What caused the Late Devonian extinction?

The cause is still debated. Possible factors include global cooling, asteroid impacts, reduced ocean oxygen, and changes in sea level. It was likely a combination of causes over an extended period.

Home/Prehistoric Periods/Late Devonian

Late Devonian Period

382-358 million years ago

The Late Devonian was a time of dramatic transition. The first tetrapods, four-limbed vertebrates like Tiktaalik, were making their way onto land. But the period ended with a prolonged mass extinction that wiped out up to 75% of all species over several million years, clearing the way for new forms of life.

Fun Facts

✓Tiktaalik, discovered in 2004 in Canada, is a famous Late Devonian fossil showing the transition from fish to land animals.
✓The Late Devonian extinction was actually a series of events spread over millions of years, not a single catastrophe.
✓Ichthyostega and Acanthostega, among the earliest known tetrapods, lived in the Late Devonian.

Questions About the Late Devonian

Other Prehistoric Periods

Triassic Late Triassic Middle Triassic Jurassic Early Jurassic Middle Jurassic Late Jurassic Middle-Late Jurassic View all periods →