| ammonite1 |
any of various coiled, flat, chambered fossil shells of extinct cephalopod mollusks from the Mesozoic era. |
| ape-man |
an extinct primate representing the transitional point in evolution between apes and modern man. (Cf. missing link.) |
| ass |
a mammal with long legs and hooves that is closely related to the horse. A donkey is a domestic ass. Asses look like horses but are smaller and have longer ears. Wild asses live in Africa and Asia and are in danger of becoming extinct. [1/2 definitions] |
| aurochs |
an extinct wild ox once common in northern Africa, Europe, and western Asia, and probably an ancestor of domestic cattle. [2 definitions] |
| Australopithecine |
a tool-making primate of an extinct genus of hominids that inhabited eastern and southern Africa. |
| Aztec |
the extinct language of this people. [1/4 definitions] |
| bison |
a very large mammal with a large head, humped shoulders, and short curved horns. Bison used to roam the plains of North America in large herds, but they were hunted until they were almost extinct. North American bison are also called buffalo, but they are not related to the true buffalo of Africa and Asia. Bison have hooves and are closely related to cattle. Bison eat only plants and chew their cud. [1/2 definitions] |
| coelacanth |
a large bony fish that was thought to be extinct until a living specimen was found in 1938. |
| Coptic |
the Afro-Asiatic language of ancient Egypt now extinct except for ritual use in the Coptic Church. [1/3 definitions] |
| defunct |
no longer in existence or use; dead; extinct. |
| die out |
to become extinct. [1/2 definitions] |
| dinosaur |
one of a group of extinct animals. Some kinds of dinosaurs were the largest animals that ever lived on land. Other dinosaurs were as small as chickens. The first kinds of dinosaurs developed over two hundred million years ago. The last kinds became extinct about sixty-five million years ago. |
| dodo |
a large bird, now extinct, with wings so small that it could not fly. Dodos were once found on islands in the Indian Ocean. |
| endangered |
in danger of becoming extinct. When a type of animal is endangered, it means that few of these animals exist now, and it is possible that there will be no more of these animals in the future. [1/2 definitions] |
| endangered species |
a species of plant or animal that is in danger of becoming extinct. |
| Etruscan |
the now extinct language of this country. [1/3 definitions] |
| extant |
still in existence; current; not extinct, destroyed, or lost. |
| extinction |
the act or process of becoming or making extinct. |
| ganoid |
belonging to a group of fishes, some extinct, that have hard armorlike scales. [1/2 definitions] |
| great auk |
a large flightless North Atlantic auk that became extinct in the mid-nineteenth century. |
| Homo erectus |
an extinct species of the human race that had a fairly small brain and an upright stance. (See Pithecanthropus.) |