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The Eastern puma once prowled the forested mountainsides up and down the East coast of North America, from Quebec all the way down to South Carolina, and as far west as Illinois. Hunting and deforestation caused this animal, once an important member of the North American food chain, to be declared extinct in 2000.
Endemic only to the East Asian island of Taiwan, the Formosan clouded leopard was once a thriving predator in its home. Unfortunately, logging in Taiwan drove the beautiful but fearsome cats further and further into the mountains, shrinking their habitat until they were declared extinct in 2013.
These large, beautiful animals were once abundant across many parts of Western Africa, mainly Cameroon. Due to incessant ivory poaching, the Western black rhinoceros was declared extinct in 2011.
A subspecies of the Galapagos tortoise, the last Pinta Island tortoise died in 2012. His name was Lonesome George, and his species had struggled with a loss of habitat since the 19th century. This was mainly due to deforestation caused by the many invasive goats introduced to their home islands.
The official mascot of the Ehime Prefecture in Japan, Japanese river ottere once swam and played through the area's rivers in great numbers. As is too often the case, these beautiful creatures were hunted on massive scales for their fur coats, and were eventually hunted out of existence, with the official designation coming in 2012.
Sometimes referred to as the rusty grebe, the Alaotra grebe was last seen in 1982. However, scientists hung on to hope for the bird's survival, considering it was endemic only to one lake deep within Madagascar. As of 2010, it was officially declared extinct, but little grebes (pictured) are thought to have mated with the Alaotra to create a hybrid species.
Once a common and beautiful sight in Costa Rica, the golden toad hasn't been seen since 1989 and was officially declared extinct in 2007. Scientists believe this brightly-colored amphibian was the victim of climate change and a disease known as chytridiomycosis which is both infectious and fatal for amphibians.
A subspecies of the once-vastly successful Javan rhinoceros, once be found all across Southeast Asia and South China, was declared extinct in 2011. All Javan rhinos are under urgent threat of extinction, driven by poachers and trophy hunting.
Once native to the Sea of Galilee, the long jaw tristramella were unique in that they were one of just a few species of fish that practiced "paternal mouthbrooding," in which the male carried the eggs, protecting them in his mouth until they hatched. A definitive cause of extinction has yet to be decided upon, but they were officially taken off the critically endangered species list in 2014.
The splendid poison frog is another vivid amphibian once native to Costa Rica that has since gone extinct at least partially due to an outbreak of chytridiomycosis. It was officially declared extinct in 2020 and last spotted in 1992.
Endemic only to Christmas Island, a tiny island south of Indonesia, this tiny bat was never wildly abundant, not at least since observation began. This species of pipistrelle was declared extinct in 2014.
As is the sad case with many native Hawaiian birds, the Maui 'akepa has faced devastating habitat loss. The last sighting of this beautiful bird occurred in 1988, and it has been generally considered extinct since 2018.
The Chinese paddlefish, similar to salmon, spent most of their life at sea before swinming back up the Yangtze river to mate. After the construction of the Gezhouba Dam in 1981 disrupted its migratory pattern, the paddlefish's fate was sealed. The fish is now considered functionally extinct, as only two females have been sighted since 2003 and no adolescent fish have been seen since 1995.
While some specimens of the Moorean tree snail still exist in captivity, numerous attempts at wild reintroduction have failed. The reason these snails can no longer exist in the wild is predictably human. The predatory rosy wolfsnail was introduced to their native habitat in Tahiti, and quickly decimated the wild population by 2009.
Relentlessly poached for their ivory horns, the Northern white rhinoceros has been fighting for survival for decades, if not centuries. Despite the best efforts of conservation groups, poachers hunted these elegant and largely peaceful creatures down to single digits in the 2010s. In 2018, the last male northern white rhino, Sudan, died, leaving only two females left, Najin and Fatu. These two are protected by anti-poachers day and night, in the hopes that the subspecies can die with dignity.
Of course, some of the most dramatic extinction events are occurring in the world of plants. Bangladesh, a nation famous for over 150 different spectacular species of orchids, announced in 2020 that around 17% of these species had gone extinct due to deforestation and global warming.
