Species, extinct before we know them?
Species are going extinct rapidly, while taxonomic catalogues are still incomplete for even the best-known taxa. Intensive fieldwork is finding species so rare and threatened that some become extinct within years of discovery. Recent bird extinctions in Brazil's coastal forests suggest that some species may have gone extinct before we knew of their existence.
Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, CP 399, Av. Perimetral, 1901, Terra Firme, 66077-530 Belém, Pará, Brazil.
Alexander C
AC
Lees
Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA. Electronic address: stuartpimm@me.com.
Stuart L
SL
Pimm
D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D001938:Brazil; D002965:Classification / Q000379:methods*; D056727:Endangered Species / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D053476:Extinction, Biological; D013045:Species Specificity; D013997:Time Factors