extinct

Waesche, meanwhile, though dormant and possibly extinct, may offer an answer to the most pressing question in Antarctic volcanology: With ice melting ever more quickly, will the volcanoes grow more active?

Hominins includes all organisms, extinct and alive, considered to be within the human lineage that emerged after the split from the ancestors of the great apes.

Bones of other animals now extinct in Scotland have also been recovered from the system of caves over the years - including lemming, wild horses, lynx and wolf.

Species most likely to go extinct sooner were endemic to islands, lacked the ability to fly, had larger bodies and sharply angled wings, and occupied ecologically specific niches, according to research published this month.

"But mainland England and Wales is in dire straits, and they will become extinct if we are unable to reverse this trend."