When we hear about extinction, we immediately think of huge dinosaurs and the asteroid crashing between Florida and Yucatan, 65 million years ago, but the truth is that since the beginning of life on Earth, more than 3,000 million years ago , to the present day thousands of genera and species arose, evolved and disappeared from the face of the Earth, many times without leaving traces of their existence and, in a few cases, leaving only fossilized bones. These extinct species, however, were documented by scientists, and luckily we can meet them today. Join us in Supercurioso to meet these 15 animals that went extinct.
15 extinct species you should know about
Most of the extinct species disappeared before the rise of the human being. But in times like this during the last 150,000 years, a good group of species also disappeared. This without counting the endangered animalswhose survival is seriously threatened. Here are some of these extinct animals that you will be fascinated to meet.
1. The woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis)
We begin our tour of the animals that went extinct with the woolly rhinoceros. His oldest relative, tibetan coelodontdates back 3.6 million years, but the C. antiquitatis lived with humans at least until 30,000 years agoduring the last ice age. Our “cave men” left testimonies of their existence by drawing them on the walls of caves like Chauvet (France).
Along with the mammoth, it was part of the megafauna of Europe, Asia and America. It was about two meters long and almost complete specimens have been found in Poland and Siberia., although it was present in almost all of Europe. Humans hunted them, but their disappearance is likely due to factors such as climate change.
2. The koala lemur (Megaladapis edwardsi)
The next of the extinct species that we want to talk about is the megaladapis. It was a giant lemur, the size of an orangutan (1.5 m), with a huge head, like that of a gorilla. and some resemblance to a famous alien doll from the 80s television. Humans came to Madagascar 2,000 years ago and this lemur became extinct about 500 years ago (possibly 1504).
It is believed that it spent a lot of time on land and, although the aborigines feared it, they also hunted it, which together with deforestation must have contributed to its inclusion on the list of extinct animals.
3. The Giant Auk (penguinus impennis)
The giant auk is the next of the extinct animals that we want to introduce you to. Also known as imperial auk, it was the largest uk of all, and the only one of its kind that could not fly, although it dived very well. Despite the fact that its habitat was the North Atlantic and the Arctic regions, in Roman times it was found in Morocco and on some Mediterranean coasts.
Originally, it was the only species that received the name of penguina word of Gaelic origin that means “white head”, and later its use was extended to the popular Antarctic birds, which were initially called booby birds. They could reach up to a meter in height and were black and white.
They were hunted for their feathers, their meat, and the oil from their fat, and exterminated throughout the first half of the 19th century. The last of its species was sighted in Newfoundland, in 1852.
4. Schomburgk’s deer (Rucervus schomburgki)
This is another of the extinct species in history. It owes its scientific name to the fact that it was described by the explorer and geographer Robert H. Schomburgk, when he was British consul in Bangkok. They moved in small herds across the swampy plains of thailandY it went on the list of extinct animals due to hunting. But not only of the human being, but also of native tigers and leopards. The last herd disappeared in 1932 and the last domestic specimen in 1938.
5. The Lion of Atlas (panthera leo leo)
Also known as the Barbary lion, this is one of the most extraordinary animals that became extinct. It was a subspecies of the African lion much larger than this – there is talk of specimens measuring 3.3 m – and with a larger coat.
Some specimens remain in captivity, but they are the result of mixes with common lions They were raised in courts like Morocco, in zoos and circuses.
It was used in Roman circuses and it is likely that it fed several myths due to its large size. The last free Atlas lion was hunted in Morocco in 1927. It is believed that the main cause of its extinction was the deforestation of its natural habitat.
6. The Laughing Owl (Sceloglaux albifacies)
It was an endemic species to New Zealand, an owl that owes its name to its vocalizations, very similar to a strange laugh or, according to other testimonies, to the barking of a dog.
It nested in rocks and in transition zones from forests to more open areas, and its passage to the catalog of extinct animals could be due to deforestation. The last laughing owl was observed in 1914, although there were unconfirmed sightings in the 1930s.
7. The Australian Giant Snake (Wonambi naracoortensis)
Another of the extinct species was the Australian giant snake. It was a species related to the python that could reach 5 meters in length, and that, according to paleontologists, could have disappeared on dates as different as 40,000 or 7,000 years ago.
Wonambi is an aboriginal word meaning “rainbow serpent,” and unlike its living relatives in South America and Asia, could not dislodge jaw to swallow very large preyso it is believed that it could be a more primitive species of python.
9. The Yangtze River Dolphin
We add the Yangtze river dolphin or baiji, in the unfortunate list of extinct species. In its extinction, which became official in 2002, man had an impact, thanks to activities such as overfishing, poaching and the loss of the animal’s natural habitat.
10. The Golden Toad
Perhaps the brightest among the animals that went extinct was the golden toad. It was an original species of the tropical forests of Costa Rica. It was last seen in 1989, and declared extinct in 1994.
11. The Po’ouli
Diseases, natural predators and the decline of the tree snails that were their food source, were the cause of extinction.
12. The Carolina Parrot
The lovely Carolina parrot is another of the animals that became extinct. It was the only bird of its kind that was native to the eastern part of the United States. The last specimen of the species died in 1918. Disease and deforestation are believed to have been the main causes of their extinction.
13. The Dutch Alcon Blue Butterfly
And one of the most beautiful extinct species is the Dutch Alcon blue butterfly, whose natural habitat was the grasslands of the Netherlands. Familiar species still remain, but the last of this type was seen in the wild in 1979.. It is believed that the increase in agricultural activities, added to construction, had an impact on extinction.
14. The Dodo
We advance with the rare extinct animals, to tell you about the dodo. It was a peculiar flightless bird, originally from the Mauritius region, in the insular area of eastern Africa. It had a short life of barely a century.
The last dodos were seen in the year 1660. Although many believe that it was hunted and eaten by humans, and that caused its extinction, the reality is that the most accepted hypothesis is that it was the rats that ate the dodos’ eggs, sapping their population.
15. The Giant Pinta Tortoise
And we close our list of animals that became extinct with the giant Pinta tortoise. Its existence was documented by Darwin when he visited the Galapagos Islands in 1835. The last specimen of the species died in 2015. Its extinction is attributed to the destruction of its habitat, and to the action of rats that preyed on young turtles.
Although many of the animals that became extinct have a close relationship in their destiny with the action of man, the reality is that many other species were disappearing due to the natural order of the ecosystem. Fortunately, there is still much that we as a race can do to save and preserve as many species as possible for the future.
And you, Did you know these extinct species? If you liked this article, we recommend that you learn the story of the curious pangolin, a curious animal that is also on the verge of extinction. Until next time!