14. Extinction Events & Cryptids (Earth)

Join us on Cosmic Catastrophes as we explore the five major mass extinction events that reshaped life on Earth. From ancient ice ages and oxygen crises to volcanic eruptions, climate shifts, and asteroid impacts, discover the causes, survivors, and lasting impacts. Learn about resilient creatures like crocodiles and horseshoe crabs, the slim odds of enduring them all, and possible links to modern cryptids.

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Special Mention: The Ancients Podcast and their incredible episodes

Sources:

• Mass Extinctions Through Geologic Time - National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossils/mass-extinctions-through-geologic-time.htm
• There have been five mass extinctions in Earth's history - Our World in Data: https://ourworldindata.org/mass-extinctions
• Extinction event - Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinction_event
• Forty years later: The status of the “Big Five” mass extinctions - PMC: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11895713/
• 11.2: "The Big Five" - Geosciences LibreTexts: https://geo.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Geology/Historical_Geology_%28Bentley_et_al.%29/11%253A_Mass_Extinctions/11.02%253A_The_Big_Five
• What caused Earth's biggest mass extinction? - Stanford Sustainability: https://sustainability.stanford.edu/news/what-caused-earths-biggest-mass-extinction
• What are mass extinctions? - Understanding Evolution (UC Berkeley): https://evolution.berkeley.edu/mass-extinction/what-are-mass-extinctions/
• Mass Extinction: What Happened 65 Million Years Ago? - AMNH: https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/dinosaurs-ancient-fossils/extinction/mass-extinction