Are you looking for the Top Top 10 Extinct Animals?
If you are like us, you find this list tragic, but awareness is essential in conserving the rare animal species left on this planet. Therefore, we look deeper at these animals, their stories, and how to prevent the past from repeating itself. We tackle the issue of extinction and how it can be fended off; if you want to learn more about the species that need our help, check out our dedicated article on the top 10 endangered animals.
It has been calculated that between 0.01 and 0.1% of all species will become extinct yearly. Based on this estimation, between 200 and 2,000 extinctions occur every year.
Zurich Insurance group
Every day, up to 150 species may go extinct. This means as many as 10 percent of species a decade. Scientists have recently estimated that there are approximately 8.7 million species on Earth. They believe that 1-2 million of those species are animals.
scientists at the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity
Are you intrigued? Read further or jump to the headline of your interest.
Key Points
| Species | Extinction Status | Habitat / Location | Main Causes of Extinction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Splendid Poison Frog | Extinct (2020) | Western Panama | Deforestation, habitat degradation |
| Bramble Cay Melomys | Extinct (2019) | Bramble Cay, Great Barrier Reef, Australia | Human-driven climate change |
| Baiji Dolphin | Estimated Extinct | Freshwater rivers of China | Fishing nets with hooks, habitat degradation |
| Pinta Giant Tortoise | Estimated Extinct | Galápagos Islands, Ecuador | Reduced habitat, environmental changes |
| Western Black Rhino | Extinct (2011) | Sub-Saharan Africa | Poaching for horns |
| Alaotra Grebe Bird | Extinct (2010) | Lake Alaotra, Madagascar | Poaching, predatory fish |
| Spix’s Macaw | Extinct in Wild | Brazil | Habitat loss, illegal trade |
| Moorean Tree Snail | Functionally Extinct | French Polynesia | Habitat loss, invasive species |
| Pyrenean Ibex | Extinct (2000/2009) | Pyrenees Mountains | Poaching, disease, competition, habitat loss |
| Asiatic Cheetah | Functionally Extinct | Iran | Habitat loss, hunting, reduced prey |
Main Causes of Extinction
- Habitat Loss
- Introduced Species
- Pollution
- Population Growth
- Overconsumption
Conservation Organizations
#1 Splendid Poison frog ( extinct 2020)
The splendid poison frog or poison-arrow frog was a species of poison dart frog endemic to the end of western Panama.
Deforestation and habitat degradation are the primary threats to the splendid poison frog.
Human activities such as logging, expansion of urban and suburban areas, and the construction and use of rail lines contributed significantly to the frog’s extinction.
#2 Bramble Cay melomys ( extinct 2019)
The Bramble Cay melomys, or Bramble Cay mosaic-tailed rat, is a recently extinct species of rodent native to the isolated Bramble Cay (the northernmost point of land of Australia), a vegetated coral cay located at the northern tip of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
Scientists have determined that the Bramble cay melomys, named after an island of the same name went extinct due to human-driven climate change.
The melomnys’s 10-acre habitat, Bramble Cay, sat less than 10 feet above sea level.
#3 Baiji Dolphin ( Estimated extinct 2020)
The baiji is a possibly extinct species of freshwater dolphin, and is thought to be the first dolphin species driven to extinction due to the impact of humans.
Since Baiji means ‘white fin’ in Chinese, it means ‘white-finned dolphin’.
The likely cause of the baiji’s decline is the use of fishing nets with hooks that snag and drown the dolphins as bycatch. Other causes may include habitat degradation.
#4 Pinta Giant Tortoise ( Estimated extinct 2012)
The Pinta Island tortoise, also known as the Pinta giant tortoise or Abingdon Island tortoise, is a species of Galápagos tortoise native to Ecuador’s Pinta Island that is most likely extinct.
The Pinta Island tortoise, thought to have gone extinct with the death of Lonesome George in 2012, is not extinct as scientists found 31 tortoises on Isabella Island in the Galapagos Island chain that are believed to be partially descended from the Pinta Island tortoise but are functionally extinct in their natural environment.
#5 Western Black Rhino ( Extinct 2011)
The western black rhinoceros or West African black rhinoceros is an extinct subspecies of the black rhinoceros. It was declared extinct by the IUCN in 2011.
But the western black rhino and northern white rhinos have recently become extinct in the wild. The only two remaining northern white rhino are kept under 24-hour guard in Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.
