Extinct in the Wild
Encyclopedia
Conservation status
The conservation status of a group of organisms indicates whether the group is still extant and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future...
assigned to species or lower taxa, the only known living members of which are being kept in captivity or as a naturalized population outside its historic range.
Examples
Examples of species and subspecies that are extinct in the wild include:- Alagoas CurassowAlagoas CurassowThe Alagoas Curassow, Mitu mitu, is a large, mainly glossy black pheasant-like bird. It was formerly found in forests in north-eastern Brazil, but it is now extinct in the wild. A captive population exists...
(extinct in the wild since 1988) - Barbary LionBarbary LionThe Barbary lion , also known as the Atlas lion or Nubian lion, is a subspecies of lion that became extinct in the wild or extinct in the 20th century....
(extinct in the wild since 1922) - Black Soft-shell TurtleBlack Soft-shell TurtleThe Black softshell turtle or Bostami Turtle is a species of freshwater turtle found in India and Bangladesh . It was long believed to be inbred individuals of the Ganges Soft-shelled Turtle or the Peacock Soft-shelled Turtle The Black softshell turtle or Bostami Turtle (Aspideretes nigricans,...
(extinct in the wild since 2002) - Guam RailGuam RailThe Guam Rail, Gallirallus owstoni, is a flightless bird, endemic to Guam. The Guam Rail, which is locally known as the Ko'ko' in Chamorro, disappeared from southern Guam in the early 1970s and was extirpated from the entire island by the late 1980s...
(extinct in the wild since 1980) - [[ʻAlala|Hawaiian Crow]] (extinct in the wild since 2002)
- Père David's DeerPère David's DeerPère David's Deer, Elaphurus davidianus, also known as the Milu , is a species of deer known only in captivity. It prefers marshland, and is believed to be native to the subtropics of China. It grazes on a mixture of grass and water plants. It is the only extant member of the genus Elaphurus...
(extinct in the wild since 1865 and probably long before that) - Scimitar OryxScimitar OryxThe Scimitar Oryx, or Scimitar-Horned Oryx, is a species of oryx which formerly inhabited the whole of North Africa. It has been classified as extinct in the wild by the IUCN.-Etymology and taxonomy:...
(extinct in the wild since 2000) - Seychelles giant tortoiseSeychelles giant tortoiseThe Seychelles giant tortoise has been thought to be extinct since the mid-19th century due to overexploitation on the granitic Seychelles islands. Similar giant tortoise species on other Indian Ocean islands such as Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues Island are also extinct...
(extinct in the wild since 1840) - Socorro DoveSocorro DoveThe Socorro Dove is a dove that is extinct in the wild. It was endemic to Socorro Island in the Revillagigedo Islands off the west coast of Mexico. The last sighting in its natural habitat was in 1972. There are not more than 200 and probably fewer than 100 purebred birds in captivity...
(extinct in the wild since 1972) - Wyoming ToadWyoming ToadThe Wyoming Toad or Baxter's Toad is an extremely rare amphibian that exists only in captivity and within Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The Wyoming Toad was listed as an endangered species in 1984, and listed as extinct in the wild since 1991...
(extinct in the wild since 1991) - Escarpment Cycad (extinct in the wild since 2006)
The Pinta Island Tortoise (Geochelone nigra abingdoni) has only one living individual, Lonesome George
Lonesome George
Lonesome George is a tortoise, the last known individual of the Pinta Island tortoise , which is one of eight to fifteen extant subspecies of Galápagos tortoise, all of which are native to the Galápagos Islands...
. The turtle was believed to be entirely extinct until Hungarian malacologist
Malacology
Malacology is the branch of invertebrate zoology which deals with the study of the Mollusca , the second-largest phylum of animals in terms of described species after the arthropods. Mollusks include snails and slugs, clams, octopus and squid, and numerous other kinds, many of which have shells...
József Vágvölgyi spotted Lonesome George on the Galapagos island
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.The Galápagos Islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a...
of Pinta on 1 December 1971. Since then, Lonesome George has been a powerful symbol for conservation efforts in general and for the Galapagos Islands in particular.
Not all species that are extinct in the wild are endangered or even rare. For example, Ameca splendens
Ameca splendens
Ameca splendens, a bony fish from the monotypic genus Amecaof the splitfin family , is commonly known as the Butterfly Goodeid or Butterfly Splitfin. It was formerly found throughout the Ameca River drainage in Mexico; the type locality is Rio Teuchitlán in the vicinity of Teuchitlán, Jalisco...
, though extinct in the wild, are very popular aquarium fish.
Reintroduction
Reintroduction is the deliberate release of species into the wild, from captivity or relocated from other areas where the species survives. This may be an option for certain species that are endangered or extinct in the wild. However, it may be difficult to reintroduce EW species into the wild, even if their natural habitats were restored, because survival techniques, which are often passed from parents to offspring during parenting, may be lost. While conservation efforts may preserve some of the geneticsGenetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
of a species, the species may never fully recover.
See also
- IUCN Red List extinct in the wild speciesIUCN Red List extinct in the wild speciesOn 29 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 45 extinct in the wild animal species, subspecies, stocks and sub-populations.-=Sphaeromatidae:=-=Cyprinidae:=-=Cyprinodontidae:=-=Goodeidae:=-=Cichlidae:=-=Salmonidae:=...
for a list by taxonomy - :Category:IUCN Red List extinct in the wild species for an alphabetical list
- ExtinctionExtinctionIn biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
External links
- List of Extinct in the Wild species as identified by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species