Belgian animal sculptor Emmanuel Janssens Casteels works at his desk next to a replica of a Smilodon, an extinct genus of machairodont felid, in his workshop in Prayssas December 3, 2014. Casteels' company OPHYS specializes in life-size reconstructions and the sculpting or moulding reproductions of animals and hyper-realist fossils. His reconstructions are exhibited in museums and theme parks. (Photo by Regis Duvignau/Reuters)

Among the fish populations that could be harmed by the Xayaburi dam in Laos is the critically endangered Mekong giant catfish, considered by the Guinness Book of World Records to be the world’s largest freshwater fish. The fish, which grows to 650 pounds and about 10 feet long, is only found in the Mekong River. It is migratory, moving between downstream habitats in Cambodia upstream to northern Thailand and Laos each year to spawn. Some experts fear the Xayaburi dam could block the migration and drive the giant catfish to extinction. (Photo by Courtesy of Zeb Hogan/University of Nevada, Reno)

Frankie the Dinosaur, mascot of the United Nations Development Program “Don't Choose Extinction” visits Times Square spreading his climate-related message in New York on September 21, 2022. (Photo by Alex Kent/AFP Photo)

A caiman swims amidst trash in Canal das Taxas at the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood in west Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 22, 2023. The urban expansion of the area and the resulting pollution have put the yacare caiman (Caiman latirostris) “in danger of extinction”. (Photo by Tercio Teixeira/AFP Photo)

Titanoboa, meaning "titanic boa," is an extinct genus of snake that lived approximately 60–58 million years ago, during the Paleocene epoch, a 10-million-year period immediately following the dinosaur extinction event. The only known species is Titanoboa cerrejonensis, the largest, longest, and heaviest snake ever discovered, which supplanted the previous record holder, Gigantophis.

A full-scale model of the snake was unveiled at New York City's Grand Central station before the exhibit opens at the Smithsonian in Washington DC.

A leg of a “diablito” frog (Oophaga sylvatica) is photographed in a laboratory at a laboratory in the zoo of Cali, Colombia, on July 19, 2019. Colombia is the second country with the largest number of amphibians in the world after Brazil. More than 40% of amphibian species worldwide are in danger of extinction. (Photo by Luis Robayo/AFP Photo)

A farmer runs behind a police officer during a protest against farm laws introduced by the government, in New Delhi, India, January 26, 2021. Tens of thousands of farmers drove a convoy of tractors into the Indian capital as the nation celebrated Republic Day on Tuesday in the backdrop of agricultural protests that have grown into a rebellion and rattled the government. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

American actress Nicola Peltz poses on the red carpet as she arrives for the world premiere of the movie “Transformers 4: Age of Extinction” in Hong Kong Thursday, June 19, 2014. The latest installment in the blockbuster series of “Transformers” films is making its world premier not in the usual entertainment hubs of Los Angeles or New York but in the wealthy Chinese metropolis of Hong Kong, the latest sign of Hollywood's increasing focus on China's booming film market. (Photo by Kin Cheung/AP Photo)