Extinction is the complete termination of all the members of a type of animal, plant, or any living organism. The extinction may happen through natural causes like a drastic change of climate conditions or it could be through human activities. 

Over the course of the Earth’s long and eventful history, several extinction of organisms have happened. Some extinction events are so impactful, that about 50% of the organisms living at that time were wiped out. This is what scientists refer to as mass extinction. There are five major mass extinctions identified and some of which have led to the loss of many famous organisms that we only know through their fossils. 

In the Philippines, fossils of extinct animals were also discovered. The ammonites went extinct during the end of the Cretaceous Period (around 66 million years ago) or about the same time as the dinosaurs did. Their fossils are found in Oriental Mindoro and Catanduanes. The megalodon, which was the largest shark to ever live, is believed to have existed only until the Pliocene (approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago). Megalodon teeth were found in several provinces around the country such as Pangasinan, Cagayan, and Bohol. The Cagayan Valley hosts the majority of prehistoric fossils of large mammals but several other areas were also once home to these animals like Iloilo and even Metro Manila.  The exact reason as to why these large mammals went extinct in the country is yet to be studied.