Events in history have caused numerous species to go extinct. As advancements in technology
and as research progresses scientists are getting closer to bringing back some of these
long lost creatures. On this episode we’ll take a look at the Top 10 extinct animals
scientists want to revive.
Number ten, Mastodon · Also known as Mammut the mastodon was a
type of Mammut proboscidean that lived from 27 million year ago up until 10,000 years
ago. · First named by the French Naturalist Georges
Cuvier, the name Mastodon means ‘Nipple Tooth’ inspired by the nipple-like protuberance
on the crowns of their molars. · Although Mastodons are often confused with
Mammoths, both these giants belonged to 2 distinct species of the Proboscidean Family.
· Contrary to their modern cousins, Mastodons were much smaller in size and had smaller
foreheads with much shorter ears. The tusks of the male Mastodon could grow to 8 feet
or 2 ½ meters long. - Similar to the mammoths, mastodons had thick
brown fur to protect them from cold temperatures of the Pleistocene period in North America.
Weighing approximately 6 to 8 tons and measuring 15 feet or 4 ½ meters long, mastodons were
quite similar to the modern-day elephants when it came to physique.
· At first it was believed that the last Ice Age might have been the cause for their
extinction, however, researchers have also found trace marks of tuberculosis among the
fossils of these giants, suggesting that humans may have brought the disease to the mastodons
which might have also played a role in their demise.
· Distinguished and well-known Geneticist Professor George Church and his Harvard University
team have been working for the past several years to revive extinct proboscidean species,
by recreating their DNA blueprints. Who knows we might see this giant roaming the grassland
alongside humanity in the coming years.
Number nine, Gastric-Brooding Frog · Sometimes called Platypus Frogs these ground
dweller frogs were indigenous to the Eastern Australia. The Gastric Brooding Frogs genus
was composed of 2 distinct species, both of which are believed to have become extinct
in the early 1980’s. · Both species, being the Northern Gastric-Brooding
Frog and Southern Gastric-Brooding Frog, had moist skin with a coating of slimy mucus.
With dark brown skin, both these species had large protruding eyes.
· One of the most distinct features that make this species of frog unique was their
ability to give birth to their offspring’s through their mouth. The Female Gastric-Brooding
Frog was believed to swallow her eggs, and turn her stomach into a womb by turning off
the hydrochloric acid production, in order to prevent digesting her off-springs
· A little-known fact is that during the Lazarus Project, Scientists once created a
living embryo of this frog by using the preserved genetic material, However, the cloned embryo
did not survive for long, and died after a few days.
· When it comes to the cause of extinction of these frogs, nothing is certain, however,
a few theories suggest the loss or degradation of habitat and pollution might have been the
prime reason. Parasites and pathogens are also believed to have played a role in their
extinction. · One of the reasons why scientists are interested
in reviving the Gastric-Brooding Frog is for their distinct ability to turn off production
of hydrochloric acid in the stomach wall.
Number eight, Passenger Pigeon · Its name is derived from the French word,
passager, or passing by which reflects the constant migratory habit of this species.
· Also known as the wild pigeon, these birds once represented 25- 40 percent of the bird
population on earth, with their number ranging from 3 - 4 billion during the 1800’s.
· Although many attempts were made to save the species, none were ever successful.
· One distinct feature of this bird was that it migrated not only in spring and fall, but
constant migration occurred from season to season.
· It had the body built for prolonged flight, with a small head and neck, an elongated tail
with long pointed wings. · The passenger birds preferred hardwood
forests as their habitats. The species was dependent on huge forestlands for their nesting
needs. These birds traveled and stayed in large flocks which people of those times described
it as seeing a mile wide flock of birds across the sky that lasted for days.
· Deforestation and a massive amount of human hunting were the prime’s causes for their
extinction. · In 2012 several projects were launched
to revive and restore this majestic bird. Scientists believe that cloning or de-extinction
of the passenger pigeon is possible by using the genetic materials from numerous skins,
and skeletons of passenger pigeons which are preserved throughout the world.
Number seven, Thylacine · Although the thylacine became extinct quite
recently, evidence of their existence has been found in rock art and engravings which
date back to 10,000 BC · It’s sometimes called the Tasmanian tiger
due to the stripes on its lower back. · The last known individual thylacine died
off in 1936 in captivity at the Hobart Zoo in Tasmania.
· The thylacine was considered non-violent to humans due to their shy nature.
· Major causes for their extinction were human hunting and extreme competition with
various small predators. · Several Australian Biologists have found
DNA of the Tasmanian Tiger and attempts to clone them are underway. Renowned Biologists
believe that it is no longer a matter of ‘if’ rather ‘when’ the Tasmanian Tiger will
walk among us once again. · In 1986 Thylacine was officially declared
extinct, however, some zoologist still believes that the species survived, because their droppings
have been found. - Recently a team has been searching Tasmania
for the thylacine and insisted they have footage of them on their cameras. They spoke with
a man that claimed to have a face to face encounter with one in 2015. -Apparently a
handful of people who work for the logging industry say they’ve seen them too but were
too afraid to say anything. So who knows maybe we’ll see this species sooner then later.
Number six, Irish Elk · Also known as the Giant Deer, Irish Elks
were known to exist 77000 years ago. · These elk predominantly lived on the Eurasian
Continent. · The Irish Elks was believed to be gigantic
and was approximately two times the size of a full grown human.
