Hey YouTube, Jim here!
Welcome to Top 10 Archive!
The Earth is billions of years old and in
that time has hosted an unfathomable number
of species of plants and animals.
While many of them existed before we ever
did, there are entire species that have lived-—and
died—in our time here on Earth, allowing
us the opportunity to capture these incredible
creatures on camera, like these ten extinct
animals.
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10.
Kauai 'O'o
This small bird native to Hawaii was one species
of several other ‘o’o birds that preceded
it into extinction.
It was said to officially have disappeared
as late as 1987, when its distinctive flute-like
call was last heard.
It was small and rather demure in color, being
only brown or black.
The extinction of the Kauai ‘O’o is blamed
mostly on humans inhabiting the Hawaiian Islands
and damaging habitats as well as the introduction
of non-native species.
Before being declared extinct, they were extremely
rare for the duration of the 1900s and were
mostly only identified by their distinctive
call.
9.
Caribbean Monk Seal
One of the earliest sightings of this animal
was by Christopher Columbus himself, who referred
to them in his journals as “sea wolves.”
Unfortunately, as of 2008, this aquatic wonder
was confirmed extinct.
The Caribbean Monk Seal, named “monk”
for its bald head and rolls of skin around
its neck, haven’t technically been sighted
since 1952, though they did have a widespread
range in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico,
and the Atlantic Ocean.
They were known for their non-aggressive behavior,
making it that much easier to target them
for their hide, meat, and fat.
8.
Ivory Billed Woodpecker
This enormous woodpecker, the third largest
in the world at one time, was native to Central
America.
The forests it called home were destroyed,
causing their numbers to decrease drastically
into the 1800s, and by the next century, there
were only a couple left in the world.
The ivory-billed woodpecker is thought to
have officially gone extinct somewhere in
the middle of the 20th century, with the last
confirmed sighting being in 1944.
Their diet consisted mostly of beetle larvae
that they found by scraping the bark off of
trees with their huge bills.
Identification of this aerial noisemaker was
by the unique noise they made while pecking
tree trunks.
7.
Golden Toad
This beautiful amphibian hasn’t been seen
since 1989 and its extinction was first blamed
on global warming, but scientists are currently
still examining whether deforestation, pollution,
or UV radiation could have been contributing
factors.
It was a small and bright orange toad that
was native to Costa Rica and mostly feasted
on small insects.
The tiny amphibian was believed to have spent
the majority of its life underground or in
water and was, on average, only two inches
long.
6.
Baiji River Dolphin
These freshwater dolphins, native to bodies
of water along China, were already extremely
rare before they completely vanished in 2006.
They were rather small compared to other dolphin
species and had a characteristically bulbous
head and long skinny nose.
Many things contributed to their extinction,
including illegal fishing, water contamination,
and deadly collisions with boats.
There was an attempt to save their population
through conservation, but, as man is known
to do, the effort was too late.
5.
Laysan Crake
This flightless bird was indigenous to the
Hawaiian Islands until it was declared extinct
in 1944.
They were very quick on the ground and liked
to eat insects and the unprotected eggs of
other birds.
The Laysan crake, or Laysan rail, could also
be rather aggressive and defensive of its
food.
It is thought that the rabbits and guinea
pigs introduced to the island ate much of
the vegetation, causing a domino-like effect
by reducing the habitats of many of the species
the crake used as food.
4.
Tecopa Pupfish
A rather small fish native to western North
America, the pupfish had blunt heads and a
full row of teeth that were mainly used to
eat larvae and algae.
Though their coloring tended to camouflage
them from their predators, overfishing was
a small contributing factor to their extinction.
In addition to this, their native spring in
California became a popular tourist attraction,
causing an increase in industry and construction
in the area, which both limited and polluted
their homes.
While the last Pupfish was caught in 1970,
they were not officially declared extinct
until 1981.
3.
Heath Hen
Another beautiful bird that used to exist
in extremely high numbers, the heath hen was
hunted nearly into extinction in the 1800s
due to how easy they were to find and eat.
By the early 20th century, there were only
fifty birds left, but they were protected
on Martha’s Vineyard and reproduced rapidly,
bringing them nearly out of danger by 1915.
However, in the following years, a series
of disasters led to their end.
Between a fire that erased their new habitat
and illness killing what remained of their
population, the last living heath hen died
in 1932.
2.
Western Black Rhino
This large Savannah animal’s tale of extinction
is fairly shocking as its population numbered
in the millions in the early 1900s.
As the century progressed, this number decreased
to less than 110 animals by 1980, 35 by 1992,
and the trend continued until the species
was officially declared extinct in 2011.
The western black rhino was actually gray
in color and could move fairly quickly in
spite of their large size and bulky shape.
Their horns were highly prized and sold on
the black market as medicine, otherwise known
as TCM.
Despite what we've learned from history, the
Northern white rhinoceros is destined for
the same path in just a few years - as the
only 3 living animals are currently living
in captivity and aren't fertile.
1.
Tasmanian Thylacine
Perhaps one of the most unique-looking animals
on this list, the thylacine looked a bit like
a cross between a tiger and a wolf.
Native to Tasmania, as indicated by its name,
the thylacine even acted like a combination
of those two animals and shared the same carnivorous
diet.
One of the most interesting aspects of this
animal is its ability to open its jaws to
a 120° angle, which it used as a defense
when it felt threatened.
The last of its kind died in captivity in
a zoo in Tasmania in 1936, but it is unknown
what the specific cause of its extinction
was.
Some blame climate change while others point
a finger at the introduction of the dingo
to both Tasmania and mainland Australia.
