Recently extinct animals

Sphenisciologist

Sphenisciologist

Well-Known Member
This thread is one where people can just talk about recently extinct animals that went extinct due to human activity.

- Arabian Ostrich (Struthio camelus syriacus)
Extinction Date: 1941 in Bahrain, however has been recorded to be extinct as late as 1966 in Jordan.
Extinction Cause: Hunting for their fashionable feathers, as well as meat among the locals.
- Heath Hen (Tympanuchus cupido cupido)
Extinction Date: 1932, also recorded being extinct in the United States as early as the 1870’s.
Extinction Cause: Diseases from domestic chickens and turkeys, as well as lots and lots of killing from humans. Wildfires killed the last population.
- Laughing Owl (Sceloglaux albifacies)
Extinction Date: As late as 1914.
Extinction Cause: Loss of prey and killing from humans.
 
Galapagos Penguin said:
Arabian Ostrich (Struthio camelus syriacus)
Extinction Date: 1941 in Bahrain, however has been recorded to be extinct as late as 1966 in Jordan.
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Given the fact that the 1966 animal was a proven and well-documented individual, rather than a mere report, it's rather erroneous to say the species went extinct in 1941 and imply the later date is less reliable.... especially as the only recent records from Bahrain are eggshells in human burials, and hence cannot be taken as an indication of modern presence on the island.

Galapagos Penguin said:
Heath Hen (Tympanuchus cupido cupido)
Extinction Date: 1932, also recorded being extinct in the United States as early as the 1870’s
Extinction Cause: Diseases from domestic chickens and turkeys, as well as lots and lots of killing from humans. Wildfires killed the last population.
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A fairly simplistic summary missing several factors, and entirely incorrect in the final conclusion - wildfires contributed, but certainly did not "kill the last population" given the species survived 16 years beyond the incident in question, and the last living individual was not even alive yet at the time.

Galapagos Penguin said:
Laughing Owl (Sceloglaux albifacies)
Extinction Date: As late as 1914.
Extinction Cause: Loss of prey and killing from humans.
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Rather later than that, actually - the last recorded specimen died in July 1914, but there's fairly good evidence they hung on into the 1950s.
 
- Smooth Handfish (Sympterichthys unipennis)
Extinction Date: unknown
Extinction Cause: unknown for sure, scallop dredging is believed to be at least partially responsible by destroying the Smooth Handfish's habitat.
The Smooth Handfish was the first known marine fish species to go extinct in human history.

- Chinese Paddlefish (Psephurus gladius)
Extinction Date: Last seen 2003, declared extinct 2020, believed to have gone extinct between 2005 and 2010.
Extinction Cause: Overfishing, habitat fragmentation, pollution
 
- Japanese Sea Lion (Zalophus japonicus)
Extinction Date: 1970
Extinction Cause: Commercial hunting

- Caribbean Monk Seal (Neomonachus tropicalis)
Extinction Date: Declared extinct 2008, last confirmed sighting 1952
Extinction Cause: Hunting and overfishing of the seal's food sources

- Steller's Sea Cow (Hydrodamalis gigas)
Extinction Date: 1768
Extinction Cause: Hunting
 
DaLilFishie said:
- Japanese Sea Lion (Zalophus japonicus)
Extinction Date: 1970
Extinction Cause: Commercial hunting

- Caribbean Monk Seal (Neomonachus tropicalis)
Extinction Date: Declared extinct 2008, last confirmed sighting 1952
Extinction Cause: Hunting and overfishing of the seal's food sources

- Steller's Sea Cow (Hydrodamalis gigas)
Extinction Date: 1768
Extinction Cause: Hunting
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It’s crazy how the monk seal was declared extinct over 5 decades after it was last seen. Not denying you, just blown away.
 
DaLilFishie said:
I thought it was odd too.
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Explained here: Endangered Species Program | News | Bulletins | Summer 2009

Until recently, reports of seal sightings within the species’ range led to hope that some monk seals may have persisted around remote reefs in the Caribbean. To resolve any lingering doubts, NMFS launched a formal status review. Completed in March 2008, the status review considered sighting reports, surveys, and marine mammal stranding data. Although some sightings from the late 1950s to the 1970s may have been solitary Caribbean monk seals, we have found that reported seal sightings in recent decades were all extra-limital (out of normal range) occurrences of hooded seals (Cystophora cristata), feral California sea lions (Zalophus californianus), misidentified manatees (Trichechus manatus), and other species.

The article itself is worth reading in full, of course.
 
