Right from various species of dinosaurs – which became extinct somewhere around 65 million years ago, to species like the Passenger pigeon, Golden toad, Baiji river dolphin, etc. – which became extinct more recently, several animals have disappeared from the planet since it came into existence. Even though we don’t understand the severity of the issue as we are not dependent on them directly, a loss of single species can come heavy on various species which are directly dependent on it. Discussed below are the details about top 10 extinct animals on the planet – with special emphasis on what were the factors which contributed to their extinction.
1.Tyrannosaurus rex
If the name Tyrannosaurus rex – often abbreviated as T. rex, doesn’t sound familiar, the hint that it’s the same dinosaur species which featured in the 1993 American film Jurassic Park will help you picture it. There is no questioning the popularity of this dinosaur species when it comes to popular culture, but as far as Tyrannosaurus rex facts are concerned – they continue to evade layman’s mind. Most of the scientific information about this species known to man is based on the fossil remains of this species. These T.rex fossils suggest that its range spanned across the present-day continent of America. One of the largest known land predators to have ever existed on the planet, T. rex boasted of a towering height of 42 ft and weighed somewhere between 6 – 7 metric tonnes.
2.Woolly Mammoth
The woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) was a species of mammoths – closely related to modern elephants, which inhabited the planet during the Pleistocene epoch. Also known as the Tundra mammoth, it is considered to be one of the most studied species of mammoth on the planet. This can be attributed to the fact that their fossils are preserved in an organic state, unlike the fossils of the other prehistoric animals which are found in stone state, in the cold regions which they inhabited. These Woolly mammoth fossils reveal several things about this species including the facts like a full-grown individual of this species attained a height of around 13 ft and weighed somewhere around 8 tonnes. This mammoth species began disappearing from its natural habitat on the continent of North America towards the end of the last ice age allegedly due to climate change, loss of habitat as a result of glacial retreat and excessive hunting by prehistoric man.
3.Dodo
The dodo (Raphus cucullatus) was a species of flightless bird which was found in abundance on the island of Mauritius at one point of time. The evolution of this species into a flightless bird can be attributed to the fact that its diet consisted of fruits and seeds – which were available in plenty on ground, and the absence of land predators in its natural habitat. The extinction of this bird was triggered when European sailors who took a stopover on this island hunted them on a large scale for meat. Being flightless bird, the dodo was an easy prey.
4.Smilodon
Also known as the Sabre-toothed cat, Smilodon was a large cat which inhabited the continent of North America and South America during the Pleistocene epoch. The species derived its name sabre-toothed cat or saber-toothed cat from their relatively long canines that resembled sabers – stout swords with a curved blade, to a great extent.Smilodon fossils suggest that the extinction of this species was a part of the mass extinction of megafauna towards the end of Pleistocene epoch.
5.Thylacine
It may come as a surprise for many but the thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) – which was also known as the Tasmanian tiger or the Tasmanian wolf, was neither a tiger nor a wolf. It was in fact a carnivorous marsupial – one of the largest to have ever existed on the Earth, native to the continent of Australia. The use of the term ‘Tasmanian’ in its name (Tasmanian tiger with reference to the stripes on its body and Tasmanian wolf as it resembled a wolf species) can be attributed to the fact that it was only found on the island of Tasmania 2,000 years ago where it continued to exist until 1930s.
6.Quagga
The quagga (Equus quagga quagga) was a species of plains’ zebra which inhabited the vast plains of the Cape Province of South Africa. This species was typically characterized by the fact that it only had stripes on the front portion of its body, which faded as they reached the midsection and then disappeared. The farmers of this region considered quagga a pest and hunted it extensively as it used to feed on the vast stretches of grass which served as the grazing ground for their cattle. At the same time, it was also hunted for its meat – which was considered to be a delicacy back then, and for its skin – which was used in leather industry.
7.Woolly Rhinoceros
The Woolly rhino (Coelodonta antiquitatis) was a species of rhino which was found in the Eurasian steppes during the Pleistocene epoch. As its name suggests, this animal was typically characterized by a thick coat which had two types of hair. Several theories about the extinction of Woolly rhino have been put forth, with hunting by the Neanderthal man being cited as one of the most prominent reasons for the same. There do exist some sources which suggest that this species – along with other Pleistocene megafauna, became extinct as it was not able to cope up with the climate change which followed the ice age.
8.Caspian Tiger
The Caspian tiger (Panthera tigris virgata) was a species of tiger which was found in Western and Central Asia until 1950s. One of the most recently extinct animals, the Caspian tiger features in the list of extinct animals in the last 100 years. The extinction of Caspian tiger is a textbook example of destruction in the name of development. Several hundreds of tigers were exterminated by the Russian authorities in the course of a land reclamation project in the beginning of the 20th century.
9.Irish Elk
The Irish Elk (Megaloceros giganteus) was a species of deer which inhabited the vast plains of Eurasia during the Late Pleistocene epoch. Even though it was named ‘Irish elk’, its habitat actually ranged across Eurasia – right from Ireland in the west to Russia in the east. The name Irish elk can be attributed to the fact that most of the skeletal remains of this species were retrieved from the bogs in Ireland. While the claim that it was the largest species of deer to have ever existed on the planet is debatable, there is absolutely no doubt about the fact that it had the largest antlers of them all.
10.Steller’s Sea Cow
The Steller’s sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) was a marine herbivorous mammal that was found in the North Pacific Ocean in abundance at one point of time. The name ‘Steller’s sea cow’ can be attributed to the fact that it was first described by the German zoologist Georg Wilhelm Steller. With an average length of 30 ft, this species was a lot larger than its closest relatives the manatee and dugong. However, this large size in itself came as a curse for this species as it was mercilessly hunted to extinction for food, as well as for their skin and subcutaneous fat. Shockingly, it was wiped off from the planet within three decades from when it was first described.
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