Animals That Went Extinct in the 20th Century

from passenger pigeons and wolves to Barbary lions and Tasmanian Tigers here are 18 animals the went extinct in the 20th century number 18 seeming early 20th century this creature was closely related to the present-day American mink and belonged to the same family that includes weasels and Wolverines until going the way of the dodo they roamed the rocky coasts of New England their large heavy build made them a target for fur traders who found them more desirable than other mink species found further inland unregulated trade eventually led to the animals extinction sometime in the early 20th century number 17 Japanese wolf 1905 it's also known as the Honshu wolf because it was endemic to that island among others in the Japanese archipelago it was a subspecies of gray wolf that was smaller than its relatives in North America and other parts of Asia the last of these animals was caught and killed in 1905 did you know these wolves had a long history of being hunted that was due to their behavior of preying on horses when rabies spread from dogs to the wolf population in the 18th century the infected animals gained a reputation as man killers as a result Japan made killing wolves and national policy after that it only took a single generation to eradicate them number 16 passenger pigeon 1914 when explorers first arrived in North America up to five billion passenger pigeons were thought to inhabit the continent an influx of settlers contributed to massive deforestation which destroyed the birds habitat and rapidly decreased their numbers their extinction was also hastened by widespread hunting after pigeon meat was commercialized as a cheap food source the final passenger pigeon in the wild was thought to have been shot in 1901 the last specimen in captivity died at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914 number 15 paradise parrot 1927 even by pirate standards the colors of this birds plumage was said to be striking the colors included aqua scarlet turquoise and black the medium-sized parrots inhabited the border area of Queensland and New South Wales in Australia although they were said to be rapid fliers the bird spent most of their time on the ground maybe that made them easier prey for introduced mammals like cats and dogs over grazing along with over hunting by bird collectors are other reasons cited for the sudden decline of this species the exact cause of their extinction has never been determined but one thing is for sure the last living specimen was documented in 1927 and no trace of them has been found since did you know this is the only Australian parrot recorded as vanishing and going extinct number 14 barley tiger 1938 this population was found only on the Indonesian island of Bali and was last documented in the wild in 1938 but it's possible that some individuals managed to survive into the 1950s it was first described in 1912 and is regarded as a smaller subspecies of tigers males could weigh up to 220 pounds 100 kilograms and measured about 91 inches that's 230 centimetres from head to tip of the tail that would have made them about the size of a leopard or cougar experts say their habitats included mangrove forests and savannas where they mainly preyed on large deer the cats were aggressively hunted by Dutch colonizers and locals who perceived the animals as threats these animals were thought to be related to Java and tigers which were also found in Indonesia and a thought to have gone extinct about the same time number 13 Cape Verde Giants kink 1940 skinks a lizards that occur in a wide variety of terrains from grasslands to mountains and deserts there are more than 1500 known species but this is no longer one of them it was found in the Cape Verde Islands in the Atlantic Ocean with a body length measuring about 13 inches 32 centimeters and a tail equally long it was considerably larger than the average skank they disappeared in the wild in 1940 experts say that factors including prolonged drought and over hunting led to their extinction number 12 Xerxes blue early 1940s these colourful butterflies were found flying about the coastal sand dunes of the San Francisco Peninsula it was last seen at the Golden Gate recreational center in either 1941 on 1943 depending on the source cited experts say that these critters fell prey to an invasive ant species that arrived on vehicles from the east that along with urban development destroying their habitats contributed to their extinction number 11 Caribbean monk seal 1952 the last documented sighting of this marine mammal occurred in the early 1950s they had been hunted aggressively for their meat fur and oil for ages European explorers started that tradition in the late 15th century and it was carried on by commercial fishermen and whalers in addition to being over hunted the animals suffered from destruction of their traditional habitats locations in the Caribbean Sea and in the Gulf of Mexico were altered by fishing operations and coastal development and that accelerated their extinction by 1952 number 10 the thick tail chub 1957 at one time these were among the most common fish in California these minnow like critters were abundant in lakes ponds and back waters of the state's Central Valley before being heavily exploited by commercial fishermen the thick tail chub was a staple food of native Indian peoples of the region the heavy bodied fish could measure 10 inches long 25 centimeters and had a common name inspired by their start tails experts attribute their disappearance to habitat destruction as the Central Valley was converted for agricultural purposes the last known specimen was caught in 1957 number 9 lessor bill B 1960s this marsupial from Australia had cute looks that hid an aggressive nature living in the deserts it resembled a juvenile rabbit with its long ears and a tail almost as long as its body but it had a nasty reputation for hissing and snapping at anyone who tried to handle it like its surviving relatives this was a strictly nocturnal animal that fed on insects roots and seeds sometimes they even fed on rodents introduced to its habitat even though they were