The extinction of the Java Stingaree represents more than just the loss of a single species. After 160 years since its only documented sighting, this small ray has become the first marine fish officially declared extinct due to human activities, according to Charles Darwin University (CDU) researchers. In Jakarta’s fish markets of 1862, German zoologist Eduard von Martens purchased what would become the sole recorded specimen of Urolophus javanicus. That dinner plate-sized ray, now preserved in Berlin’s Natural History Museum, represents all that remains of a species that has vanished forever from our oceans. “Extinction is forever, and unless we … Continue reading Java Stingaree Extinction Confirmed After 160 Years of No Sightings Due to Human Impacts