From monstrous birds to dangerous predators, today we look at extinct species that could
be brought back to life:
10.
Passenger Pigeon
This bird was part of Columbidae, the dove and pigeon family.
It lived east of the Rocky Mountains in North America.
One of the last records of these creatures was from 1896 when one was discovered traveling
alongside a flock of mourning doves in the wild.
However, the final verified record is from 1901 when a male passenger pigeon was hunted,
stuffed, and put on display at Millikin University in Illinois; it is still there today.
There were numerous claims of sightings in the early 1900s, but none were authenticated.
The main reason for the downfall of this species was due to overhunting and the rapid loss
of its habitat when people from Europe began settling there in the 1800s.
There are over 1,500 skins of passenger pigeons and 16 skeletons that exist today; so, scientists
have proposed that we should bring the species back to life when we have the proper technology
by using the genetic material within the specimens.
The term for this is “de-extinction.”
9.
Woolly Rhinoceros
This rhino would’ve been found during the Pleistocene epoch throughout northern Asia
and Europe.
The species has been the subject of many cave paintings, such as the work in the famous
Chauvet cave, which has helped scientists determine its appearance.
Mummified rhinos were also discovered in areas in Siberia, further extending our knowledge
of its physical characteristics.
An adult one of these beasts would have been nearly 13 feet long, over six feet tall, and
would’ve weighed up to 6,000 pounds; they would surely be a sight worth seeing if scientists
could resurrect them.
The oldest discovered fossil of the woolly rhinoceros is from 3.6 million years ago.
It is believed to have gone extinct due to hunting by ancient people and climate change;
although the latter reason is debatable since these creatures could adapt to somewhat warmer
temperatures.
8.
Elephant Birds
As you can probably tell by its name, the elephant bird was a giant species of flightless
bird.
They are thought to have gone extinct sometime before or during the 17th century.
It is generally accepted that their downfall was due to hunting and deforestation; however,
another theory is that hyper-diseases from guinea-fowl and chickens were transferred
to the elephant birds.
They used to inhabit Madagascar and could grow up to nearly 10 feet tall and weigh over
1,000 pounds.
Their eggs were also of substantial size.
In the mid-1800s, three eggs were sent to the French Academy of Sciences, and records
stated that the eggs were up to 13 inches in length and weighed 22 pounds, which is
the largest ever discovered.
Some of these eggs have been found intact, and a couple of them are on display at the
Denver Museum of Nature and Science and the Harvard Museum of Natural History.
7.
Thylacine
This unique animal was the most significantly sized carnivorous marsupial to be discovered
in modern times.
It is also referred to as the Tasmanian wolf or the Tasmanian tiger.
People believe it became extinct during the 20th century.
Old photographs, films, and fossil records indicate that they could grow up to 51 inches
long, not including their tail, which would’ve added about 26 more inches.
They were also about two feet tall and weighed up to 70 pounds; the males were more sizeable
than the females.
It is thought that the thylacine was a nocturnal, somewhat shy animal whose basic appearance
would be akin to that of a medium-sized dog; however, it also had dark stripes on its back
that are comparable to those of a tiger.
The female exhibited a pouch to protect its young; but, in contrast to other marsupials,
its pouch opened toward the back of the animal instead of toward the front.
The thylacine’s colors would range from light beige to deep brown, and their abdomens
were off-white.
These creatures could also open their mouths up to 80 degrees, which is more significant
than most other animals.
A project to clone the Tasmanian tiger was started in 1999 by the Australian Museum in
Sydney; however, there was speculation that their claim was simply a publicity stunt.
In 2002, scientists were able to extract some DNA from specimens; but, cloning proved impossible
as further studies determined it wasn’t usable.
Nevertheless, research on the thylacine continues, and we could have a clone soon.
6.
Dodo
This flightless bird inhabited the island of Mauritius and was found nowhere else in
the world.
There are no complete dodo specimens that exist today, so some characteristics, like
its color or plumage, are difficult to pinpoint.
However, written records indicate that they were greyish-brown with light feathers near
their rumps; they also had green, yellow, and black beaks, black claws, and featherless,
grey heads.
Some fossil remains suggest that they could grow to over three feet tall, and males were
larger with longer beaks.
They could’ve weighed anywhere from 22 to over 60 pounds, as studies have been inconclusive
overall.
Although the dodo was initially thought to be a vulture, albatross, or small ostrich,
studies done in 1842 by Johannes Theodor Reinhardt suggested that it was actually a ground pigeon;
this research was ridiculed in the beginning but was proven true later on.
The extinction of the dodo was due to human interference.
They made easy prey for sailors because they couldn’t fly.
Plus, as people began introduced new animals to the island, their habitat was destroyed.
The last sighting of one of these birds was recorded in 1662.
5.
Quagga
This creature once roamed the plains of South Africa.
It became extinct in the late 19th century.
