Animals that has gone into extinction: Many once-living creatures have vanished from the face of the planet More magnificent animals are in danger of being extinct. In general, there are a variety of factors that have led to the extinction of these species as well as others. However, genetic variety, habitat loss, and other challenges, particularly people, may be the major causes.
In the past 100 years, primarily as a result of hunting and the invasion of their natural habitats, humans have already pushed countless creatures to extinction. As a result, several species are only now visible in written records, fossils, vintage photographs, museums, and history books.
The following is a list of creatures that have gone extinct in the last century.
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8 Animals that has gone into extinction
1. Passenger Pigeon: The passenger pigeon, or Ectopistes migratorius, is a handsome wild pigeon that is native to North America. It is about 12 inches tall, has a long, pointed tail, and its plumage has a pink tinge. It resembled a mourning dove in appearance and was given the moniker “passenger” since it frequently passed by while migrating.
According to reports, the bird was docile and simple to catch. Unfortunately, this meant that both Native Americans and colonists in the 19th century hunted it extensively for sustenance. In addition to hunting, colonists destroyed their original forest habitats to make meadows for livestock. According to legend, a single tree could house over 100 passenger pigeons, hence deforestation particularly affected them. Around 1900, passenger pigeons in the wild became extinct. In the early 1910s, the last few caged birds perished. It is an obvious case of extinction brought on by human action.
2. Japanese Sea Lion: The Sea of Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and the Japanese archipelago were all home to the aquatic animal known as the Japanese sea lion, or Zalophus japonicus. While females were lesser at 5.9 feet, men may grow to be 8 feet long. Male Japanese sea lions that are the largest can weigh up to 1230 pounds. The female was a lighter shade of dark grey than the male.
They were hunted to extinction in the 1900s for their fat and oils and reproduced on sandy beaches that were accessible to people. Even their whiskers were used to clean pipes and their internal organs were employed in medicine. Some Japanese sea lions were acquired for circuses in the twentieth century, but they couldn’t be replaced after they died since the species was extinct.
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3. Tasmanian Tiger: Thylacinus cynocephalus, the so-called Tasmanian tiger, wasn’t even a tiger at all! It was a striped marsupial that was originally from New Guinea, Australia, and Tasmania. They weighed around 30 pounds and were almost the same height as a medium-sized golden retriever dog. They possessed a rigid pouch to carry their young on their bellies.
Tasmanian tigers used to kill kangaroos, wallabies, and birds, but with the arrival of settlers, they began to hunt their sheep and goats. Cash rewards resulted from this. Because Tasmanian tigers preyed on cattle and their striped hides provided warm apparel, they were pursued. The population was completely wiped off by illnesses, dingoes, and dogs. Between 1910 and 1920, they were extinct, although one Tasmanian tiger was preserved at the Hobart Zoo until it perished from exposure in 1936.
4. Golden Toad: Incilius periglenes, a species of golden toad, belonged to the Bufonidae family of “true toads.” They were exclusive to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, a four square kilometre area of high elevation terrain in Monteverde, Costa Rica, and are now extinct.
As its name implies, this toad was colourful. The skin of both sexes was smooth, although the males were orange and the ladies ranged in colour from black to red to green to yellow. The biggest females, which were 2.2 inches long, resided in moist burrows and consumed little insects.
This little toad was only found in 1964, and by 1989, they were nowhere to be seen. The species has been classified as extinct, and scientists are unsure of what caused it. The 1980s’ severe drought created a challenge for their little range. Their demise could possibly have been influenced by climate change and a potential sickness.
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5. Sicilian Wolf: A grey wolf subspecies that was exclusive to the Island of Sicily was known as the Sicilian wolf (lupu sicilianu). Its legs were shorter than those of the North American grey wolf, and its shoulder height was just 27 inches. According to the fossil record, Sicilian wolves crossed the island’s land bridge somewhere around 20,000 years ago. They preyed on herbivorous species including horses, deer, and pigs.
One of the creatures that became extinct in the last century as a result of human persecution was the sicilian wolf. The Sicilian wolf was heavily hunted in the 1920s, and reports of sightings continued until the 1970s, but specialists believe the species perished in 1924 when the last recorded wolf was killed close to Bellolampo. Today, numerous stuffed examples of Sicilian wolves are on exhibit in Florence, Italy’s Museo di Storia Naturale di Firenze.
6. West African Black Rhinoceros: The West African Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis longipes) is the most recent mammal to become extinct in the last 100 years. This massive rhino, which could weigh up to 3000 pounds, measured 11 feet in length. Experts think it was nearsighted and used the warning sounds of birds to sense danger.
It is a subspecies of the black rhinoceros that is native to West Africa and the sub-Saharan savanna and developed two horns roughly 8 million years ago. The longest horn was over three feet in length, while the second-shortest horn was about 1.6 feet. These majestic horns were the cause of its demise.
Because the horns of West African Black Rhinos were useful in herbal medicine, they were hunted to extinction. By 1995, the number of the species had decreased from over a million in the 1960s due to extensive poaching. Governmental efforts to preserve them failed since it was already too late. The last one was spotted in the northern province of Cameroon in 2006. In 2011, they were deemed extinct.
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7. Carolina Parakeet: Only one parrot species, the Carolina Parakeet, is indigenous to the Eastern United States, and it has colourful feathers that range from green to red and yellow. In the early 1990s, they were widely valued as hat decorations for ladies. As a result, more people are hunting and killing this endangered species, which causes its numbers to decline.
In addition, environmental disasters like fires and floods could have divided the birds’ habitat, pushing them to extinction. Additionally, this once-prolific birds’ population was wiped off by deadly illnesses.
8. Chinese River Dolphin: The baiji is the more popular name for the Chinese river dolphin Lipotes vexillifer. It used to be common in China’s Yangtze River, but hasn’t been sighted there since 2002. The baiji had a tiny, white head and had bad eyesight. It navigated by using echolocation while pursuing river fish. Its beak was unlike that of current dolphins; it was long, thin, and had an upturned tip.
The baiji wasn’t closely related to dolphins despite being named one. 16 million years ago, it descended from Amazon river dolphins and La Plata dolphins. They were still heavily hunted in the early 1900s, and in the 1950s, industrialised net fishing and hydroelectric dams altered their habitats. They consequently started to disappear. Authorities have been looking for baiji since 2002, but they haven’t turned up.
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Conclusion
The creatures that have gone extinct in the past 100 years are all extremely diverse, but one thing connects them. They all died extinct due to human activities. Hunting and environmental destruction are enough to exterminate a species. It’s a disturbing, regular event underscoring the need to care for our earth.
Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.