Timeline of extinctions
Encyclopedia
The timeline of extinctions is an historical account of species that have gone extinct
during the time that modern humans have occupied the earth.
The following is a selective list made by sampling a very small proportion of some of the well-known extinct species in the recent history. For a more elaborate list see List of extinct animals. Also see Holocene extinction for more information.
was the latest paleoloxodontine to survive in Europe. They became extinct just less than 2000 years BCE.
- New Zealand's Haast's eagle
, a giant bird of prey, becomes extinct, along with its food source the Moa
.
The Elephant bird
, a giant flightless bird, becomes extinct sometime in the 17 century.
Extinction
In 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...
during the time that modern humans have occupied the earth.
The following is a selective list made by sampling a very small proportion of some of the well-known extinct species in the recent history. For a more elaborate list see List of extinct animals. Also see Holocene extinction for more information.
11th millennium BCE
- Circa 10,000 BCE — North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
: Dire WolfDire WolfThe Dire Wolf, Canis dirus, is an extinct carnivorous mammal of the genus Canis, and was most common in North America and South America from the Irvingtonian stage to the Rancholabrean stage of the Pleistocene epoch living 1.80 Ma – 10,000 years ago, existing for approximately .- Relationships...
, SmilodonSmilodonSmilodon , often called a saber-toothed cat or saber-toothed tiger, is an extinct genus of machairodonts. This saber-toothed cat was endemic to North America and South America, living from near the beginning through the very end of the Pleistocene epoch .-Etymology:The nickname "saber-tooth" refers...
, Cave LionAmerican lionThe American lion — also known as the North American lion, Naegele’s giant jaguar or American cave lion — is an extinct lion of the family Felidae, endemic to North America during the Pleistocene epoch , existing for approximately...
, Giant beaverGiant BeaverCastoroides ohioensis was a species of giant beaver, huge members of the family Castoridae , endemic to North America during the Pleistocene epoch .-Morphology:...
, Ground slothGround slothGround sloths are a diverse group of extinct sloths, in the mammalian superorder Xenarthra. Their most recent survivors lived in the Antilles, where it has been proposed they may have survived until 1550 CE; however, the youngest AMS radiocarbon date reported is 4190 BP, calibrated to c. 4700 BP...
, MammothMammothA mammoth is any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus. These proboscideans are members of Elephantidae, the family of elephants and mammoths, and close relatives of modern elephants. They were often equipped with long curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair...
, American MastodonAmerican mastodonThe American mastodon is an extinct North American proboscidean that lived from about 3.7 million years ago until about 10,000 BC. It was the last surviving member of the mastodon family. Fossil finds range from present-day Alaska and New England in the north, to Florida, southern...
, American CamelCamelopsCamelops is an extinct genus of camels that once roamed western North America, where it disappeared at the end of the Pleistocene about 10,000 years ago. Its name is derived from the Greek κάμελος + , thus "camel-face."-Background:...
, American EquineEquus (genus)Equus is a genus of animals in the family Equidae that includes horses, donkeys, and zebras. Within Equidae, Equus is the only extant genus. Like Equidae more broadly, Equus has numerous extinct species known only from fossils. This article deals primarily with the extant species.The term equine...
, and American lionAmerican lionThe American lion — also known as the North American lion, Naegele’s giant jaguar or American cave lion — is an extinct lion of the family Felidae, endemic to North America during the Pleistocene epoch , existing for approximately...
all become extinct.- — Banksia kingiiBanksia kingiiBanksia kingii is an extinct species of tree or shrub in the plant genus Banksia. It is known only from fossil leaves and fruiting "cones" found in Late Pleistocene sediment at Melaleuca Inlet in western Tasmania. These were discovered by Deny King in the workings of his tin mine...
from TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
and probably other members included in the genus. - — Homo floresiensisHomo floresiensisHomo floresiensis is a possible species, now extinct, in the genus Homo. The remains were discovered in 2003 on the island of Flores in Indonesia. Partial skeletons of nine individuals have been recovered, including one complete cranium...
