Extinction is the death of all members of a species of plants, animals, or other organisms. A species has gone extinct when all its individuals have died. A species may go extinct locally (population extinction) or globally (species extinction). Populations or species reduced to such low numbers that they are no longer of economic or functional importance may be said to have gone economically or functionally extinct, respectively. Species extinctions are typically not documented immediately; the authoritative IUCN Red List categories and criteria require there to be no reasonable doubt that all individuals have died before a species is formally listed as Extinct.
Source: IPBES (2019), Global Assessment Report, Glossary; IUCN Red List, 2012b; Smithsonian, accessed 26/02/2026.
