#1
Quagga
Like a mix between the zebra and horse, the quagga was striped in the
front half of its body (with brown and white) and solid brown in its
backside with some white. It was the first extinct animal to have its
DNA analyzed in 1984, and it was found that it was more closely related
to the zebra than the horse. Because they were so easy to find, they
were hunted for their meat and skins. They were also shipped from South
Africa to Europe for the zoos often.
#2
Baiji
The baiji is a freshwater dolphin, found only in the Yangtze River in
China. As a result of industrialization, heavy fishing, river
transportation and hydroelectricity, the population of these sea
creatures declined dramatically. It’s quite sad that they aren’t around
anymore. Common dolphins are cute enough, but these have a little bit
more charm to them with their pointed mouths.
#3
Laughing Owl
The laughing owl was once abundant in New Zealand, and has been known
for their peculiar noises. Many describe their call as loud and “made up
of a series of dismal shrieks frequently repeated”. Not sure if this
would have been nice or ridiculously scary if you were to be in the
woods by yourself, but we guess we’ll never really know now.
#4
Rocky Mountain Locust
The rocky mountain locust used to range through the western half of the
United States and Canada. How did such a swarm of insects that was once
so abundant die out? Scientists believe that the plowing and irrigation
of settlers disrupted their natural life cycle, killing off their eggs.
Another example of how humans have affected the lives of many species.
In some way, we suppose it's fortunate for us, as they are no longer
around to affect the state of crops.
#5
Dodo
Penguins and emus aren’t the only birds that can’t fly. The dodo was a
chubby little thing, standing up to 3 feet tall, that once walked on an
island called Mauritius in the Indian Ocean until the late 17th century.
Scientists believe that it is flightless because it had an abundance of
food on the island and didn’t have many predators… until sailors came
upon the island. As a result of hunting, usage of their natural habitat,
and the introduction of pigs, dogs, and other invasive species, the
bird eventually died out.
#6
Pyrenean Ibex
The pyrenean ibex is a wild goat that was last seen in 2000 when a tree
fell on it. The female was often mistaken for a deer because its fur was
brown throughout the summer, and the males had large thick horns that
curved outwards and backwards, and then outwards and downwards. Although
it is technically extinct, scientists were able to successfully implant
its DNA into a coat. Alas, it was alive!… for seven minutes.
#7
Woolly Mammoth
Many of us know about the woolly mammoth from the movie, Ice Age.
Because they were frozen in Siberia and Alaska, scientists were able to
study them extensively. What once coexisted with humans (as the movie
would lead us to believe), they disappeared due to climate change,
habitat changes, and hunting since their tusks were valued for the
ivory.
#8
Great Auk
The great auk was about 3 feet tall, and is similar to the penguin. It
was pretty large and lived in the Northern Hemisphere off the coast of
northern Europe and northeastern North America. The stories of how they
died are a bit strange. In Scotland, the last known one was executed
because villages believed it was a witch. Others were hunted as food and
bait in Iceland, where fisherman not only killed off a mama and papa,
but also crushed their remaining egg.
#9
Saber-toothed Cat
Another animal made famous from the movie, Ice Age, the saber-toothed
cat is known for its teeth which extended down past its mouth and curved
towards its body. It is believed that they pounced on victims, sunk
their teeth in, and left it to flop around until it eventually bled to
death.
#10
Giant Ground Sloths
Ground sloths (which is actually used to describe several very gigantic
sloths) could be as large as 20 feet an weigh up to four tons. More like
an elephant than the cute cuddly sloths we see today. It’s believed
that they were hunted to death considering how much meat they would’ve
had on them, no one is really sure as to how this species became
extinct.
