The names that grow thinner.
Forty species, all marked Extinct by the IUCN. Their names appear one by one as the timeline runs from 1500 to today. When a species reaches its extinction year, the letters of its name lose weight and fade. By the end, the words are barely there.
What you see
A 90-second journey from 1500 to today. Each species fades into view as the timeline approaches its extinction year. The letters carry the full weight of Fraunces. After the species is lost, the weight drops to a hairline and the opacity fades. The word remains visible but barely.
How it is built
Variable font axes wght and opsz drive the decay. Both transition with editorial easing over 1.6 seconds when a species is lost. Reduced-motion users skip directly to the end state.
Why type
Lists of extinct species are familiar. They sit in tables and footnotes and rarely move anyone. Watching the words themselves lose substance carries the loss in a different register. The names go quiet.
The list
Forty species across mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects. Curated from the IUCN Red List Extinct (EX) category and Wikipedia. Not exhaustive. Indicative.
- IUCN Red List. Category: Extinct (EX). Last sighting and extinction-year data.
- Wikipedia, List of recently extinct mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish and insects.