, the humanHumanHumans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
's last known surviving close relative, becomes extinct.
- — Banksia kingii
- Circa 9,880 BCE - Steppe WisentSteppe WisentThe Steppe Bison or steppe wisent was a bison found on steppes throughout Europe, Central Asia, Beringia, and North America during the Quaternary...
remains found in the Northwest TerritoriesNorthwest TerritoriesThe Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
have been dated to this time.
5th millennium BCE
- Circa 4,000 BCE - Tilos dwarf elephant was the last surviving paleoloxodontine in insular Europe. They lived on the island of TilosTilosTílos is a small Greek island and municipality located in the Aegean Sea. It is part of the Dodecanese group of islands, and lies midway between Kos and Rhodes. It has a population of 533 inhabitants . Along with the uninhabited offshore islets of Antitilos and Gaidaros, it forms the Municipality...
in the Mediterranean.
3rd millennium BCE
- The Balearic Islands Cave Goat (Myotragus balearicus) is a species of the subfamily Caprinae which lived in the islands of Majorca and MinorcaMinorcaMin Orca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....
until its extinction around 5,000 years ago due to human hunting, the failure of domestication, the introduction of domestic animalslike goats, cows, pigs and sheep and dogs were the probable causes for the extinction of this animal..jpg)
2nd millennium BCE
The Dwarf elephantDwarf elephant
Dwarf elephants are prehistoric members of the order Proboscidea, that, through the process of allopatric speciation, evolved to a fraction of the size of their immediate ancestors...
was the latest paleoloxodontine to survive in Europe. They became extinct just less than 2000 years BCE.
1st millennium BCE
- Circa 100 BCE — Syrian ElephantSyrian ElephantThe Syrian elephant is a proposed name for the westernmost population of the Asian Elephant which became extinct in ancient times...
becomes extinct due to overhunting for ivory.
11th century
- Circa 1000 — Extinction of four species of moa-naloMoa-naloThe moa-nalo are a group of extinct aberrant, goose-like ducks that lived on the larger Hawaiian Islands, except Hawaii itself, in the Pacific...
on the Hawaiian Islands. The moa-naloMoa-naloThe moa-nalo are a group of extinct aberrant, goose-like ducks that lived on the larger Hawaiian Islands, except Hawaii itself, in the Pacific...
were large ducks and the island's major herbivores.
16th century
- Circa 1500 — New Zealand's MoaMoaThe moa were eleven species of flightless birds endemic to New Zealand. The two largest species, Dinornis robustus and Dinornis novaezelandiae, reached about in height with neck outstretched, and weighed about ....
, a large flightless bird, goes extinct.
-
- — Madagascar's MegaladapisMegaladapisKoala lemurs, genus Megaladapis, belong to the family Megaladapidae, consisting of three extinct species of lemurs that once inhabited the island of Madagascar. The largest measured between in length.-Appearance and habits:...
includes three species of giant lemurs. Human arrival to Madagascar caused vast destruction of its forests causing the giant lemurs' extinction.
- — Madagascar's Megaladapis
- New Zealand's Haast's eagle
Haast's Eagle
Haast's Eagle was a species of massive eagles that once lived on the South Island of New Zealand. The species was the largest eagle known to have existed. Its prey consisted mainly of gigantic flightless birds that were unable to defend themselves from the striking force and speed of these eagles,...
, a giant bird of prey, becomes extinct, along with its food source the Moa
Moa
The moa were eleven species of flightless birds endemic to New Zealand. The two largest species, Dinornis robustus and Dinornis novaezelandiae, reached about in height with neck outstretched, and weighed about ....
.
17th century
- 1627 — The last known aurochsAurochsThe aurochs , the ancestor of domestic cattle, were a type of large wild cattle which inhabited Europe, Asia and North Africa, but is now extinct; it survived in Europe until 1627....
dies in PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. This large wild cattle formerly inhabited much of Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East, central Asia, and IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
- 1662 — The last known MauritiusMauritiusMauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
dodoDodoThe dodo was a flightless bird endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. Related to pigeons and doves, it stood about a meter tall, weighing about , living on fruit, and nesting on the ground....
dies. The extinction was due to hunting, but also by the pigs, rats, dogs and cats brought to the island by settlers. Later the species has become an icon on animal extinction.
