nowextinct

Nowextinct is a neologism used in science communication, journalism, and online discourse to denote species, populations, or ecosystems that have recently become extinct or have died out within a short, recent time frame. The term blends "now" and "extinct" to emphasize contemporaneous loss, distinguishing it from categories like "extinct" in formal taxonomy or "extinct in the wild."

It is not an official IUCN category; formal statuses include extinct, extinct in the wild, and critically endangered, among others. The phrase tends to appear in informal or journalistic contexts rather than in formal conservation assessments, and its usage can vary by region and publication. Some writers use it to convey urgency or to describe local or narrowly scoped disappearances that may not reflect global extinction.

Origin and usage: The word appears in online articles and blogs from the early 21st century, without a standardized definition. It is often used descriptively rather than as a formal classification, sometimes within regional or vernacular reporting on biodiversity loss. Some conservationists caution that "nowextinct" can oversimplify status, since some populations may persist in captivity, or may require more evidence before declaring overall extinction.

Distinctions: Nowextinct is typically used to describe a recent, regionally or contextually constrained disappearance, whereas "extinct" is a global, formal assessment. "Extinct in the wild" refers to populations surviving only in captivity or cultivation; "functionally extinct" refers to a population that cannot sustain viable reproduction.

Examples: Journalists might use nowextinct to describe a species that has not been observed in the wild for a decade in a given area, even if unconfirmed sightings exist elsewhere. The term is mostly encountered in non-peer-reviewed media.

See also: extinction, IUCN Red List, conservation biology, de-extinction.