Martha the pigeon, to Toughie the tree frog: Iconic endlings that were the last of their species

“It's very important that the world knows Toughie was a perfect gentleman. A handsome, handsome frog. And beloved.”

Amphibian biologist Mark Mandica’s tribute to Toughie - the last Rabbs' fringe-limbed tree frog who died in 2016 - voices the profound grief that comes from caring for an ‘endling’.

Up to 10,000 species go extinct every year, according to WWF, as human activities continue to drive what scientists have confirmed is a sixth mass extinction event.

It’s near impossible to grapple with the scale of the biodiversity crisis, but familiarising ourselves with just a few of these endlings - especially ones as beloved as Toughie - helps put it into emotional terms we can begin to process.

Their stories serve as reminders of how other species are navigating the world in depleting numbers - species that can still be saved.

Martha, the last known passenger pigeon, passed away at America’s Cincinnati Zoo in 1914. Her death marked the first documented extinction of a species at the hand of man, according to the zoo.

“By the time we realised the passenger pigeon was in real trouble, it was too late,” it states. After the last known wild pigeon was hunted to death in Ohio in 1900, a single captive flock existed at the zoo.

Breeding attempts failed, and by 1910 only Martha was still standing. “A reward of $1,000 [around €900, or €27,000 in today’s money] was offered to anyone who could supply a mate for Martha, but none was found,” it adds.

There’s a strong amount of ritual surrounding the passenger pigeon’s demise. Martha’s body was frozen and now resides at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC.

At Cincinnati, one of the zoo’s early bird aviaries has been preserved as a memorial for her. Inside, an exhibit “serves as a reminder to all