Despeciation
![The three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)](/Images/godic/202501/08/Gasterosteus_aculeatus4125.jpg")
![The species Bufo periglenes (Golden Toad) was last reported in 1989](/Images/godic/202501/08/Bufo_periglenes2_cropped4125.jpg")
Despeciation is the loss of a unique species of animal due to its combining with another previously distinct species. It is the opposite of Speciation and is much more rare. It is similar to extinction in that there is a loss of a unique species but without the associated loss of a biological lineage.