25 Animals We Don’t See Anymore And The Reason For Their Extinction

Over time, many animals, birds and plants have been driven to extinction. Which is something we don’t talk about enough perhaps, considering how fast it can happen. Unfortunately, it’s too late for species like the Steller’s sea cow, the Javan tiger or Carolina parakeet. Traces of these animals have not been seen for years, some of which have disappeared within our lifetime. We’ve compiled a list of the most heartbreaking losses nature has experienced and shared them in the gallery below.

#1 Thylacine – Extinct 1936

Image source: wikipedia, smiteme

The thylacine, a meat-eating pouched mammal, was once found on the Australian mainland and the islands of Tasmania and New Guinea. Also known as the Tasmanian tiger or Tasmanian wolf, this creature typically grew to be about 4 to 6 feet long. It could weigh up to 66 pounds.

#2 Quagga – Extinct 1883

Image source: Wasfi Akab, wikipedia

The quagga used to live only in South Africa but sadly disappeared in the late 1800s because of hunting. For a long time, people thought it was its own separate species, but studies now show it was actually a subspecies of the plains zebra.

#3 Steller’s Sea Cow – Extinct 1768

Image source: KKPCW, wikipedia

In 1741, Georg Wilhelm Steller documented the Steller’s sea cow, an animal that Europeans discovered living only around the Commander Islands in the Bering Sea, between Alaska and Russia. This unique sirenian, a type of marine mammal, is now extinct. Its existence was only known for a short period after Steller’s description.

#4 Tarpan – Extinct 1909

Image source: wikipedia, European Wildlife

The tarpan, a free-ranging horse that roamed the Eurasian steppe, presents a bit of a puzzle to scientists, who still debate whether it was a true wild horse, a feral descendant of domestic horses, or a hybrid. These horses lived across the steppes from the 18th up to the 20th century. The last individuals believed to be tarpans disappeared in the early 1900s, leading to their extinction.

#5 Dodo Bird – Extinct 1662

Image source: happy via, wikipedia

The island of Mauritius, located east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, was once the only home of the dodo. This bird, which could not fly, is now extinct, much like its closest relative, the similarly flightless Rodrigues solitaire. Both of these unique bird species are no longer found anywhere on Earth.

#6 Javan Tiger – Extinct 2008

Image source: wikipedia, FW Bond

The Javan tiger, a specific population known as Panthera tigris sondaica, was once commonly found on the Indonesian island of Java, particularly during the 1800s. It was one of three tiger groups that colonized the Sunda Islands many thousands of years ago, during the last glacial period. Unfortunately, due to widespread habitat loss and hunting, the Javan tiger is now extinct, with the last confirmed sightings occurring in the mid-1970s.

#7 Japanese Wolf – Extinct 1905

Image source: wikipedia, Momotarou2012

Once native only to Japan’s islands of Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū, the Japanese wolf (or Honshū wolf) was a distinct subspecies of the gray wolf. It shared the Japanese archipelago with just one other wolf type, the Hokkaido wolf. Unfortunately, this unique island wolf is now extinct, with the last confirmed individual k****d in 1905, primarily due to habitat loss and deliberate eradication efforts by humans.

#8 Carolina Parakeet – Extinct 1918

Image source: wikipedia, James St. John

The Eastern, Midwest, and Plains states of the United States were once home to the Carolina Parakeet, a small green parrot distinguished by its bright yellow head and reddish-orange face. This neotropical bird, which also had a pale beak, is now unfortunately extinct. It holds the sad distinction of being the only parrot species native to the eastern US, with its demise largely attributed to habitat loss and hunting for its colorful feathers.

#9 Caspian Tiger – Extinct 1970

Image source: wikipedia, wikipedia

The Caspian tiger, a population known as Panthera tigris tigris, once inhabited a wide expanse of Asia, from eastern Turkey and northern Iran, through Mesopotamia and Central Asia, all the way to western China’s Xinjiang region. Its territory also extended around the Caspian Sea and into northern Afghanistan, and historical records show it was present in southern Russia up until the Middle Ages. Sadly, this majestic subspecies was driven to extinction primarily due to habitat loss and hunting, with the last reliable sightings in the early 1970s.

