Requiem

 

We are currently living through a mass extinction, although it can be difficult to appreciate the magnitude of the loss given our comparatively short lifespans and frenetic daily lives. But extinction records over the last 200 years of so indicate that we are losing biodiversity at a pace that is comparable to the previous five great mass extinction events in earth’s history. This week the U.S. Government added 23 species to the tally of loss. This NY Times article describes several of the species that now can only be experienced through a few pictures, shaky videos, and scratchy sound recordings. The last time anyone saw a living Maui nukupuʻu was in 1996. The picture above is of a preserved specimen collected in the late 1800's