discovered in the late 19th century very little info was ever collected on their range and distribution and they were rarely encountered introduced foreign predators like cats and foxes were a big reason for their extinction by the 1960s number eight Barbary lion mid-1960s these subspecies of lion had a reported weight that exceeded 600 pounds or 300 kilograms measuring more than nine feet two point seven meters from head to tail some sources regarded this beast as the largest lion in the wild they were found in several range countries of the Atlas Mountains in northwestern Africa that included Morocco Algeria and the Barbary Coast it speculated that colder mountain temperatures may have caused some specimens to grow unusually long Mane's the last known Barbary lion was reportedly shot and killed in 1942 locals claimed to see small populations of them into the mid 1960s which is often regarded as the time they would have gone extinct in the wild number 7 Mexican grizzly bear 1964 as the common name suggests these animals were found in Mexico around the northern grasslands and pine forests there were a species of brown path that weighed about 700 pounds 318 kilograms and measured about 6 feet long 1.8 meters while smaller than its grizzly cousins in the US and Canada it's still ranked as one of Mexico's largest and heaviest animals Spanish conquistadors encountered the Beast in the 16th century while the conquistadors apparently left the bears alone farmers did not they regarded the animals as pests that killed their cattle that led to the Grizzlies being shot poisoned and trapped by 1930 less than three dozen individuals remained by 1964 the species was declared extinct number six Tecopa pupfish 1970 a fish living in the desert sounds kind of like an oxymoron but the late Tecopa pupfish called the mojave desert its home it was endemic to a pair of hot springs there and the critter was heat tolerant enough to thrive in water temperatures up to 108 degrees Fahrenheit 42 degrees Celsius or greater but the hot springs became such a popular attraction that bath houses were constructed and the hot springs were diverted the disruption of their habitats along with the introduction of foreign species led to their extinction the last confirmed specimens were documented in nineteen seventy number five Round Island borrowing VAWA 1975 this reptile was endemic to the same island nation as the long extinct dodo that's Mauritius located in the Indian Ocean it was a smaller snake that measured less than three and a half feet long one meter and was non-venomous experts say it lived in hardwood forests and had a very limited range of about 370 acres or one and a half square kilometres it occurred on various islands but survived the longest on round island the last sighting of the snake was documented in 1975 number four the coop Ray 1983 most sources consider this animal to be extinct because the last confirmed sightings happened in 1983 weighing more than 2,000 pounds that's 910 kilograms and standing more than six feet high 1.9 meters of the shoulder that seemed difficult to miss these lesser-known wild bovines were found in the forests of Southeast Asia and are related to the massive gua subsequent surveys to locate any remaining individuals have failed and none are known to exist in captivity habitat loss and over hunting for their meat and horns are factors in their decline number 3 gastric brooding frog mid-1980s his frog from eastern Australia was unique for its bizarre method of breeding it was one of only two species known where the offspring were incubated in the mother's stomach after the male's externally fertilized the eggs the female swallowed them the tadpoles developed in the mother's belly during which time she wouldn't eat at maturation the hatchlings were occur jeté 'td over the course of several days both species of this animal were thought to have gone extinct sometime in the mid 1980s number two golden toad 1989 most sources agree that as a group amphibians might be the world's most endangered animals they're especially vulnerable to human predation fungal diseases and habitat destruction that ties in with the golden toad because it became the de facto poster child for the amphibian decline first discovered in 1964 it was endemic to a small region of cloud forest in Costa Rica between the time of its discovery and its disappearance the toad was depicted on posters promoting the country's biodiversity the last reported sighting of a single male specimen occurred in 1989 and was later officially declared extinct number one the Tasmanian Tiger 1936 will break with our mostly chronological order for the number one position that's because thylacine or the Tasmanian tiger is probably the best known name on the list despite being called a tiger it wasn't related to any species of cat the nickname was a reference to the dark stripes on the animal's lower back the critter weighed about 70 pounds 32 kilograms and measured more than 6 feet long 1.9 meters that made it one of the largest carnivorous marsupials known to date in addition to Tasmania thylacine also occurred on the Australian mainland and in New Guinea their extinction has been linked to several factors including disease habitat destruction and bounty hunting the last known specimen died at Tasmania's Hobart Zoo in 1936 even Sawyer unverified reports of thylacine sightings have persisted into the 21st century did the marsupials somehow survive tell us what you think in the comments below and while you're down there don't forget to hit that big red subscribe button and click the bell for notifications for our next exciting episode right here on epic wildlife

Channel: Epic Wildlife

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Keywords: extinction, extinct animals, extinct, animals, tiger, endangered, wildlife, species, endangered species, hunting, 20th century, zoo, elephant, thylacine, rare, tasmanian, quagga, creatures, tasmanian tiger, didn't know, barbary lion, went extinct, extinct species, won't believe, aniamls that went extinct

Id: lYjrH3M6x10

Length: 12min 32sec (752 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 04 2019