It has long been known that various human-induced activities such as hunting, encroaching, pollution, climatic changes, amongst others have been threatening on the animals and their habitat. In some of the cases, the exploitation of the animals has been huge and the same has led to the complete extinction of these animals from the planet.
In this article, we shall see the top 10 animals which have been led into extinction in the recent times!!
10. Thylacine
This is one animal which was clearly led to extinction due to man’s love for hunting. The Thylacinewas more popularly known as the Tasmanian Tiger or the Tasmanian Wolf. It resembled a medium-sized dog and was native to Tasmania, Australia, as well as New Guinea. The last of the species of the Thylacine to die was named as Benjamin and he was found dead on the 7th of September due to human negligence. The Thylacine was declared as an extinct animal in the 20th century.
9. The Passenger Pigeon
Once the most common bird in the whole of North America, the Passenger Pigeon today stands to be a thing of the past. The main reason behind the extinction of this beautiful bird is the regular and uncontrolled hunting of the bird for want of cheap and easily available meat, particularly for the slaves and the other labor class in America.Besides, as they were huge in numbers, the farmers also tried to get rid of them in numbers. Martha was the name of the last of the passenger birds who was known to die in the Cincinnati Zoo.
8. Baiji River Dolphin
This Dolphin is now a thing of the past. It was once found in large numbers in and around the river Yangtze in China. This species of the Dolphin used to grow as long as 8 feet had pale blue color. Although the species was officially declared extinct only in the year 2006, the dolphin was considered endangered in the year 1979 itself. By the time it was 1990, the species was only 200 in number after which it was known to have become critically endangered. Some of the reasons which led to the demise of the human-friendly animal were extensive pollution and various projects that destroyed the habitat of the Baiji River Dolphin.
7. Tecopa Pupfish
The pupfish which was once abundant in and around the deserts of California in the United States has now been declared extinct officially. These species were mainly found in the hot water springs owing to their capacity of tolerating heat to a large extent. In fact, they had the capacity to survive in water springs which had temperatures as high as even 43 degrees Celsius! The reason for the decline of this species is mainly attributed to the conversion of the springs in the north and the south into bathhouses. Besides, the area around the hotsprings was converted into buildings and hotels which further led to the decline of the Tecopa Pupfish.
6. Gastric-Brooding Frogs
These were one species of frogs that were known for being different when compared to their counterparts. What made them different from the rest was the fact that they could swallow the eggs laid by them and were known to incubate them inside their stomach. These species of frogs were also called the Palyptus frog and were extinct in the year 1985. These were once found in the areas surrounding eastern Australia. This is another species of animals which has been known to become extinct owing to human activities of encroaching the habitat of the animals, climatic change caused due to various factors, etc.
5. The Golden Toad
The Golden Toad was once existent in the wilds of Costa Rica and the most striking thing about the animal was its bright orange color. The species was first discovered in the year 1966 but ever since the year 1987, the numbers of the golden toad has been on a decline to a great extent. In fact, after the year 1989, there has been no record of a single golden toad. The main reason for the sudden decline of this striking animal has been the drying up the forests of the Costa Rica region which were once home to these toads. Owing to the climatic change and the El Nino effect, the rainforests in the area all dried up leading to the extinction of the animal.
4. Caribbean Monk Seal
Another animal which went into extinction due to human activities is the Carribean Monk Seal. This species was once found in abundance in Carribean sea and the Gulf of Mexico. This sea animal was widely hunted for oil, as well as food. Even their food was hunted and destroyed due to various human activities. Besides, the animal was known to feed widely on fish and other sea animals. Hence, another reason for the extinction was the widespread hunting by the fishermen.This particular species of the Carribean Monk Seal was declared extinct in the year 1994 by the United States of America.
3. Dusky Seaside Sparrow
The last known sighting of the Dusky Seaside Sparrow was in the year 1990 and the name of the sparrow was the Orange Band. The beautiful bird which was blind in one eye used to be found in abundance in the Merritt island region of Florida. The bird was mainly known to survive on seeds, insects, and other small animals. The spreading of DDT or the Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane on the trees and the forest region was considered to be the most important reason which led to the decline of the Dusky Seaside Sparrow by killing its food and the only shelter.
2. The Western Black Rhino
It is not an unknown fact that the Western Black Rhino is prized for its horns. The horns of this animal were once usedfor making various types of knives as well as for medicinal purposes. As a result, the black Rhino had long been hunted until it was officially declared as an extinct species in the year 2011. The 12 feet long animal which used to weigh a little over 1350 kilograms had been known to be endangered ever since the year 2006.
1. Formosan Clouded Leopard
This species of the leopard was once known to be the second largest carnivore of Taiwan. It used to have a short yet a strong tail and could be recognized by its large spots on the body. The leopard has been considered extinct since the year 2013. Infact, the species has been declared critically endangered long back. In the year 2000, many researchers had placed several cameras in the Tawu Mountain Nature Reserve as well as the Twin-Ghost Lake Wildlife area-the two important areas where the leopard is expected to be found, to confirm the existence of the Formosan Clouded Leopard. However, after the researchers could not get evidence of the existence of this species, the Leopard was declared to be extinct.
Hence, the above are the top 10 animals which have recently moved to extinction and can no longer be sighted!
I’m Hina Khan, working as a writer at Worldblaze.in blog. I love dancing and listening punjabi music. Here I’m sharing all the interesting stuffs that will definitely entertain you.