The Elephant bird
Elephant bird
Elephant birds are an extinct family of flightless birds found only on the island of Madagascar and comprising the genera Aepyornis and Mullerornis.-Description:...
, a giant flightless bird, becomes extinct sometime in the 17 century.
18th century
- 1768 — The Steller's Sea CowSteller's Sea CowSteller's sea cow was a large herbivorous marine mammal. In historical times, it was the largest member of the order Sirenia, which includes its closest living relative, the dugong , and the manatees...
becomes extinct due to hunting for food, oil, and skins.
- 1777 - The Tahiti Sandpiper dies out quickly after Europeans discovered it on the Society Islands.
- 1777 - The Society ParakeetSociety ParakeetThe Society Parakeet is an extinct parakeet of the genus Cyanoramphus.-Description:It reached a length of 25 cm. Its head was chocolate brown. The bill showed a pale bluish grey hue and had a black tip. The back and the wings were coloured brown. The lower back and the tail exhibited a...
population dies out on the Society Islands after vessels released pests.
- 1788 - Also known as the White Gallinule, the Lord Howe SwamphenLord Howe SwamphenThe Lord Howe Swamphen or White Gallinule, Porphyrio albus, was a large bird in the family Rallidae endemic to Lord Howe Island, Australia. It was similar to the Purple Swamphen, but with shorter and more robust legs and toes. Its plumage was white, sometimes with a few blue feathers, and it was...
becomes extinct
19th century
- 1800 - The BluebuckBluebuckThe Bluebuck or Blue Antelope , sometimes called Blaubok, is an extinct species of antelope, the first large African mammal to disappear in historic times. It is related to the Roan Antelope and Sable Antelope, but slightly smaller than either...
is reported to have gone extinct.
- 1825 - The Mysterious StarlingMysterious StarlingThe Mysterious Starling or Mauke Starling was a species of starling found on the island of Mauke, Cook Islands. It is now extinct. The binomen is the result of Buller's misreading of the name inornata on the specimen label...
died out.
- 1826 - The Mauritius Blue PigeonMauritius Blue PigeonThe Mauritius Blue Pigeon or Pigeon Hollandais is an extinct species of pigeon formerly endemic to Mauritius...
becomes extinct due to excessive hunting.
- 1827 - The Tonga Ground SkinkTonga Ground SkinkThe Tonga Ground Skink is an extinct species of skink in the Scincidae family.It was found only in Tonga.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
dies out from its only home in the Tongan Islands.
- 1844 — The last known Great AukGreat AukThe Great Auk, Pinguinus impennis, formerly of the genus Alca, was a large, flightless alcid that became extinct in the mid-19th century. It was the only modern species in the genus Pinguinus, a group of birds that formerly included one other species of flightless giant auk from the Atlantic Ocean...
killed. The bird was hunted to extinction.
- 1860 - The String Tree from the island of St Helena becomes extinct because of habitat destruction.
- Circa 1870s1870sThe 1870s continued the trends of the previous decade, as new empires, imperialism and militarism rose in Europe and Asia. America was recovering from the Civil War. Germany declared independence in 1871 and began its Second Reich. Labor unions and strikes occurred worldwide in the later part of...
— The last known Atlas BearAtlas BearThe Atlas Bear is an extinct subspecies of the Brown Bear, which is sometimes classified as a distinct species.-Range and description:...
, Africa's only native bear, is killed by hunters in MoroccoMoroccoMorocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. The bear was heavily hunted and used for sport in the Roman Empire.
- 1875 - The Broad-faced PotorooBroad-faced PotorooThe Broad-faced Potoroo is an extinct species of marsupial that once lived in Australia. The first specimen was collected in 1839 and described by John Gould in 1844, but even then it was rare and only a handful of specimens were ever collected, the last in 1875...
became extinct.
