These animals have gone extinct since the start of the 21st century.
The Baiji Dolphin
Functionally extinct by 2006.
Scientific name: Lipotes vexillifer
Functionally extinct by 2006. Scientific name: Lipotes vexillifer
An expedition organized by The Baiji Foundation in late 2006 sought evidence that Baiji white dolphins still existed in their only habitat, the Yangtze river in China. Scientists from six nations on two research vessels travelled for almost 3500 kilometres to the Yangtze Delta, and then retraced their route. They were equipped with sophisticated optical instruments and underwater microphones, but were unable to detect any surviving dolphins. The Foundation published a report on the expedition and declared the species functionally extinct. What does functionally extinct mean? It means too few potential breeding pairs remain to ensure that the species will survive.
West African Black Rhino
Possibly extinct by 2006.
Scientific name: Diceros bicornis longipes.
In 2006, intensive surveys were conducted to locate any surviving West African black rhinos in their last refuges in northern Cameroon. After 48 field missions, no signs were found of their continued presence, although evidence of earlier poaching remained. The IUCN issued a news release in which the chairman of the African Rhino Specialist Group stated: “As a result this subspecies has been tentatively declared as extinct.”
Declared extinct in 2004.
Scientific name: Bufo periglenes.
The Golden Toad
Declared extinct in 2004. Scientific name: Bufo periglenes.
The Golden Toad is sometimes referred to as the Monteverde Toad or the Orange Toad. It was only known to exist on a high altitude ridge in Monteverde, Costa Rica. The IUCN database entry states: “In 1989, a single male was found, this was the last record of the species. Extensive searches since that time have failed to produce any more records.” Its demise is attributed to a combination of factors, including airborne pollution and, due to its restricted range, global warming.
Extinct in the wild by 2004.
Scientific name: Cyanopsitta spixii.
Spix’s Macaw
Extinct in the wild by 2004. Scientific name: Cyanopsitta spixii.
This species of Macaw was native to Brazil. The IUCN database entry says the last known individual in the wild disappeared at the end of 2000, and that the species may well have gone extinct, primarily through trapping for trade and from habitat loss. “Any remaining population is likely to be tiny, and for these reasons it is treated as Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct in the Wild).”
Po’o-uli
Functionally extinct by 2004.
Scientific name: Melamposops phaeosoma.
The Po’o-uli, sometimes referred to as the Black-faced Honeycreeper, was first discovered in 1973 on the north-eastern slopes of Haleakala on the Hawaiian island of Maui. By mid-1997, only three individuals could be found. The IUCN database entry states: “A few unlocated individuals may exist in the wild, but the current wild population is functionally zero since the three known birds occur in separate, non-overlapping home ranges and no breeding is probable without intervention.”
Declared extinct in 2004.
Scientific name: Myadestes myadestinus.
Kama’o
Declared extinct in 2004. Scientific name: Myadestes myadestinus.
The Kama’o was the larger variety of thrush on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i (the smaller variety, Myadestes palmeri, is Critically Endangered). No sightings of this bird have been recorded since 1989, despite numerous intensive surveys.
Extinct in the wild by 2004.
Scientific name: Corvus hawaiiensis.
Hawaiian Crow
Extinct in the wild by 2004. Scientific name: Corvus hawaiiensis.
The last Hawaiian crows were found only in the Kona Forest Unit of the Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge in Hawaii. The IUCN database entry states: “The last two known wild individuals of this species disappeared in 2002, so the species is now classified as Extinct in the Wild.”
Pyrenean Ibex
Declared extinct in 2000.
Scientific name: Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica.
Scientific name: Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica.
The Pyrenean Ibex was one of four subspecies of Spanish Ibex. The last known sighting of a Portuguese Ibex was in 1892, and the last Pyrenean Ibex died in January 2000. The two remaining subspecies, the Gredos Ibex and the Beceite Ibex, are classified as ‘Near Threatened,’ but there is a flourishing tourist industry which continues to organize hunting safaris to shoot and kill these animals.
The descriptions are derived from the database maintained by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and from press releases. PIants and inverterbrates which became extinct haven’t been included.
{ 35 comments… read them below or add one }
Arent we great
Not all of it is us… A good portion, yes. But all species, including our own are subject to extinction. Its whether that species has the survival instincts necessary to cope with a changing environment.
Yes, a changing environment brought on by humankind.
not necessarily. but almost certainly.
Rather than anecdotal evidence of single species, what would be of more use is a timeline showing average number of species extinct per year; or maybe an estimate of the total number of species.
As Ryan said, species have been dying off for longer than we have been around, but if the speed of extinction has increased then we need to address it.
oh the humanity, we will never get the wooly mammoth back!
Current rates of extinction are 100x greater than background (i.e., natural) rates of extinction.
You know without these animals…..there is less Methane gas being produced and this is really slowing global warming. So really its kind of a win
The ignorance of some of these posts is astounding.
If you think this is abhorent then get off the internet. YOU’RE contributing nothing by being all pious on the comments section of a blog.
Why do you sanctomonious halfwits always refer to the human race as if you’re not members? We’re all greedy, we all want more for ourselves at the cost of the environment. Either deal with it or give up the luxuries you’ve never been without.
Everyone has great comments, but what do we do about it. Action is needed. This is a start but people put their comments down and then go on to the next web site. I’m not saying I know what to do but this website should have given us something someway we could help.
