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The field of bullets hypothesis describes a model in which extinction is non-selective and occurs randomly. The metaphor of the field of bullets suggest that species are simply out in a field and "bullets" are hitting them at random, thus their extinction is due only to stochastic effects. The field of bullets operates without relation to the organisms' adaptability, or fitness of specific animals. Under this hypothesis all species are subjugated to the same probability of extinction no matter where they originate in their taxonomy, and irrespective of traits that typically buffer against extinction.

References

1. Raup, David M. (1991) Extinction: Bad Genes or Bad Luck. Norton. ISBN 0-393-03008-3

v t e Extinction
Phenomena	Background extinction rate Coextinction De-extinction Ecological extinction Extinct in the wild Functional extinction Genetic pollution Lazarus taxon Local extinction Pseudoextinction
Models	Extinction vortex
Causes	Climate variability and change Genetic erosion Invasive species Habitat destruction Human impact on the environment Muller's ratchet Mutational meltdown Overabundant species Overexploitation Overshoot Paradox of enrichment
Theories and concepts	Extinction debt Extinction risk from climate change Extinction threshold Quasi-extinction Field of Bullets Hypothetical species Latent extinction risk Living fossil
Extinction events	Major Ordovician–Silurian Late Devonian Permian–Triassic Triassic–Jurassic Cretaceous–Paleogene Holocene Timeline Other Great Oxidation End-Ediacaran End-Botomian Dresbachian Cambrian–Ordovician Ireviken Mulde Lau Carboniferous Olson's End-Capitanian Carnian Pluvial Toarcian End-Jurassic or Tithonian Aptian Cenomanian-Turonian Eocene–Oligocene Middle Miocene Pliocene–Pleistocene Quaternary
Extinct species	Lists of extinct species IUCN Red List extinct species
Organizations	International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN Species Survival Commission Extinction Rebellion Voluntary Human Extinction Movement
See also	Anthropocene Decline in amphibian populations Decline in insect populations Extinction symbol Human extinction The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
Category Commons

• Extinction
• Biological hypotheses
• Metaphors referring to war and violence
• Metaphors referring to objects