- 1876 — The Falkland Island foxFalkland Island FoxThe Falkland Islands Wolf , also known as the Warrah and occasionally as the Falkland Islands Dog, Falkland Islands Fox or Antarctic Wolf, was the only native land mammal of the Falkland Islands. This endemic canid became extinct in 1876 , the first known canid to have gone extinct in historical...
becomes extinct due to intended extermination by human settlers.
- 1883 — The QuaggaQuaggaThe quagga is an extinct subspecies of the plains zebra, which was once found in great numbers in South Africa's Cape Province and the southern part of the Orange Free State. It was distinguished from other zebras by having the usual vivid marks on the front part of the body only...
, a sub-species of the plains zebraPlains ZebraThe plains zebra , also known as the common zebra or Burchell's zebra, is the most common and geographically widespread species of zebra. It ranges from the south of Ethiopia through East Africa to as far south as Angola and eastern South Africa...
, goes extinct.
- 1886 - The red alga known as Bennett's Seaweed from Australia disappears because of the massive human activities.
- 1889 - The Eastern Hare-wallabyEastern Hare-wallabyThe Eastern Hare-wallaby , once also known as the Common Hare Wallaby, is an extinct species of wallaby that was native to southwestern Australia. It was first described by John Gould in 1841.-Description:...
becomes extinct.
- 1896 - The Eastern ElkEastern elkThe Eastern elk is one of six subspecies of elk that inhabited northern and eastern United States, and southern Canada. The last Eastern elk was shot in Pennsylvania on September 1, 1877. The subspecies was declared as extinct by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 1880...
, a subspecies of Elk in the US and Canada, dies out in Minnesota. They were over-hunted for food, clothing, sport and decoration for the Jolly Corkers who used their teeth as symbols.
1900s
- 1901 - The last certain specimen of the Australian Pig-footed BandicootPig-footed BandicootThe Pig-footed Bandicoot, Chaeropus ecaudatus, was a small marsupial of the arid and semi-arid plains of Australia. The distribution range of the species was later reduced to an inland desert region, where it was last recorded in the 1950s, and is now presumed to be extinct.-Classification:This...
is collected.
- 1905 - The last known Honshū WolfHonshu WolfThe Honshū Wolf, known in Japan as the , , or simply , is one of the two extinct subspecies of the Gray Wolf once endemic to the islands of Japan. The Honshū Wolf occupied the islands of Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū in Japan. The other subspecies is the Hokkaidō Wolf, native to the island of Hokkaidō...
of Japan dies in the Nara Prefecture
1910s
- 1910 - The Usambara Annone from Tanzania no longer grows in the tropical forests.
- 1914 — The last known Passenger PigeonPassenger PigeonThe Passenger Pigeon or Wild Pigeon was a bird, now extinct, that existed in North America and lived in enormous migratory flocks until the early 20th century...
dies. Due to massive hunting to feed the poor and slaves the Passenger Pigeon went from being one of the world's most populous birds to extinction.
- 1918 — The Carolina ParakeetCarolina ParakeetThe Carolina Parakeet was the only parrot species native to the eastern United States. It was found from the Ohio Valley to the Gulf of Mexico, and lived in old forests along rivers. It was the only species at the time classified in the genus Conuropsis...
goes extinct, the only parrot species in the Eastern U.S.- — The last TarpanTarpanTarpan is an extinct subspecies of wild horse. The last individual of this subspecies died in captivity in Russia in 1909....
, a Ukrainian wild horse, dies in captivity.
- — The last Tarpan
1930s
- Circa 1930s - The Eastern CougarEastern CougarThe North American Cougar , is the cougar subspecies once commonly found in eastern North America and still prevalent in the western half of the continent...
, a subspecies of the mountain lion inhabiting the Eastern United States, goes extinct.