Yes animals will go estinct. but we are doing an awful lot to make it happen faster!
To the person who wrote that current rates are 100x those of the past, one word: sources. Oh and also, as we have nowhere near cataloged every organism that EVER EXISTED, it is near impossible to compare extinction rates.
While human impact may be to blame for even an increase in extinction, animals went extinct before we were here and will go extinct long after we are gone. Humans may even in the long run prevent the extinction of some animals, like wolves in the north or polar bears, by our efforts to rejuvenate populations and by breeding in captivity.
U know…..we really shouldnt eat the bald eagle. Its representative of our Country. What about the bear…Thats representative of Russia so that woudl be OK. Oh and it also represents wall street. We should get the bulls to. They represent wallstreet as well and they produce more methane then any thing ands cows are more harmful to the environment then cars. So if we become vegetarian and kill off the cows aren’t we all better off?????
If you follow the logic of the right wing fascists why don’t we just kill all autistic, retarded, deaf, and blind people.
I hope you all realize that humans are animals just like the creatures on this list. We like to be all high an mighty, but in the end we are no better or worse than a salmon. We are a part of nature no matter how much your two story house, flush toilet, and blog tells you we aren’t.
Mans greed and arrogance far outweighs his supposed called intelligence.
well in the end its not going to just be the animals that become extinct, if we abuse the environment anymore we’re going to be responsible for our own extinction too.
“To the person who wrote that current rates are 100x those of the past, one word: sources. “
I am not that person but i thought I’d add some sourced figures.
EO Wilson (Professor of Entomology at Harvard) calculates an extinction rate in tropical rainforests between 1,000 and 10,000 times above background extinction rates (The Diversity of Life, pg.268, Harvard University press 1992).
I know thats just tropical rainforests, but that is where most of earths diversity is.
We are horrible these animals are sweet, kind, and inoccent but, we KILLED them. God should just kill us all.
no way you can say this is completely natural. for the barbary lion to die as well as bali tigers ect. ect.. these beautiful and amazingly fittest animals to become extinct because of our expansion and desire. all from excess, 5% maybe for need and 95% want.
the 20th century as well as the 21st and coming is the absolute worst time to be in existence due to pollution and advances in warfare.
this is bullshit i cant relate to society and the ways of hollywood, wealth, and things material that mean completely nothing in reality.
only when tainted minds believe what tv’s and congress/actors/actresses tell us they do.
instinct tell us what is right and we stray so far from the notion it no longer is there… yet it is? we should nurture our young feed and sleep.
yet we support the industries whom segregate us… giving hand and foot labor for their “luxuries?”.
i cannot relate my friends and to see such beautiful animals never to be seen again become extinct in our century is shame and disgrace to us.
though nature itself is death this is not natural and though we are shadowed by our own strife, we are killing ourselves as well. our future generations dead for the production of coal energy to supply our blogging and misuse of education… death is nature but its murder and a kind of euthanizing stab when it comes from greed, and not a playful greed which cubs and joeys have but a dominating, dreaming greed only to come from us.
yes great timing Buffulo is great i could eat it up all day every day of the year take that you animal people but nah we should protect species to endangerment only so we can still eat them.
I think that some of these extinctions and a lot of other extinctions are a mix of both human and natural intervention.
The case of the extinction of the Pyrenean Ibex is a good example of this. This post reports that the Pyrenean Ibex became extinct from excessive hunting. The post also reports that there were other species of ibex in that location.
I conclude that even though the Pyrenean Ibex became extinct because of human hunting the extinction was still a process of natural selection.
If a hunter were to try to pursue and shoot down an ibex in a group, the species or certain ibex with the best adaptations would escape leaving the other species to be killed.
In this case the addition of humans to the environment of the ibex ensured that the 'fittest' species of ibex survived to pass on their beneficial adaptations to the next generation.
Still, if humans go too far and kill unsustainable amounts of Spanish ibex the animal will become extinct in that environment.
Well, soon it's going be the point where cats and dogs become our chicken and steak, and all the trees are gone, no more forests or beautiful sights to see.Because honestly us humans, not all but most, won't care about the enviroment. Look at many cities, trashed already. Litter everywhere, flooding our rivers and oceans. What possibility is there this earth will remain green? a slim chance it will. It's sad how so many animals perish away, but that's life. No point in arguing about it.
all hunters should be gutted and left to the wolves. hunters are nothing but poachers. some loser hunter will try to defend it's right to do so but these lives are no yours or anyone's. hunters aka poachers when the "season" closes should just die.
how could we do this to all these poor animals. we are so horrible!
aye person against hunters..STFU! this is a sport! poachers dont have tags and live in boxes(kinda). hunters have been to hunting classes, gun classes, spent $100s of dollars getting tags, and have whole guidebooks.
THANK YOU PHENOMICA.
why isn't there any scientist getting DNA samples from these endangered animals so they can be brought back when the time is right.they should at least be getting sperm & ova & freezing it.
Sad
Really sad
So very sad. People are so cruel.
yes they are!!
People need to stop, I say lets put these hunters in the wild and chase them around with guns and see how they like it.
Very sad we only have so many animals but were not doin everything to protect them.
It makes me sad and dissapointed that these beautiful creatures no longer exist.i wonder if this generation of yong people would have let it happen.