Includes bibliographical references (pages [277]-304) and index.

The sixth extinction -- The mastodon's molars -- The original penguin -- The luck of the ammonites -- Welcome to the Anthropocene -- The sea around us -- Dropping acid -- The forest and the trees -- Islands on dry land -- The new Pangaea -- The rhino gets an ultrasound -- The madness gene -- The thing with feathers.

Provides a moving account of the disappearances occurring all around us and traces the evolution of extinction as concept, from its first articulation by Georges Cuvier in revolutionary Paris up through the present day. The sixth extinction is likely to be mankind's most lasting legacy, compelling us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human.