- 1930 - Darwin's Rice RatDarwin's Rice RatNesoryzomys darwini, also known as Darwin's Nesoryzomys or Darwin's Galápagos Mouse, is a species of rodent in the genus Nesoryzomys that lived on Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos Islands. It was probably nocturnal and inhabited burrows or rock crevices under bushes. Only four specimens exist,...
was last recorded in the Galápagos IslandsGalápagos IslandsThe 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...
. Its extinction was probably caused by the introduction of black ratsBlack RatThe black rat is a common long-tailed rodent of the genus Rattus in the subfamily Murinae . The species originated in tropical Asia and spread through the Near East in Roman times before reaching Europe by the 1st century and spreading with Europeans across the world.-Taxonomy:The black rat was...
.
- 1933 - The Cry Pansy from Europe becomes extinct due habitat loss and overcollection in the only place where it grew, France.
- 1934 - The Indefatigable Galapagos MouseIndefatigable Galapagos MouseNesoryzomys indefessus, also known as the Santa Cruz Nesoryzomys or Indefatigable Galápagos Mouse, is a rodent of the genus Nesoryzomys of family Cricetidae from Galápagos Islands of Ecuador. It contains two subspecies: one formerly lived on Santa Cruz Island, but is now extinct, probably due to...
becomes extinct four years after Darwin's Rice RatDarwin's Rice RatNesoryzomys darwini, also known as Darwin's Nesoryzomys or Darwin's Galápagos Mouse, is a species of rodent in the genus Nesoryzomys that lived on Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos Islands. It was probably nocturnal and inhabited burrows or rock crevices under bushes. Only four specimens exist,...
on the same island.
- 1935 - The Desert Rat-kangarooDesert Rat-kangarooThe Desert Rat-kangaroo , also called the Buff-nosed Rat-kangaroo or the Plains Rat-kangaroo, is an extinct marsupial that lived in a sand ridge and gibber plain habitat in southwestern Queensland and northeastern South Australia. It was the size of a small rabbit...
becomes extinct.
- 1936 — The ThylacineThylacineThe thylacine or ,also ;binomial name: Thylacinus cynocephalus, Greek for "dog-headed pouched one") was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger or the Tasmanian wolf...
, at the time the world's largest carnivorous marsupial, is declared extinct.
- 1938 - Radula visiniacaRadula visiniacaRadula visiniaca was a species of liverwort in the Radulaceae family. It was endemic to Italy.-Source:* Bryophyte Specialist Group 2000. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
, a liverwort native to Europe becomes extinct.
1940s
- 1942 - The Vegas Valley Leopard FrogVegas Valley Leopard FrogThe Vegas Valley Leopard frog is a species of frog previously declared extinct. Once it occurred in the Las Vegas Valley, as well as Tule Springs, Clark County, southern Nevada, United States of America, at elevations between 370 and 760 m. It was believed to be the only frog endemic to the United...
last seen in Nevada. - 1943 - The Toolache WallabyToolache WallabyThe Toolache Wallaby or Grey's Wallaby is an extinct species of wallaby from south-eastern South Australia and South-western Victoria. Many people considered it to be the most elegant, graceful and swift species of kangaroo. It had fine fur with alternating bands of darker and lighter grey across...
declared extinct.
1950s
- Circa 1950 — The Palestinian painted frog goes extinct because its marsh habitat is drained.
- 1950 - The Cuban holly, a Cuban drug, becomes extinct.
- 1952 — Last reliable report of the Caribbean Monk SealCaribbean Monk SealThe Caribbean monk seal or West Indian monk seal is an extinct species of seal. It is the only seal ever known to be native to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The last verified recorded sighting occurred in 1952 at Serranilla Bank...
.
- 1956 - Crescent Nail-tail WallabyCrescent Nail-tail WallabyThe Crescent Nail-tail Wallaby was a nail-tail wallaby that lived in the woodlands and scrubs of the west and centre of Australia. It had silky fur and, like other nail-tail wallabies, had a horny spur at the tip of its tail. It was the size of a hare and was the smallest nail-tail wallaby at...
declared extinct.