Chlidonias said:
Explained here: Endangered Species Program | News | Bulletins | Summer 2009

Until recently, reports of seal sightings within the species’ range led to hope that some monk seals may have persisted around remote reefs in the Caribbean. To resolve any lingering doubts, NMFS launched a formal status review. Completed in March 2008, the status review considered sighting reports, surveys, and marine mammal stranding data. Although some sightings from the late 1950s to the 1970s may have been solitary Caribbean monk seals, we have found that reported seal sightings in recent decades were all extra-limital (out of normal range) occurrences of hooded seals (Cystophora cristata), feral California sea lions (Zalophus californianus), misidentified manatees (Trichechus manatus), and other species.

The article itself is worth reading in full, of course.
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Just read the entire article. Definitely worth a read.
 
One thing that I find so fascinating for some reason, and this may sound weirdly specific, but animals that are usually most common in Africa to be found in Asia as well. Arabian ostriches are a perfect example of this.
Of all the ostrich species as well as subspecies, the Arabian ostrich is by far the most remarkable in my opinion. It survived in harsh desert environments with little water and vegetation.

In older times, such as the 1800’s, Arabian ostriches were often hunted for their meat by local nomads, however didn't often catch them. A healthy ostrich could outrun the men and their horses.
As ostrich feathers became a popular fashion accessory, African ostriches were often hunted, then the Arabian ostriches became a target. However, in the 1930’s and 40’s, the ostriches disappeared.
In 1941 at an oil pipeline north of Bahrain, the last known Arabian ostrich was reported. This animal was sadly killed and eaten.
 
Galapagos Penguin said:
In 1941 at an oil pipeline north of Bahrain, the last known Arabian ostrich was reported. This animal was sadly killed and eaten.
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So, you're not only doubling down on your incorrect claim but omitting even the reference to the actual last-recorded individual this time :p incidentally, the 1941 bird was killed in Saudi Arabia (and not "north of Bahrain" either, as that would be the Persian Gulf); as noted it is unlikely the species occurred on Bahrain in historical times.
 
Galapagos Penguin said:
One thing that I find so fascinating for some reason, and this may sound weirdly specific, but animals that are usually most common in Africa to be found in Asia as well. Arabian ostriches are a perfect example of this.
Of all the ostrich species as well as subspecies, the Arabian ostrich is by far the most remarkable in my opinion. It survived in harsh desert environments with little water and vegetation.
Click to expand...
Oh boy, you have just unlocked a massive can of evolutionary worms. You see many of the animals we know as "African" were spread out across the globe, mainly the predators. There were species of monkey, lion, and elephant in civilized Greece; northern parts of Europe also used to have Hippos and Hyenas. North America had Lions, Mammoths, California Cheetahs. Now all of these animals went extinct for a few reasons but many of them include humans as a reason for extinction. The reason African and some Asian fauna survived is that they evolved with humans and knew how to escape them, so when humans began to migrate out of Africa, specifically into Europe and the Americas, they caused the extinction of many animals who were not as equipped to survive the destruction that people brought.
If you want to know more about this kind of stuff I suggest you check the youtube channel Eons, which covers this kind of stuff that deals with extinction and human patterns.
 
Westcoastperson said:
Oh boy, you have just unlocked a massive can of evolutionary worms. You see many of the animals we know as "African" were spread out across the globe, mainly the predators. There were species of monkey, lion, and elephant in civilized Greece; northern parts of Europe also used to have Hippos and Hyenas. North America had Lions, Mammoths, California Cheetahs. Now all of these animals went extinct for a few reasons but many of them include humans as a reason for extinction. The reason African and some Asian fauna survived is that they evolved with humans and knew how to escape them, so when humans began to migrate out of Africa, specifically into Europe and the Americas, they caused the extinction of many animals who were not as equipped to survive the destruction that people brought.
If you want to know more about this kind of stuff I suggest you check the youtube channel Eons, which covers this kind of stuff that deals with extinction and human patterns.
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Well yes, but it always fascinates me. Not sure why though :p.
 
Westcoastperson said:
The reason African and some Asian fauna survived is that they evolved with humans and knew how to escape them, so when humans began to migrate out of Africa, specifically into Europe and the Americas, they caused the extinction of many animals who were not as equipped to survive the destruction that people brought.
Click to expand...

I don't think this is a very scientifically accurate statement. I may be wrong, but if Humans evolved initially within a small portion of Africa and then radiated outward, this would not account for the survival of much of Africa's wildlife as well as any of Asia's. Leopards in Ethiopia evolving alongside early peoples doesn't translate to those in South Africa or Sri Lanka knowing how to live alongside early Humans instinctively. This also translates into the ostrich examples: African ostriches living alongside Humans wouldn't account for the Arabian Ostrich managing to do so for thousands of years before eventually dying out within the last 100 years. The extinction/survival patterns of different elephants (especially within Eurasia) certainly complicates this theory, as the first elephants exposed to Human migrations (North African and Middle Eastern populations) went extinct eventually but I believe much later than when the migrations occurred. Yet some of the last Eurasian populations to encounter Humans for the first time (the Sunda populations) continue to survive today, albeit just barely so and with a lot of disturbances in between.

