In our Dec. 11 issue we did an article on a temporary exhibit at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum that’s timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the extinction of the passenger pigeon. The article included an interview with the RSM’s curator of human ecology Glenn Sutter who put the exhibit together.
As you’ll see if you read the article, the exhibit uses the example of the passenger pigeon (which was rendered extinct by hunting and habitat destruction as settlers flooded North America in the 19th century) as a springboard for a broader examination of extinction events.
In Earth’s history, there have been five mass extinctions, and because of exploding human activity in all corners of the globe, and resulting devastation that’s being wrought on plant and animal habitat, scientists believe we are in the midst of a sixth mass extinction.
In addition to the passenger pigeon, the exhibit contains information on dozens of other extinct or endangered species. The 32-foot tylosaur skeleton pictured above falls into the former category. It inhabited an inland sea in this area 70-90 million years ago.
A Roar of Wings runs at the RSM into March.
