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Welcome to Top 10 Archive!
The Earth is billions of years old and in that time has hosted an unfathomable number
of species of plants and animals.
While many of them existed before we ever did, there are entire species that have lived-—and
died—in our time here on Earth, allowing us the opportunity to capture these incredible
creatures on camera, like these ten extinct animals.
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10.
Kauai 'O'o This small bird native to Hawaii was one species
of several other ‘o’o birds that preceded it into extinction.
It was said to officially have disappeared as late as 1987, when its distinctive flute-like
call was last heard.
It was small and rather demure in color, being only brown or black.
The extinction of the Kauai ‘O’o is blamed mostly on humans inhabiting the Hawaiian Islands
and damaging habitats as well as the introduction of non-native species.
Before being declared extinct, they were extremely rare for the duration of the 1900s and were
mostly only identified by their distinctive call.
9.
Caribbean Monk Seal One of the earliest sightings of this animal
was by Christopher Columbus himself, who referred to them in his journals as “sea wolves.”
Unfortunately, as of 2008, this aquatic wonder was confirmed extinct.
The Caribbean Monk Seal, named “monk” for its bald head and rolls of skin around
its neck, haven’t technically been sighted since 1952, though they did have a widespread
range in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic Ocean.
They were known for their non-aggressive behavior, making it that much easier to target them
for their hide, meat, and fat.
8.
Ivory Billed Woodpecker This enormous woodpecker, the third largest
in the world at one time, was native to Central America.
The forests it called home were destroyed, causing their numbers to decrease drastically
into the 1800s, and by the next century, there were only a couple left in the world.
The ivory-billed woodpecker is thought to have officially gone extinct somewhere in
the middle of the 20th century, with the last confirmed sighting being in 1944.
Their diet consisted mostly of beetle larvae that they found by scraping the bark off of
trees with their huge bills.
Identification of this aerial noisemaker was by the unique noise they made while pecking
tree trunks.
7.
Golden Toad This beautiful amphibian hasn’t been seen
since 1989 and its extinction was first blamed on global warming, but scientists are currently
still examining whether deforestation, pollution, or UV radiation could have been contributing
factors.
It was a small and bright orange toad that was native to Costa Rica and mostly feasted
on small insects.
The tiny amphibian was believed to have spent the majority of its life underground or in
water and was, on average, only two inches long.
6.
Baiji River Dolphin These freshwater dolphins, native to bodies
of water along China, were already extremely rare before they completely vanished in 2006.
They were rather small compared to other dolphin species and had a characteristically bulbous
head and long skinny nose.
Many things contributed to their extinction, including illegal fishing, water contamination,
and deadly collisions with boats.
There was an attempt to save their population through conservation, but, as man is known
to do, the effort was too late.
5.
Laysan Crake This flightless bird was indigenous to the
Hawaiian Islands until it was declared extinct in 1944.
They were very quick on the ground and liked to eat insects and the unprotected eggs of
other birds.
The Laysan crake, or Laysan rail, could also be rather aggressive and defensive of its
food.
It is thought that the rabbits and guinea pigs introduced to the island ate much of
the vegetation, causing a domino-like effect by reducing the habitats of many of the species
the crake used as food.
4.
Tecopa Pupfish A rather small fish native to western North
America, the pupfish had blunt heads and a full row of teeth that were mainly used to
eat larvae and algae.
Though their coloring tended to camouflage them from their predators, overfishing was
a small contributing factor to their extinction.
In addition to this, their native spring in California became a popular tourist attraction,
causing an increase in industry and construction in the area, which both limited and polluted
their homes.
While the last Pupfish was caught in 1970, they were not officially declared extinct
until 1981.
3.
Heath Hen Another beautiful bird that used to exist
in extremely high numbers, the heath hen was hunted nearly into extinction in the 1800s
due to how easy they were to find and eat.
By the early 20th century, there were only fifty birds left, but they were protected
on Martha’s Vineyard and reproduced rapidly, bringing them nearly out of danger by 1915.
However, in the following years, a series of disasters led to their end.
Between a fire that erased their new habitat and illness killing what remained of their
population, the last living heath hen died in 1932.
2.
Western Black Rhino This large Savannah animal’s tale of extinction
is fairly shocking as its population numbered in the millions in the early 1900s.
As the century progressed, this number decreased to less than 110 animals by 1980, 35 by 1992,
and the trend continued until the species was officially declared extinct in 2011.
The western black rhino was actually gray in color and could move fairly quickly in
spite of their large size and bulky shape.
Their horns were highly prized and sold on the black market as medicine, otherwise known
as TCM.
Despite what we've learned from history, the Northern white rhinoceros is destined for
the same path in just a few years - as the only 3 living animals are currently living
in captivity and aren't fertile.
1.
Tasmanian Thylacine Perhaps one of the most unique-looking animals
on this list, the thylacine looked a bit like a cross between a tiger and a wolf.
Native to Tasmania, as indicated by its name, the thylacine even acted like a combination
of those two animals and shared the same carnivorous diet.
One of the most interesting aspects of this animal is its ability to open its jaws to
a 120° angle, which it used as a defense when it felt threatened.
The last of its kind died in captivity in a zoo in Tasmania in 1936, but it is unknown
what the specific cause of its extinction was.
Some blame climate change while others point a finger at the introduction of the dingo
to both Tasmania and mainland Australia.