In more modern times causes of extinction have been dominated by the activities of humans; habitat destruction (due to agricultural land conversion, deforestation or urbanisation), increased human population, pollution, global warming, overhunting/fishing, poaching or the introduction of alien species to an environment.
Here we have listed 10 animals that are now extinct, find out the reasons why.
1.THE WEST AFRICAN BLACK RHINOCEROS.
The West African Black Rhinoceros is a sub-species of the Black Rhinoceros which was found in several countries towards the southeast region of Africa. Measuring 3-3.8 meters long and 1.4-1.7 meters in height this rhino would have weighed 800-1,300 kg. It had two horns, one measuring 0.5-1.3 meters and the other between 2-55 Cm. Their diet included leafy plants and shoots.
The last West African Black Rhino was seen in Cameroon in 2006. It was declared officially extinct in 2011.
2. PYRENEAN IBEX.
One of four subspecies of the Spanish Ibex or Iberian Goat that was found in the Iberian Peninsula.
The Ibex would grow to a height of 60-76cm at the shoulder and weigh 24-80 kg and fed mainly on grasses and herbs.
The last Pyrenean Ibex was found dead in northern Spain in the year 2000, killed by a falling tree.
3.TASMANIAN TIGER.
The Tasmanian tiger, or Thylacine, native to Australia, was a remarkable animal that was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. The animals went extinct as recently as the 1930s, mostly due to the relentless efforts of bounty hunters.
The thylacine had become extremely rare or extinct on the Australian mainland before British settlement of the continent, but it survived on the island of Tasmania along with several other endemic species, including the Tasmanian Devil. Intensive hunting encouraged by bounties is generally blamed for its extinction, but other contributing factors may have been disease, the introduction of dogs, and human encroachment into its habitat.
4.DODO.
The dodo (Raphus cucullatus) is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to the island of Mauritius, east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. Its closest genetic relative was the also extinct Rodrigues solitaire, the two forming the subfamily Raphinae of the family of pigeons and doves. The closest living relative of the dodo is the Nicobar pigeon. A white dodo was once thought to have existed on the nearby island of Réunion, but this is now thought to have been confusion based on the Réunion ibis and paintings of white dodos.
5.GREAT AUK.
A large and flightless bird that was found in the North Atlantic and as far south as northern Spain.
The last colony of Auks lived on the island of Eldey, southwest of Iceland, in 1835 - they were killed for their skins. A large storm arose and believing that the auk was a witch and caused the storm, they killed it.The Great Auk was flightless but was a powerful swimmer which aided hunting in the water.
6.SABER-TOOTHED CAT.
Sabre-tooth Cats were carnivores named for the elongated blade like canine teeth in their upper jaw, which in some species were up to 50 cm long. Quite bear-like in build, they were believed to be excellent hunters and hunted animals such as sloths and mammoths. Being specialized at hunting large prey they may have been unable to adapt. Other explanations include climate change and competition with humans.Often called Sabre-toothed Tigers or Sabre-toothed Lions they existed 55 million to 11,700 years ago.
7. BAIJI WHITE DOLPHIN.
Also called the Chinese River Dolphin, found only in the Yangtze River in China.With tiny eyes and a long thin rostrum, the Baiji had very poor eyesight and relied on echolocation to navigate and hunt for prey.The Baiji could grow to eight feet long and weigh up to a quarter of a ton. Although not officially recorded as extinct, no one has seen a Yangtze River Dolphin since 2002.
8. STELLERS SEA COW.
Stellers Sea Cow was a large herbivorous mammal that had a seal-like appearance with a tail which resembled that of a whale.It is believed that Stellers Sea Cow which grew to at least 8-9 metres and weighed around 8-10 tons, inhabited the Near Islands, southwest of Alaska and the Commander Islands in the Bering Sea.Named after George Steller, a naturalist who discovered the creature in 1741.
9.PASSENGER PIGEON.
Native to North America and once the most abundant birds in the world, the Passenger or Wild Pigeon has been extinct since the early 20th century. It is estimated 3 to 5 billion Passenger Pigeons were in the US when Europeans arrived in North America, but their settlement led to mass deforestation resulting in habitat loss and a reduction in the bird numbers.
10. WOOLLY MAMMOTH.
The woolly mammoth is a species of mammoth that lived during the Pleistocene epoch, and was one of the last in a line of mammoth species, beginning with Mammuthus subplanifrons in the early Pliocene.
An enormous mammal, believed to be closely related to the modern-day elephant. Its ancestors migrated out of Africa about 3.5 million years ago, spreading across northern Eurasia and North America; it is thought the Woolly Mammoth first appeared more than 400,000 years ago. The last of the isolated woolly mammoth populations is believed to have vanished from Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean around 1700 BC.
0 comments:
Post a Comment