~Thylo
 
ThylacineAlive said:
I don't think this is a very scientifically accurate statement. I may be wrong, but if Humans evolved initially within a small portion of Africa and then radiated outward, this would not account for the survival of much of Africa's wildlife as well as any of Asia's. Leopards in Ethiopia evolving alongside early peoples doesn't translate to those in South Africa or Sri Lanka knowing how to live alongside early Humans instinctively. This also translates into the ostrich examples: African ostriches living alongside Humans wouldn't account for the Arabian Ostrich managing to do so for thousands of years before eventually dying out within the last 100 years. The extinction/survival patterns of different elephants (especially within Eurasia) certainly complicates this theory, as the first elephants exposed to Human migrations (North African and Middle Eastern populations) went extinct eventually but I believe much later than when the migrations occurred. Yet some of the last Eurasian populations to encounter Humans for the first time (the Sunda populations) continue to survive today, albeit just barely so and with a lot of disturbances in between.
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Maybe my wording confused you but what I stated is known as the co-evolution hypothesis. The hypothesis is based on the correlation between hominid migrations (Europe, Americas, Australia) and the mass extinctions that occurred in the same areas. The theory aims to answer the question of why species in Africa and South East Aisa weren't as affected by the migration. I mainly talked about Africa in my response because I wrote it from memory from when I was taught the theory, and my Professor mainly focused on the African aspect of the theory. Here is a great article from Yale that talks about species still extant in India and might help answer your elephant question. They can probably explain this better than me: Why do elephants and tigers still roam in India? Study offers clues
 
Westcoastperson said:
Oh boy, you have just unlocked a massive can of evolutionary worms. You see many of the animals we know as "African" were spread out across the globe, mainly the predators. There were species of monkey, lion, and elephant in civilized Greece;
Click to expand...

Correct that there were lions in Ancient Greece and across into parts of Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Carpathians, the Caucasus and Turkey / Anatolia.

However, I don't think I've ever heard of any monkeys or elephants (except for tamed pets brought from Egyptian traders or brought back with Alexander the Great as working animals in the case of elephants) that were present during the time of the Ancient Greek civilization or even the earlier Minoan and Mycenean civilizations and I've definitely never heard that there were wild populations.

Where did you hear / read this or are you referring to the presence of these animals in earlier epochs ?
 
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Westcoastperson said:
Now all of these animals went extinct for a few reasons but many of them include humans as a reason for extinction. The reason African and some Asian fauna survived is that they evolved with humans and knew how to escape them, so when humans began to migrate out of Africa, specifically into Europe and the Americas, they caused the extinction of many animals who were not as equipped to survive the destruction that people brought.
If you want to know more about this kind of stuff I suggest you check the youtube channel Eons, which covers this kind of stuff that deals with extinction and human patterns.
Click to expand...

I think what you are referring to is the phenomenon of ecological naivete or "island tameness" which as the name suggests is usually encountered with species that inhabit islands that have not previously been colonized by human beings and therefore these species don't respond as if humans are predators which leads to overexploitation and typically extinction.

Modern human migrations into Eurasia during the Ice age wouldn't have encountered prey species that were ecologically naive as the continent had for thousands and thousands of years been inhabited by the neanderthals (and earlier still Homo heidelbergensis) who were proficient hunters of big game.

The arrival of modern humans in Eurasia did bring new challenges to the fauna which had not been previously faced with the neanderthals though.

Namely the new species brought far more technologically sophisticated hunting weapons and greater cognitive skills and social organization (not to mention the eventual domestication of the dog) which would have made for far more efficient hunting capturing more prey and therefore having a greater impact on populations.

However, it hasn't exactly been definitively proven that the arrival of modern humans and their hunting caused the extinction of the Ice age megafauna either...

What is a more likely scenario is that human hunters would have been an additional stressor that compounded populations that were already facing severe existing environmental stressors such as climate change which ultimately would have been the principal cause of extinction .

In North America the situation is equally complex and while there may have been ecological naivete with the megafauna that the first humans encountered on the continent it similarly hasn't been definitively proven that the arrival of humans caused these extinctions.

It is very odd that many of these North American species became extinct relatively soon after the arrival of humans but at the moment it is only one compelling hypothesis that humans were the cause of mass extinction amongst many other compelling hypothesis and theories that have been suggested (climate change, zoonotic spillover etc).
 
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Another variable not being mentioned is the effect that new species colonizing new regions/continents during the last glacial period would have had on the animals previously native there. While the impact this had is certainly variable in every situation, we must keep in mind that human migration alone is not the only factor. The connection of the Americas, for instance, saw a huge trade in fauna on both sides, and in at least some instances it will have been the new, non-primate colonizers who drove some species into extinction.

~Thylo
 
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