1960s
- 1962 — A survey found no surviving Titicaca OrestiasTiticaca OrestiasThe Titicaca Orestias , also known by its native name Amanto, is an extinct freshwater killifish from the genus Orestias, a group of fish which is endemic to the Lake Titicaca and other Altiplano lakes in the Andes...
, a fish native to Lake TiticacaLake TiticacaLake Titicaca is a lake located on the border of Peru and Bolivia. It sits 3,811 m above sea level, making it the highest commercially navigable lake in the world...
in PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. - 1963 - The last Cape LionCape LionThe Cape Lion, Panthera leo melanochaitus, is a subspecies of lion that is now extinct.Cape "black-maned" Lions ranged along the Cape of Africa on the southern tip of the continent. The Cape Lion was not the only subspecies living in South Africa, and its exact range is unclear. Its stronghold was...
was killed in South Africa. - 1964 - The Hawaii Chaff Flower of the Hawaiian islands becomes extinct because of habitat loss.
- 1965 - Last sighting of the Turgid-blossom pearly mussel, an American mussel.
- 1966 - The last Arabian OstrichArabian OstrichThe Middle Eastern Ostrich or Arabian Ostrich is an extinct subspecies of the ostrich which once lived on the Arabian Peninsula and in the Near East. Its range seems to have been continuous in prehistoric times, but with the drying-up of the Arabian Peninsula, it disappeared from the inhospitable...
died.
-
- — Last sighting of the yellow-blossom pearlymussel, an American mussel.
1970s
- Circa 1970 — The Caspian TigerCaspian TigerThe Caspian tiger, also known as the Turan tiger and Hyrcanian tiger, is an extinct tiger subspecies that has been recorded in the wild until the early 1970s, and used to inhabit the sparse forest habitats and riverine corridors west and south of the Caspian Sea, from Turkey, Iran and west through...
becomes extinct. Nearly exterminated by the Russian government in the early 20th century the last of its population succumbed to deforestation and hunting.
- 1972 - The endemic to Jamaica Mason River Myrtle becomes extinct.
1980s
- 1981 - The Puhielelu Hibiscadelphus becomes extinct.
- 1981 - Last sighting of the green-blossom pearlymussel, an American mussel.
- 1984 - The Black Spotted DamselfishGalapagos damselThe Galapagos damsel , also known as Blackspot chromis, is a possibly extinct fish species from the family of Pomacentridae. It was endemic in the waters near the Galápagos Islands and Cocos Island.-Description:...
(Azurina eupalama) likely becomes extinct due to climate changeClimate changeClimate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
and overfishing.
-
- — The 24-rayed SunstarHeliaster solarisHeliaster solaris commonly known as 24-rayed Sunstar is a possible extinct Sea star which was known from the waters near Española Island in the Galápagos Islands.-Description:...
(Heliaster solaris) likely becomes extinct due to climate changeClimate changeClimate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
.
- — The 24-rayed Sunstar
- 1989 — The Golden ToadGolden toadThe golden toad was a small, shiny, bright true toad that was once abundant in a small region of high-altitude cloud-covered tropical forests, about 30 square kilometers in area, above the city of Monteverde, Costa Rica. For this reason, it is sometimes also called the Monteverde golden toad, or...
of Costa Rica becomes extinct, perhaps because of climate changeClimate changeClimate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
.
-
- - The Atitlán GrebeAtitlán GrebeThe Atitlán Grebe , also known as Giant Grebe, Giant Pied-billed Grebe, or Poc, is an extinct water bird, a relative of the Pied-billed Grebe. It was endemic at the Lago de Atitlán in Guatemala at an altitude of 1700 m asl. Thanks to the field work of the American ecologist Anne LaBastille, its...
(Podilymbus gigas) dies out.
- - The Atitlán Grebe
1990s
- 1994 — Saint Croix RacerSaint Croix RacerThe Saint Croix Racer was a species of snake in the Colubridae family.It was endemic to the U.S. Virgin Islands.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996. . Downloaded on 28 July 2007....
