How many species have gone extinct?

Planetary evolution has witnessed inherent cycles of species termination. A staggering 99% of the whopping four billion species that have flourished on Terra Firma have vanished. The majority of these species are now merely echoes of the past. However, when the curious minds inquire about species termination counts, their emphasis is usually on recent historical epochs, particularly species that faced their demise largely due to Homo sapiens' impact.

The esteemed IUCN Red List provides data quantifying species terminations spanning the last five centuries. Regrettably, our grasp of global species metrics during this era remains incomplete; it's plausible that certain species faced termination unbeknownst to us. Hence, our statistics might underreport the true count. The graphical data showcases these approximations across various biological classifications. It posits that, since the dawn of the 16th century, approximately 900 species have met their end. Our data precision is enhanced for well-documented classifications, including 85 mammals, 159 avians, 35 amphibians, and 80 piscine species.