Let’s talk about #massextinctions:

The first animals evolved around 600 million years ago. While balance is usually maintained between extinctions and the evolution of new species, there have been six major events where the rate of extinction has drastically spiked.
In some cases entire groups of animals have disappeared from existence. These are known as ‘mass extinction events’.
While we will never be able to know exactly what happened all of those millions of years ago, these extreme events can help us to better understand the impacts of human-driven environmental changes that are occurring in modern times.

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More from @morethanadodo

14 Oct
Partula dentifera & Partula hebe

There were once many native species of Polynesian tree snails found across the French Polynesian islands, but now species like P. dentifera and P. hebe are Extinct in the Wild. Image
Extinct in the wild means that there are no, or no significant, wild populations remaining, but the species lives on in captive breeding programmes. In 1986 an international conservation initiative started to try to save this snail genus.
In 1967 the French Polynesian government allowed the import of giant African land snails to be used as a food source on the islands. However, some snails escaped and bred, quickly growing an invasive population. Image
Read 6 tweets
13 Oct
Did your parents always tell you not to play with your food? Well, at our special #MeatTheFuture Late Night event, you’ll have the chance to do just that!

Checkout these fun food-themed games in the thread below! Image
Join us for talks, drinks, snacks, and activities that will give you some ‘food for thought’ about the impacts of animal agriculture and meat consumption on people and the planet.

oumnh.ox.ac.uk/event/late-nig…
Fancy walking in the shoes of a dairy farmer with a daring game of skill and chance? You’ll have the opportunity to play ‘Grade Up To Elite Cow’ with @TheMERL at our Late Night Event. Image
Read 6 tweets
13 Oct
Pangolins are the most internationally traded non-human animal on the planet. There are eight species of pangolin found in Asia and Africa and all are threatened with extinction. This is a Sunda pangolin which is found across SE Asia. Image
Pangolins are hunted both for their meat and for their scales which are used in traditional Chinese medicine. Pangolin scales are made of keratin, the same as our hair and nails, and have no medicinal qualities. Image
Despite the fact that international trade of all 8 species of pangolin has been banned since 2016, they are still heavily trafficked around the planet. The Sunda pangolin is classes as Critically Endangered. Image
Read 5 tweets
8 Apr
Time for a mini thread about #slugs! Compared to their externally shelled snail relatives, there’s a preservation bias in natural history museums against slugs. Image of fluid preserved sl...
But what are slugs you might ask? It’s a handy name for grouping together gastropod molluscs that have fully or partially lost their shells through evolution but “slugs” have evolved many times.
It’s an artificial grouping of animals. The same is true also of “sea slugs” numerous groups of gastropods that have reduced or lost their shell but live in marine environments.
Read 9 tweets

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