The quagga grew up to eight feet and five inches long and could be as tall as four feet
and five inches at its shoulders.
It was a species of plains zebra that different from other zebras mainly due to its oddly-placed
stripes.
Whereas the zebras we commonly think about today have stripes covering their bodies,
the quagga only had the pattern on the front of its body and head.
Its backside was generally brown with no stripes and appeared more like that of a horse.
The only one of these animals to be photographed while still alive was a female at the Zoo
of the Zoological Society of London.
The extinction of the quagga was due to overhunting by Dutch settlers and then Afrikaners later
on.
In 1987, the Quagga Project was initiated by Reinhold Rau in South Africa; the goal
was to make a new population of quagga-like zebra through selective breeding.
A year later, the project’s first baby was born.
When there is an adequate population of these quagga-like animals, the project’s goal
is to set them loose in the Western Cape where they will hopefully help restore the habitat
and maintain vegetation.
The Quagga Project is controversial because, although the animals look similar to their
extinct relatives, they are not the same, and they are currently unable to use DNA to
clone this species.
4.
Moa
The moa encompassed nine species of flightless birds that were unique to New Zealand.
The tallest of the bird species were called Dinornis, or “giant moa,” which could
grow up to 12 feet tall and weigh over 500 pounds.
Around the year 1280, the population of the moa was estimated to be around 58,000.
Their fossilized remains have suggested that they mostly consumed various plants and gizzard
stones, just like numerous other bird species.
There are a total of 36 complete moa eggs in several museums; their sizes differ significantly
and could be anywhere from 4.7 to 9.4 inches long and 3.6 to 7 inches wide.
Although the eggs were generally white, some of the upland moa laid blue-green eggs.
Like many other animals, these birds went extinct due to hunting and habitat destruction;
by the year 1445, there were no moa remaining.
Because so many of its remains exist, this species is often considered a good candidate
for cloning.
3.
Woolly Mammoth
This gargantuan creature lived during the Pleistocene epoch.
The male woolly mammoth grew up to 11.2 feet tall and could weigh over 13,000 pounds, which
is about the same size as today’s African elephant.
The females were smaller, and a calf would have been about 200 pounds at birth.
Through preserved soft tissue and cave paintings, the appearance of the woolly mammoth has been
easier to determine than that of other extinct animals.
They had long fur covering their bodies, small ears compared to those of today’s elephants,
and a short tail, all of which were adaptations to cold weather and ways to combat frostbite.
They also had long tusks that curved upward and served as a defense against predators.
The biggest male tusk discovered was 14 feet in length and weighed about 200 pounds.
Woolly mammoths became extinct in the late Pleistocene and the beginning of the Holocene,
which was a portion of the Quaternary extinction event, during which many megafaunal animals
disappeared.
The majority of these mammals were lost 14,000 to 10,000 years ago.
Due to the soft tissue remains of woolly mammoths, the idea of using DNA to clone these giants
continues to be discussed.
2.
Saber-toothed Cat
These species of predatory mammals were distinguished by their lengthy, curved canine teeth that
were akin to the shape of a saber… hence the name.
The fangs were visible even when the cats’ mouths were shut.
They lived during the Eocene and Pleistocene epochs and existed for over 40 million years.
These dangerous creatures would often feed on larger animals, including rhinoceroses,
elephants, and other large herbivores.
Their inclination to hunt sizable prey was aided by their teeth, which allowed for deep
incisions.
However, their hunting strategies are often debated.
Some people hypothesize that they used their teeth to attack other animals’ soft-tissue
areas to take them down; but, others, such as C.K. Brain, a paleontologist from South
Africa, believe that the saber-toothed cat’s abilities were mostly attributed to its significant
neck muscles instead of its jaws.
Whatever the case, maybe it isn’t the best idea to bring these guys back to life.
1.
Pyrenean Ibex
Also known as the bucardo, herc, and bouquetin, the Pyrenean ibex unsurprisingly lived only
in the Pyrenees, a mountain range in southwest Europe.
This creature had short hair in a variety of colors, depending on the season; but, its
hair grew longer and thicker during the winter.
The males and females exhibited different coloring; males ranged from brown and black
to a dull grey, and females didn’t have any black whatsoever.
The males also had more significant, thicker horns that curved away from their heads and
to the back, and then began curving back toward the animal and upward, forming a point that
faced toward the sky.
The Pyrenean ibex didn’t become extinct until 2000, when the last female, named Celia,
passed away.
The species’ downfall was due to overhunting and the introduction of other hooved animals
to their habitat.
The Pyrenean ibex was also the first creature to be brought back to life.
In October 2000, Spain’s government agreed to an offer with Advanced Cell Technology,
Inc., a biotechnology company, to use cloning technology to resurrect the animal.
They used Celia’s tissue to create the clone; it was born alive in 2003.
However, it was lost just minutes after because it had defects in its lungs.