Prologue

Geologists and earth scientists agree that there have been 5 mass extinctions during the history of life on earth. These events are recorded in the fossil record by the disappearance of a species after an extinction event, or the emergence and dominance of a new species. These extinction events have been caused by everything from a meteor impact to changes in ocean chemistry and climate. The scientific community is gradually reaching the consensus that we are in the midst of the 6th mass extinction event, as we are in the geologic time period being called the Anthropocene.

*Ma means Million Years Ago