, a snake native to the Virgin IslandsVirgin IslandsThe Virgin Islands are the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, which form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean...
, declared extinct.- — Levuana MothLevuana MothThe Levuana Moth was a species of moth in the Zygaenidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Levuana...
from Hawaii goes extinct.
- — Levuana Moth
- 1997 - Last known Aldabra banded snailAldabra banded snailThe †Aldabra banded snail, scientific name Rhachistia aldabrae, was a species of land snail, a pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Cerastidae. It lived on one atoll in the Seychelles Islands, Indian Ocean, and was easily recognizable because of its purplish blue banded shell...
from the Seychelles Islands found. Scientists believe global warmingGlobal warmingGlobal warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
was probably the reason for the snail's demise.- — The Hainan Ormosia (a species of legume) which was native to ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
is no longer seen.
- — The Hainan Ormosia (a species of legume) which was native to China
21st century
- 2000 - The last Pyrenean IbexPyrenean IbexThe Pyrenean Ibex is an ibex, one of the two extinct subspecies of Spanish Ibex. The subspecies once ranged across the Pyrenees in France and Spain and the surrounding area, including the Basque Country, Navarre, north Aragon and north Catalonia. A few hundred years ago they were numerous, but by...
dies under a fallen tree. The reasons for its extinction are still being debated. However in 2009 it was cloned back in existence but died 7 minutes later due to defects in the lungs, making it extinct once again.
- 2003 - The last individual from the St. Helena OliveSt. Helena OliveThe Saint Helena Olive is a recently extinct plant from the monotypic genus of flowering plants Nesiota within the family Rhamnaceae....
, which was grown in cultivation, dies off. The last plant in the wild had disappeared in 1994.
- 2004 - The Hawaiian bird, the Po'ouli, goes extinct.
- 2006 - China's freshwater river dolphin, the baijiBaijiBaiji may refer to:* The Baiji or Yangtze River Dolphin * Baiji, Iraq, a city of northern Iraq.* "Baiji" is the pinyin Romanization for Baekje....
, declared "functionally extinct" after a survey failed to find a single animal.
- 2008 - The Liverpool PigeonLiverpool PigeonThe Liverpool Pigeon or Spotted Green Pigeon is a presumed extinct pigeon species from an unknown provenance.-Description:...
(Caloenas maculata) is thought to have become extinct.
- 2010 - The Alaotra GrebeAlaotra GrebeThe Alaotra Grebe , also known as Delacour's Little Grebe or Rusty Grebe, was a grebe endemic to Lake Alaotra and surrounding lakes in Madagascar. The last sighting was in 1985 and the species was declared extinct in 2010...
(Tachybaptus rufolavatus) is declared extinct.
- 2011 - The Eastern CougarEastern CougarThe North American Cougar , is the cougar subspecies once commonly found in eastern North America and still prevalent in the western half of the continent...
is declared extinct
- 2011 - The Western Black RhinocerosWestern Black RhinocerosThe Western Black Rhinoceros or West African Black Rhinoceros is an extinct subspecies of the Black Rhino...
is declared extinct
See also
- List of extinct animals
- Extinction eventExtinction eventAn extinction event is a sharp decrease in the diversity and abundance of macroscopic life. They occur when the rate of extinction increases with respect to the rate of speciation...
- Quaternary extinction eventQuaternary extinction eventThe Quaternary period saw the extinctions of numerous predominantly larger, especially megafaunal, species, many of which occurred during the transition from the Pleistocene to the Holocene epoch. However, the extinction wave did not stop at the end of the Pleistocene, but continued especially on...
- Holocene extinction
- Timeline of evolutionTimeline of evolutionThis timeline of evolution of life outlines the major events in the development of life on planet Earth since it first originated until the present day. In biology, evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations...
- Timeline of environmental eventsTimeline of environmental eventsThe timeline lists geological, astronomical, and climatological events in relation to events in human history which they influenced. For the history of humanity's perspective on these events, see timeline of the history of environmentalism...
- List of environment topics
- List of environmental issues