When we think about extinction, we take it as a very long process or something that happened a lot earlier. This might bring you to surprise that, since 1900, nearly 500 species of animal have gone extinct. It undoubtedly is a huge number in such a short period of time. Furthermore, a study says that 558 Mammal Species Might Become Extinct By 2100 if appropriate conservation efforts are not adopted.
It breaks my heart to say that we humans play a major role in driving the extinction of all kinds of species. We are living in a world where we no more can see beautiful creatures like Xerces Blue or Layson Rail. Here I bring you the list of animals that went extinct in only the last 100 years.
Silicon Wolf
The silicon wolf was the subspecies of the gray wolf which was endemic to the largest island Sicily. These wolves went extinct due to human persecution. The exact date of their extinction is not known. However, it could be around 1920. In addition to human persecution, these wolves ran out of wild food to eat during an environmental crisis on the island.
Paradise Parrot
Formerly witnessed in eastern Australia. This beautiful bird has not been seen ever since 1928. According to the report of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, this creature went extinct mainly due to drought, overgrazing of farm animals, and people cutting down eucalyptus trees.
St. Helena Darter
Dragonflies have always intrigued me. St. Helena Darter is one of the species of dragonfly found only on the volcanic island of St. Helena. Sadly, it was last seen only in 1963. The reason behind its extinction was due to severe habitat destruction and the introduction of new invasive species. Even though we can’t witness this beauty in real life, there are several stamps made on this dragonfly.
Tasmanian Tiger
The main reason behind the extinction of these tigers was due to aggressive hunting by the European colonists. They thought they might prey on their sheep. In the wake of that, they hunted and killed to reduce their numbers. In later years, Tasmanian Tigers became even rarer. The last ever individual died in Hobart Zoo in 1936.
Xerces Blue
These are the first American butterflies that went extinct due to the expanding cities. They were last seen in 1940. The coastal sand dunes of the San Francisco Peninsula were home to this beautiful eye-catching creature.
Guam Flying Fox
Guam Flying Fox is a species of bats. It is also known as the little Marianas fruit bat. It was confirmed to be extinct due to hunting, habitat changes, and again the introduction of invasive species. Falling under the species of bats, they had their own unique features. It has never been seen again since 1970.
Well, the list goes very long. Acknowledging the fact that animals are extinct at an unimaginable rate. We should understand that by driving species to extinction, we are putting our own survival in danger.
Also Read: 10 Weird Animals You’ve Probably Never Even Heard of