#10 Great Auk – Extinct 1852

Image source: wikipedia, Jim, the Photographer

The Great Auk, a flightless seabird sometimes called the garefowl or penguin, vanished from Earth in the mid-19th century, having first appeared around 400,000 years ago. This bird was the only modern species within its genus, Pinguinus. Intense hunting for its meat, eggs, and feathers played a major role in its extinction.

#11 Passenger Pigeon – Extinct 1914

Image source: wikipedia, James St. John

North America once teemed with the passenger pigeon, a bird so numerous—estimated at 3 to 5 billion individuals—that its flocks could darken the sky for hours as they passed. This now-extinct species, sometimes referred to as the wild pigeon, was found only on this continent. Despite its incredible abundance, relentless hunting and widespread habitat destruction led to its complete disappearance by the early 20th century, a stark example of human impact on wildlife.

#12 Lesser Mascarene Flying Fox Or Dark Flying Fox – Extinct 1864-1873

Image source: wikipedia, citron

Once known for its unusual social roosting habits, the Lesser Mascarene Flying Fox, an extinct megabat, would gather in large groups—sometimes up to 400 individuals—within caves or ancient hollow trees on the islands of Réunion and Mauritius. This behavior was quite different from most other fruit bats, which typically prefer open tree branches. This once-abundant species, also called the Dark Flying Fox or “rougette” by early French travelers, ultimately disappeared in the 19th century, primarily due to hunting and deforestation.

#13 Pinta Island Tortoise – Extinct 2012

Image source: wikipedia, Arturo de Frias Marques

Ecuador’s Pinta Island was the exclusive home to a distinct subspecies of Galapagos tortoise, sometimes referred to as the Abingdon Island tortoise. The very last purebred individual of this line, a male famously named Lonesome George, passed away in 2015, marking the extinction of his kind. A major factor in their disappearance was the introduction of non-native species to Pinta Island, particularly goats, which overgrazed the vegetation these tortoises relied on for food.

#14 Moa – Extinct Around 1400 Ce

Image source: wikipedia, KKPCW

New Zealand was once the exclusive home to the moa, a remarkable group of flightless birds that are now extinct. Some moa species were incredibly tall, with certain individuals reaching impressive heights of up to 12 feet. These giants of the bird world were driven to extinction by the Māori people, who hunted them for food and used their bones and feathers, shortly after human settlement of the islands.

#15 Toolache Wallaby – Extinct Around 1939

Image source:  John Gould, wikipedia

Southeastern South Australia and southwestern Victoria were once the only places you could find the toolache wallaby, also known as Grey’s wallaby (Notamacropus greyi). This particular wallaby species is now extinct. Renowned for its speed and graceful movements, its population declined rapidly due to habitat conversion for agriculture and hunting, leading to its disappearance by the mid-20th century.

#16 Newfoundland Wolf – Extinct 1911

Image source: wikipedia, geographer700

A unique seasonal color variation marked the Newfoundland wolf, a now-extinct grey wolf subspecies that lived exclusively on the island of Newfoundland. Some of these wolves would turn white during autumn and early winter, while others maintained a dark, almost black, coat year-round. This distinctive animal disappeared from its island home, with the last confirmed individuals being k****d in the early 20th century, largely due to intensive hunting encouraged by bounties.

#17 Caribbean Monk Seal – Extinct 1952

Image source: getarchive, wikipedia

The Caribbean Sea was once the exclusive habitat of the Caribbean monk seal, a species also referred to as the West Indian seal or, more colorfully, the “sea wolf.” Sadly, this marine mammal is no longer found anywhere, having been driven to extinction. Overhunting by humans for their blubber, meat, and hides, along with general disturbance, are considered the primary reasons for their disappearance, with the last confirmed sighting occurring in 1952.

