This September 1 is the 100th anniversary of a landmark event in the history of biodiversity. On that day in 1914, at about one oclock in the afternoon, Martha – the last surviving passenger pigeon – died at the Cincinnati Zoo. It is extraordinary to know with virtual certainty the day and hour when a species ceases to be a living entity. And it was a stunning development because less than half a century earlier, the passenger pigeon had been the most abundant bird in North America, if not the world.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 07:15:58 +0000
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