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Dodo Bird
The Dodo bird once inhabited the island of Mauritius. First viewed by a Dutch sailor in 1598, just over 80 years later it was declared extinct due to a combination of overhunting and introduction of non-native species.
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Great Auk
The Great Auk was a flightless bird that lived on the rocky islands around the North Atlantic Ocean. They were over hunted throughout the 18th century when their population declined drastically. By this time they became a prized specimen for collectors and were driven to extinction in 1844. Read more -
Atlas Bear
The Atlas Bear was the Africa's only living native bear ranging from Morocco to Libya. As the Roman empire expanded they began hunting the Atlas Bear intensely. The bear went extinct quickly after the development of modern firearms. The last one was killed by hunters in 1870. Read more -
Falkland Island Wolf
The Falkland Island Wolf was the only native land mammal of the Falkland Islands off the coast of South America. Settlers of the island feared the the wolf would hunt their sheep so the wolves were hunted and poisoned to extinction, making it the first known canid to become extinct during historical times. It was officially declared extinct in 1876. Read more -
Eastern Elk
The Eastern Elk once roamed through out the North Eastern United States as well as Canada. As Europeans began settling this area they started cutting down the forests that were home to the elk and hunted them for food. The last Eastern Elk was shot in Pennsylvania on September 1, 1877. Read more -
Quagga
The Quagga was a relative of the Zebra, and lived in South Africa. It was hunted and killed for its uniquely striped coat and because ranchers believed it was competing with their livestock for grazing land. The last Quagga died at the Amsterdam Zoo in 1883. Read more -
Passenger Pigeon
The Passenger Pigeon once constituted 25 to 40 percent of the bird population in the United States before Europeans arrived. The birds traditionally lived in the forests of North Eastern America. As settlers arrived, they began clearing these forests for farmland and hunting the birds for food which quickly diminished their population. The last Passenger Pigeon died in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914. Read more -
Carolina Parakeet
The Carolina Parakeet once lived from the Atlantic Coast of the Eastern United States to as far west as Colorado. Their natural habitat was in the old growth forests and swamp lands. Due to deforestation and hunting for their colorful feathers the birds disapeared from the wild by 1904, and the last Carolina Parakeet died in captivity in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1918. Read more -
Tasmanian Tiger
The Tasmanian Tiger was the largest living carnivorous marsupial and roamed all across Australia. When European settlers arrived their natural habitat began to disappear and they were often shot and trapped. They were declared a protected species in 1936, the same year the last known Tasmanian Tiger died. Read more -
Bubal Hartebeest
The Bubal Hartebeest was a type of antelope that lived in North Africa which was hunted to extinction. The last Bubal Hartebeest was killed in Algeria between 1945 and 1954. Read more -
Javan Tiger
The Javan Tiger used to live in the Java islands of Indonesia. Due to overhunting and habitat loss from deforestation, the Javan Tiger was last spotted in 1976 and is declared extinct. Read more -
Pyrenean Ibex
The Pyrenean Ibex went extinct in 2000 due to overhunting by humans. In 2009 scientists tried cloning a frozen DNA sample of the extinct animal, but the Ibex died shortly after bird due to lung defects. Read more -
Caribbean Monk Seal
The Caribbean Monk Seal once swam in waters of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. They were hunted by European explorers and later exploited for their fur, oil and meat. Development along the Caribbean Coast and Gulf of Mexico also encroached on their habitat. The last Caribbean Monk Seal was spotted in the early 1950's and was declared extinct in 2008. Read More -
Western Black Rhinoceros
The Western Black Rhinoceros was once widely spread throughout the savannah of sub-Saharan Africa. The Rhino was hunted and poached to extinction for the use of its horn, which is just made of the same material as our fingernails. The animal was declared extinct in 2011 after failing to locate any individuals since 2006. Read more -
Amur Leopard
The Amur Leopard is a critically endangered animal that lives in the forests of the Russian Far East and North Eastern China. Its prey is being over hunted so their food source is dwindling, the forests they live in are being cut down, and they are being poached for their beautiful coats. This animal is not yet extinct, but there are only 60 individuals still living.
