-an-ancient-mastodon-tooth-180989504/Pacific mastodons roamed parts of North America before disappearing along with other Ice Age megafauna around 11,700 years agoTue, 15 Sep 2026 19:04:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-geologist-in-california-found-something-strange-sticking-out-of-a-creek-reverse-image-search-told-her-it-was-an-ancient-mastodon-tooth-180989504/For Decades, Scientists Thought an 'American Cheetah' Once Roamed North America. Turns Out the Extinct Cat Wasn't a Cheetahhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/for-decades-scientists-thought-an-american-cheetah-once-roamed-north-america-ancient-turns-out-the-extinct-cat-wasnt-a-cheetah-180989465/Ancient DNA from fossils found in Wyoming and Canada's Yukon Territory suggests the wild cat more closely resembled modern pumas than modern cheetahsFri, 11 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/for-decades-scientists-thought-an-american-cheetah-once-roamed-north-america-ancient-turns-out-the-extinct-cat-wasnt-a-cheetah-180989465/The Tasmanian Tiger Was Branded a Livestock Killer. New Research Challenges That Mythhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-tasmanian-tiger-was-branded-a-livestock-killer-new-research-challenges-that-myth-180989473/Thylacines had powerful snapping bites suited for catching small and medium-sized prey like bandicoots—not taking down large animals such as sheep and cattle, as European colonists fearedThu, 10 Sep 2026 17:43:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-tasmanian-tiger-was-branded-a-livestock-killer-new-research-challenges-that-myth-180989473/