The main reason the West African black rhino is extinct is because of poachers or illegal hunters. Poachers killed them solely for their horns, for use in Chinese medicine, and as decoration in the Middle East.
Discover a more in-depth understanding by reading our dedicated article, where we unveil the rhino horn crisis.
#6 Alaotra grebe Bird ( Extinct 2010)
The Alaotra grebe, also known as Delacour’s little or rusty grebe, is an extinct grebe endemic to Lake Alaotra and its surrounding lakes in Madagascar.
The last known sighting of the bird was in 1985 and experts have now confirmed its demise, killed off by a combination of poaching and predatory fish.
#7 Spix’s Macaw ( Functionally extinct 2000)
One of the 10 Animals that have recently gone extinct: Spix’s macaw, also known as the little blue macaw, is a macaw native to Brazil.
The Spix’s macaw is one of the rarest birds in the world: it is estimated that there are only 177 captive individuals worldwide.
The species was declared extinct in the wild in 2000.
#8 Moorean viviparous tree snail ( Functionally extinct)
Partula mooreana, common name the Moorean viviparous tree snail, is a species of air-breathing tropical land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Partulidae.
This species was endemic to French Polynesia. It is now extinct in the wild.
#9 Pyrenean ibex ( Extinct 2000/2009)
The Pyrenean ibex was a mountain goat that was substantially bigger and had more enormous horns than its extant cousins, C. p. hispanica and C. p. victoriae. It was also called the Pyrenean wild goat and, in Spain, the bucardo.
While the exact cause of the Pyrenean ibex’s extinction is unknown, scientists hypothesize that some factors contributed to the species’ decline, including poaching, disease, and the inability to compete with other domestic and wild ungulates for food and habitat.
#10 Asiatic Cheetah (Functionally extinct since 1948)
The Asiatic cheetah is a Critically Endangered cheetah subspecies surviving today only in Iran.
It once occurred from the Arabian Peninsula and the Near East to Caspian regions. Less than 50 remain in the wild, therefore functionally extinct.
Reasons for the extinction of species
The extinction of a species is the result of a sustained level of threat across the entire distribution of a species, over a prolonged period.
Contributing factors towards extinction:
Factors constitute the primary deterministic causes of species declines, endangerment and extinction: land development, overexploitation, species translocations and introductions, and pollution. The primary anthropogenic factors produce ecological and genetic effects contributing to extinction risk.
However, the five major causes of extinction can be summarized as the following:
- habitat loss,
- an introduced species,
- pollution,
- population growth,
- and overconsumption.
Conservation
WWF: Endangered Species Conservation
Our mission is to conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on Earth.
Save Animals Facing Extinction
Save Animals Facing Extinction seeks to drive change at all levels of government that will protect Earth’s most precious wildlife.
Endangered Species International
Committed to saving endangered species and remaining rainforests.
Activism
How to combat the pace of extinction of species: These are a few simple ways to help
- Educate your family about endangered species in your area.
- Recycle and buy sustainable products.
- Reduce your water consumption.
- Reduce your footprint.
- Do not buy plastic products.
- Pressure your civil servants.
- Volunteer your time to protect the wildlife in your area.
Summary of Top 10 Extinct Animals
It is a sad reality that human activity directly affects the extinction rates of species around the globe at a rapid pace. Acknowledging environmental wrongdoings and moving forward in collective sustainability is essential.
This will ensure a delay in the extinction of species.
For more blogs featuring extraordinary wildlife, look at the top 10 cutest animals and the most endangered animals or 10 Biggest Animals In The World.
Thank you for reading Top 10 Extinct Animals.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
An extinct species is a type of organism that no longer exists anywhere on Earth. This can happen due to various reasons, such as environmental changes, natural disasters, competition with other species, or human activities.
The largest known extinct species is the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus sudirostris). It’s also the largest animal to have ever existed on Earth.
The exact individual responsible for killing the last dodo bird is not known. However, the dodo bird went extinct in the late 17th century, and it was primarily due to a combination of habitat loss, introduction of invasive species by humans, and hunting.
Determining the “strongest” extinct animal can be challenging due to the variety of ways strength can be measured. However, the Megalodon, an extinct species of giant shark, is often considered one of the most powerful predators in Earth’s history due to its immense size and predatory adaptations.
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