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How much animal diversity was lost during the Devonian extinction events?

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Devonian paleogeography — Devonian Period Distribution of landmasses, mountainous regions, shallow seas, and deep ocean basins during the early Devonian Period. Included in the paleogeographic reconstruction are the locations of the interval's subduction zones.

The Devonian extinctions were a series of mass extinction events that primarily impacted marine communities. Collectively, these events resulted in the loss of approximately 70 to 80 percent of all animal species present during the Devonian Period. In addition to the loss of species, about 20 percent of animal families were eliminated.12

These extinctions occurred throughout the period and are associated with significant environmental stresses, including widespread hypoxic or anoxic conditions in the oceans, rapid global warming or cooling, and potential bolide impacts. While these events were severe, they rank as the lowest in severity among the five major extinction episodes in geologic time. Notable extinction episodes within this series include the Taghanic Event, the Kellwasser Event, and the Hangenberg Event.31