· Most well known for their enormous antlers, they would span up to 12 feet from tip to
tip. · The antlers were their prime weapon when
it came to fending off predators or fighting. · A few theories suggest that there were
several reasons for the extinction of these majestic animals. Human hunting for meat and
desire for their antlers played a major role. People of this time would turn them into weapons
and tools. The other factor was likely loss of habitat due to a large number of human
settlements that encroached on their territory. · One theory suggests that Irish elk did
not actually become extinct but rather evolved and decreased in size, resulting in the modern
day deer. · Although Many fossils have been found,
no attempts can be made to revive this animal as all of the fossils belong to males.
Number five, Cuban Macaw · Also known as the Red macaw, this bird
became extinct in the late 19th century. · As the name suggests, the Cuban Macaw was
a bird native to the island of Cuba. · They were relatively smaller in size, measuring
between 40 and 50 cm. · Cuban Macaws were known to nest in large
holes found in trees. These birds preferred large forests as their habitat.
· Researchers believe that palm seeds were the main choice of food for the Cuban Macaw.
· Now what you’re really wondering, their ability to imitate speech was believed to
be inferior to their modern day cousins. (Polly want a cracker)
· The massive amount of deforestation might have been the cause of their extinction.
· Hunting might have also played a prime role in their extinction.
Number four, Quagga · The quagga was a subspecies of the modern
day Zebra, that was believed to have existed from the end of the pleistocene period till
modern times. · These horse like mammals were predominantly
indigenous to the South African Plains. · Their name was derived from the strange
sound they made, that sounded similar to “kwa-ha-ha” · Quaggas were approximately 8 and a half
feet long and 4 foot tall or 2.5 meters by 1.2 meters.
· Hunted by the Dutch settlers in the South African Peninsula these creatures didn’t
stand much of a chance as they were run to extinction.
· Although many Quaggas were shipped off to various zoo’s in Europe, any attempts
to further breed the species were unsuccessful. · The quagga was the first ever extinct species
to have its DNA analyzed. · The most renowned attempt to revive this
animal was called the Quagga Project. Scientists tried to recreate its distinct features by
selectively breeding their close relatives, that being the Burchell's zebras.
Today some selective breeding has resulted in something that looks somewhat similar to
the quagga but really isn’t one.
Number three, Moa · Known to be the only bird without wings
and the tallest bird to walk the earth, the moa was predominantly a resident of New Zealand.
· Moas were considered to be most closely related to kiwis and emus but recently it
has been discovered that the south american bird tinamous is the moa’s closest cousin.
· Regardless of having no wings, the moa’s were massive in size and were simply too heavy
to fly. · Until humans arrived in New Zealand, the
only threat to moa’s were the Haast Eagles. · In general moa’s were herbivores, and
depended on the vast natural vegetation in New Zealand for food. One distinct but rather
a strange fact was that they would purposely swallow pebbles to help them with their digestion.
· The largest species, 12 in total among the moa was the the dinornis which grew up-to
12 feet or 3.6 meters tall and weighed up to 510 pounds or 231 kg
· Hunting by the Maori people of New Zealand is considered to be the prime cause of their
extinction which happened around 500 years ago.
· Various fossilized muscle tissue of the moa have been found, giving hope for their
revival through modern cloning technology.
Number two, Dodo · The Dodo Birds, were flightless large birds,
with large beaks and small legs. Dodo birds were only predominant on the island of Mauritius.
· These brownish to gray birds were approximately 3 feet 1 meter tall, weighing up to 47 pounds
or 21 kg. · The dodo prefered to nest on the ground
as there were no natural predators to the dodo on Mauritius. They were known to lay
only one egg per year, the chicks were also highly dependant on the mothers for food,
until the age of maturity. · Being unable to fly and having such as
small legs, these birds were easy lunch for sailors passing by. With that said dodos were
very fast runners with those little legs. · Considered to be an omnivore, dodo birds
preferred nuts, seeds, and fruits as the staple of their diet.
· At first hunting for meat was thought to be their cause of extinction, this isn’t
the case though due to the fact that their meat was considered distasteful and tough.
· The dodo bird was considered to be a symbol of stupidity in the past, due to the fact
that dodos would approach armed humans without hesitance. This was the prime reason for their
extinction, as sailors who arrived on the island killed off the species down to every
last bird. · The dodo bird became extinct in the mid
to late 1600’s with the last sighting on 1662.
Number one, Woolly Mammoth · Everyone knows and loves them the Woolly
Mammoth were so huge that their name has evolved into an adjective to describe something of
massive size. · Known to have existed during the Pleistocene
era, the woolly mammoth was the last species of Mammoths and became extinct approximately
4000 years ago after the last ice age. · They adapted well over time to the cold
environment with their layering of thick brown fur which dramatically helped hold their body
heat. · Their tusks could reach up to approximately
15 feet or 4.5 meters long, which was used a weapon against predators and also to dig
grass patches from thick layers of snow. · In the year 1796, the mammoth was identified
by George Cuvier as an extinct species of elephant.
· The appearance and behavior of the woolly mammoth are the most thoroughly studied species
of prehistoric animals. · It’s a known fact that the woolly mammoth
coexisted with the early humans, as they used their large tusks to carve out weapons and
tools. · Degradation of habitat caused the woolly
mammoth’s numbers to plummet after the last ice age, a small number of mammoths survived,
but were hunted by early humans for their meat and tusks.
· A few frozen specimens of the woolly mammoth have been found in the Siberian region. That
has inspired researchers to start the de-extinction process for this majestic animal. The most
promising of these is the project led by Harvard University Professor George M. Church, who
believes that we might be seeing the woolly mammoth revived in no more than 10 years.
What do you guys think about reviving these old species? What would you think if you were
driving down the countryside and you saw a woolly mammoth? Let us know in the comments
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