We have recently lost these 11 animal species

Despite the many new animal species discovered by scientists in the 21st century, many others have sadly become extinct. The actions of humans have been a major contributing factor to this loss, despite significant research and conservation efforts.

Determining the exact number of species lost is challenging, with estimates ranging from dozens to 150 every day. Regardless of the numbers, each extinction is a significant loss to the diversity of life on our planet.

11 recently extinct animals

Pinta Giant Tortoise

The giant Pinta tortoise was a species of Galapagos tortoise native to Pinta Island in the Galapagos archipelago. It was made famous by Lonesome George, the last known individual of the species, who died in 2012. The giant spotted tortoise was officially declared extinct in 2019.

Splendid Poison Frog

The splendid poison dart frog (Oophaga speciosa) was declared extinct in 2020 and last recorded in 1992.5 Researchers believe that the 1996 chytrid fungus outbreak in its range of the western Central Cordillera in Panama, near Costa Rica, led to to its extinction. Deforestation and habitat degradation in the humid lowland and montane forests where it lived had already weakened and reduced population size.

Spix's Macaw

The Spix's macaw, also known as the little blue macaw, is a species of bird in the parrot family. They are named after Johann Baptist von Spix, a German naturalist who first discovered the species in Brazil in 1819. The last known wild bird disappeared in 2000, and now the species only survives in captivity through a breeding program.

Pyrenean Ibex

The Pyrenean ibex, also known as the bucardo, was a species of wild ibex once found in the Pyrenees mountain range between France and Spain. Sadly, the Pyrenean ibex became extinct in the year 2000, making it one of the most recent documented cases of extinction caused by human activities such as hunting and habitat destruction.

Bramble Cay Melomys

The Bramble Cay Melomys, also known as the Bramble Cay mosaic-tailed rat, was a small species of rodent native to Bramble Cay, a coral island in Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The species was discovered in 1845 and was only known to exist on Bramble Cay. However, due to sea level rise and severe weather events, the Bramble Cay Melomys population declined rapidly and the species was declared extinct in 2019.

Western Black Rhino

The western black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis longipes) is a subspecies of the black rhinoceros, which is native to sub-Saharan Africa. They have been listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since 2011, and are believed to be extinct in the wild. However, due to poaching for their horns and habitat loss, their populations declined rapidly and the last confirmed sighting of a western black rhino in the wild was in Cameroon in 2006.

Moorean Viviparous Tree Snail

In 2009, the viviparous Moorea tree snail (Partula suturalis) was declared extinct in the wild, with humans causing its extinction. The chain of events leading up to this involved the introduction of the African land snail to Tahiti in 1967 as food, which then escaped and caused crop damage. \

Poo-uli

The poo-uli (Melamprosops phaeosoma), also known as the black-faced honeyeater, is endemic to the island of Maui in Hawaii and was listed as extinct in 2019.

Baiji

The baiji, also known as the Yangtze river dolphin or Chinese river dolphin, is listed as critically endangered, and some experts believe it may already be extinct. The last documented sighting of the baiji dolphin was in 2002. The decline of the species is attributed to a variety of factors including overfishing, boat traffic, habitat loss, pollution, and poaching.

Maui Akepa

The Maui akepa (Loxops ochraceus) is a critically endangered songbird native to Maui, Hawaii. The species was listed as possibly extinct in 2018, after the last confirmed sighting occurred in 1988. Like the poo-uli, the Maui akepa is also a type of honeycreeper and is considered a flagship species for conservation of the hawaiian forest birds

Alaotra Grebe

The Alaotra grebe (Tachybaptus rufolavatus), also known as Delacour's little grebe or grebe, was declared extinct in 2010, although it is believed to have been extinct years earlier. The species was endemic to the remote Lake Alaotra in Madagascar, making it difficult for scientists to confirm its extinction.

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