#18 Bramble Cay Melomys – Extinct 2015

Image source: wikipedia, henry92621

Among the roughly 20 rodent species in the Melomys genus, which thrive in wet environments across northern Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, the Bramble Cay melomys holds a sad distinction: it is now extinct. This small rodent was unique to Bramble Cay, a tiny coral island in the Torres Strait. Its disappearance, confirmed in recent years, is widely attributed to habitat loss caused by rising sea levels and storm surges, making it potentially the first mammal species driven to extinction by human-induced climate change.

#19 Megalodon – Extinct Around 3,6 Million Years Ago

Image source: wikipedia, James St. John

The massive shark commonly called Megalodon, scientifically known as Otodus megalodon, dominated Earth’s oceans from approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago. This immense predator, a type of giant mackerel shark, lived during a period spanning the Early Miocene to the Early Pliocene epochs. Growing to estimated lengths of up to 60 feet or more, it was one of the largest and most powerful carnivores to have ever existed.

#20 California Grizzly Bear – Extinct 1924

Image source: wikipedia, Vahe Martirosyan

Though it prominently features on California’s state flag, the California grizzly bear—also known by names like the California golden bear or chaparral bear—is now an extinct population of the brown bear. This powerful animal, once a symbol of the wild West Coast, vanished from the landscape in the early 20th century. The combination of extensive hunting and significant habitat loss ultimately sealed the fate of this impressive grizzly.

#21 Bluebuck – Extinct Around 1799

Image source: wikipedia, Sandstein

The bluebuck, an antelope species that once lived in South Africa, favored mountainous areas where it primarily ate grasses and herbs. This now-extinct animal stood about 2.5 feet tall at the shoulder and had notable long, curved horns. Sadly, the bluebuck disappeared around the year 1800, mainly because of overhunting and having to compete with farm animals for food. It’s often cited as the first large African mammal to be driven to extinction in historical times due to European settlement.

#22 Pyrenean Ibex – Extinct Around 2000

Image source: wikipedia, KKPCW

Native to the Iberian Peninsula and parts of southern France, the Pyrenean ibex was one of four subspecies of the Iberian wild goat. Although it officially became extinct in the year 2000, scientists made an attempt to “resurrect” the subspecies through cloning nearly a decade later in 2009. Unfortunately, the cloned individual survived for only a very short time after birth, meaning the subspecies remains extinct despite this groundbreaking effort.

#23 Barbary Lion – Extinct In The Wild By The 1960s

Image source: wikipedia, archive

From the mountains and deserts of Morocco all the way to Egypt, the Barbary lion—also known by names like the North African, Atlas, or Egyptian lion—once roamed. This distinctive population of the lion subspecies Panthera leo leo is now considered extinct in the wild. While captive individuals with Barbary lion ancestry may still exist, the wild lions of North Africa, famed for their darker manes and robust build, disappeared primarily due to habitat loss and hunting pressure by the mid-20th century.

#24 Japanese Sea Lion – Extinct 1970s

Image source: wikipedia, muzina_shanghai

The Japanese sea lion, an aquatic mammal that vanished in the 1970s, was long considered a subspecies of the California sea lion. However, by 2003, scientific understanding shifted, and it is now often recognized as its own distinct species. These marine animals were primarily found around the Sea of Japan and the coasts of Japan and Korea, with overhunting and habitat disruption being major factors in their disappearance.

#25 Aurochs – Extinct 1627

Image source: wikipedia, Michal Kopping

The aurochs, a truly massive bovine species considered the wild ancestor of our modern domestic cattle, roamed extensively across Europe, Asia, and North Africa until its extinction in the early 1600s. Bulls of this species could stand up to 180 cm tall at the shoulder and sported impressive, broad horns that could reach 80 cm in length, making them one of the largest herbivores of the Holocene. The last known aurochs is recorded to have died in Poland in 1627, marking the end of this formidable wild animal.