The Spix's macaw, native to Brazil, has been extinct in the wild since 2019. While a few still exist as pets in private captivity, it is uncertain if the reintroduction of this beautiful bird back into its native habitat will be possible.
The victims of a number of tragic factors, the scimitar oryx, which once roamed in abundance across North Africa, was declared extinct in the wild in 2000. Persistent droughts, hunting, and loss of habitat have made attempts at reintroduction mostly futile.
Another former resident of Australia was the Capricorn rabbit-rat. This small rodent was thought not to have lasted for very long after the introduction of cats to the island continent, and it was declared extinct in 2016.
Truly too many species of wildlife have gone extinct due to invasive and non-native species brought over by travelers who didn't know better. This species of reed-warbler, native to the island of Guam, used to be a common sight all across the island until the introduction of new predators such as cats and mulga snakes made populations drop drastically in 1968. There hasn't been a sighting of the bird since 1969, and the Guam reed-warbler was finally labeled extinct in 2016.
A small species of finch, native to the Hawaiian island of Oahu, the O’ahu ‘akialoa was last seen in 1894. More than 100 years later, it was finally declared extinct in 2016.
The bettong is a small marsupial endemic to Oceanian that could fittingly be described as a tiny kangaroo. A subspecies of bettong, the desert bettong, hasn't been seen since 1933, and was declared officially extinct in 2016.
These amphibians were once native to the biologically diverse areas of the South American rainforests, but haven't been seen since the 1980s. While this subspecies of toad has yet to be officially declared extinct, its fate is all but sealed.
This large, verdant succulent endemic to the Oaxaca region of Mexico was last spotted in the wild in 2001. After multiple expeditions failed to find any more, the agave lurida was declared extinct in the wild in 2021.
Lake Lanao in the Philippines had a long year of loss in 2021, when 15 different species of fish endemic only to that lake were designated extinct. The causes for extinction ranged from invasive species to dynamite fishing.
Sources: (Scientific American) (Treehugger) (Green Diary)
The Po'o-uli's life in the public eye was tragically short-lived. Only discovered in 1973, they were declared extinct by 2019. Native to the Hawaiian island of Maui, most attribute their extinction to habitat destruction.
While most causes for extinction are easy to pinpoint, that's not the case for the Pyrenean ibex, once native to the rocky hills of the Spanish Pyrenees Mountains. After the last ibex, named Celia, died suddenly from a falling tree, scientists collected tissue and DNA from her body and cloned a new ibex, making the Pyrenean ibex the first species of animal to become technically "unextinct." Unfortunately, the clone was severely flawed, and lived for only seven minutes.
This unique species of fish that was once thought to be a possible evolutionary puzzle piece. The smooth handfish lived off the coasts of Tasmania and was the victim of overfishing and pollution. While not sighted since the 19th century, scientists were reluctant to declare it extinct. However, they did just that in 2020.
Commonly known as baiji, the Yangtze river dolphin was a victim of poaching, river pollution, and overfishing in the region. Last sighted in 2002, it was designated "functionally extinct" in 2006, meaning that even if baiji did still exist, there are not enough mating pairs to constitute any viable hope for the species.
Scientists have warned of the dangers and consequences of climate change, deforestation, and exploitation of our planet's natural resources for decades now. Sadly, these consequences are already becoming a reality. In addition to rising water levels and agricultural failures around the world, a huge number of species, from fish to mammals to plants, have also been disappearing. Scientists believe the Earth has already gone through five mass extinction events, and many fear that we are already in the midst of a sixth. Hundreds of species of organisms have disappeared in the 21st century alone.
Want to know what some of those lost species are? Read on to find out.
Wildlife species that have gone extinct in the 21st century
These species in nature are lost to us forever
LIFESTYLE Environment
Scientists have warned of the dangers and consequences of climate change, deforestation, and exploitation of our planet's natural resources for decades now. Sadly, these consequences are already becoming a reality. In addition to rising water levels and agricultural failures around the world, a huge number of species, from fish to mammals to plants, have also been disappearing. Scientists believe the Earth has already gone through five mass extinction events, and many fear that we are already in the midst of a sixth. Hundreds of species of organisms have disappeared in the 21st century alone.
Want to know what some of those lost species are? Read on to find out.