Category: Recently Extinct

Japanese Sea Lion

The Japanese Sea Lion is a now extinct species of sea lion that was native to the sea of Japan, it is believed to have become extinct sometime during the 1950’s. The Japanese Sea Lion inhabited a fairly wide range covering most of the sea of Japan and the Korean Peninsula. Even today it is

Baiji

The Baiji is a now extinct species of river dolphin that lived exclusively in the Yangtze River in China. The Baiji or Goddess of the Yangtze was known by a number of different names such as Yangtze Dolphin, Chinese River Dolphin, Whitefin Dolphin and the Yangtze River Dolphin. Although the Baiji is currently believed to

Pig-footed Bandicoot

The Pig-footed Bandicoot was a small marsupial around the size of a small cat that was found in Australia. Currently the Pig-footed Bandicoot is classed as extinct however recent studies in 2007 led many a researcher to believe there may still be a small population that is currently unknown to mankind. Its safe to say

Moa-nalo

The Moa-nalo were a species of ducks that were similar physically to geese and native to the larger of the Hawaiian Islands in the pacific. These large herbivorous ducks, although native to the Hawaiian Islands did not inhabit Hawaii itself are they are believed to have been the main herbivores of the Hawaiian Islands before

Norfolk Island Kākā

An extinct species of parrot and close relative of New Zealand’s Kākā, the Norfolk Island Kākā was a large species of parrot that inhabited the rocky treetops of Norfolk Island and Phillip Island. Said to grow to around 40cm in length these large parrots are still relatively unknown however they were reported to inhabit both

Bluebuck

The Bluebuck is an extinct species of ‘blue’ antelope that was first encountered by European settlers back in the 17th century on the south west coast of Africa. It is believed that the species was in decline prior to the arrival of Europeans who relentlessly hunted the Bluebuck and turned its habitat into farmland. The

Aepyornis

The Aepyornis or otherwise known as the the ‘elephant bird’ is a species of giant flightless bird that is believed to have become extinct around the 17th century. The Aepyornis was the largest species of bird in the world and was exclusive to Madagascar. Weighing at at around half a ton the Aepyornis was massive

Caspian Tiger

The Caspian tiger is also known as the Persian tiger and was known to be a beautiful animal, thought it is thought to have become extinct by the late 1950s. There have been several supposed sightings of the tiger since then, but nothing has been proved, which means that the species is truly extinct or

Tasmanian Tiger

Thylacine is the real name for Tasmanian tiger. It was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. It is believed to have become extinct in the 20th century. Its dwelling is in Australia and New Guinea. Thylacine is the actual for the tiger, though; Tasmanian is the name which is more commonly used. Although

Newfoundland Wolf

The Newfoundland was a subspecies of the grey wolf, which is a predator with whom the cattlemen and ranchers still take issue today. The Newfoundland wolf lived on the island of Newfoundland which is off the east coast of Canada. The Newfoundland wolf was a large wolf which was said to be white, with a

Cave Bear

Was a species of bear which was related to the brown bear or grizzly bear of modern times. It lived and ranged in Europe and went extinct about the end of the ice age, which ended about 20 thousand years ago. Fossils of the bear were found primarily in caves, which is where the bear

Passenger Pigeon

The Passenger Pigeon, which numbered once in the tens of billions, lived in North America east of the Rocky Mountains. Their flocks, a mile wide and up to 300 miles long, were so dense that they covered the entire sky for hours as the flock passed overhead. Population estimates from the 19th century ranged from

Dire Wolf

The Dire Wolf is an extinct North American species of wolf which was a great deal larger than our wolves of present day. For about 100,000 years it lived alongside its cousins, the Gray Wolves, although they are not directly linked. The Dire Wolf was much larger than the Gray Wolf, and in fact was

Steller’s Sea Cow

Steller’s Sea Cow was a mammal which ate vegetation and adapted to living entirely in the water. Could an animal that supposedly went extinct in 1768 still be in the waters of the Pacific? Discovered by a naturalist, Georg Steller while exploring with Vitus Bering to a sea that is now named after him. The

British Wolf

At one time wolves were very common throughout Great Britain. Just a mere two thousand years ago, they were said to have numbered nearly ten thousand and to live in mainland Britain. There is a great deal of evidence to back up this claim, including the naming of many children after the wolf, and tribal