Why We Went Extinct: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Species that Just Didn’t Make It

By Takashi Maruyama and Tadaaki Imaizumi

Nearly one million copies sold to-date of this heartfelt tribute to the 99.9 per cent of species that have gone extinct

If your species happens to be alive right now – never mind just you specifically! – you are already among the very lucky. Why We Went Extinct is an illustrated encyclopaedia of the animals that weren’t as lucky, that wound up on Darwin’s bad side through poor physical traits or unfortunate timing, or simply had the massive misfortune to run up against the rise of human civilization.

Readers learn about Platybelodon, an elephant ancestor whose jaw was too heavy to survive; Cameroceras, a cephalopod whose body was too straight to survive; the Laughing Owl, who went extinct because it laughed too loud; and a whole host of other mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians and fish that just didn’t make it. These are sad stories, but the endearing illustrations and charming voices of the animals bring them back to life, if only briefly, to teach readers about their lives and times, and to give us all a deeper appreciation of life on Earth (especially as we face human-caused climate change, a driver of extinction that the book also fully addresses).

Why We Went Extinct has become a huge phenomenon in Japan since it was first published in 2018, so far selling nearly a million copies.