Extinction is a natural part of Earth’s history, but in the past century and a half, human activity has accelerated the loss of many unique species.
From overhunting to habitat destruction and invasive species, the causes are often linked to human expansion and environmental change.
This article is for general knowledge only and is based on information from online sources. Conservation statuses may change as new discoveries are made. The images in this article are for illustrative purposes only.
1. Thylacine
Resembling a wolf with tiger stripes across its back, the thylacine was actually a marsupial with a pouch like kangaroos. Tasmanian settlers, believing these predators threatened livestock, hunted them relentlessly with government bounties.
Benjamin, the last known thylacine, died from neglect at Hobart Zoo on September 7, 1936. Recent claims of sightings continue, though scientific evidence remains elusive.
2. Great Auk
Standing nearly three feet tall with tuxedo-like plumage, the flightless Great Auk once populated rocky islands across the North Atlantic. Sailors prized these birds for meat, eggs, and feathers, making them increasingly valuable as numbers dwindled.
The final pair met a tragic end in 1844 when collectors killed them on an Icelandic island. Museums worldwide now display their preserved remains, silent reminders of human greed.
3. Lonesome George
For decades, George lived as the last of his kind, a survivor from a unique Galápagos tortoise subspecies. Sailors and settlers had hunted his relatives for food and introduced goats that destroyed their habitat.
Conservation efforts included finding George a mate from similar subspecies, but these attempts failed. His death in 2012, at roughly 100 years old, marked the end of a lineage that had evolved over millions of years.
4. Pyrenean Ibex
Mountain hunters prized these wild goats for their magnificent curved horns, pushing them toward extinction. By the 1990s, only a single female named Celia remained, wandering alone through Spain’s Pyrenees Mountains.
After Celia died in 2000, scientists attempted something unprecedented, cloning her cells created a clone that survived briefly after birth in 2009. This marked the first (temporary) de-extinction of a species in history.
5. Western Black Rhinoceros
Distinguished by their two horns and prehensile upper lip, western black rhinos once roamed Central African savannas in thousands. Tragically, their horns became valued in traditional medicine, despite being made of keratin, the same material as human fingernails.
Poaching intensified in the 1970s and 1980s. Despite protection efforts, no sightings occurred after 2006, leading the IUCN to declare them extinct in 2011, erasing millions of years of evolution.
