Six Interesting Animals That have Gone Extinct in Recent Time

A lot of amazing creatures have gone extinct, if only we could clone their DNA and bring them back to life, we would be amazed at the creatures the earth had before us.

These are some of the animals that have gone extinct in recent times.

The Tasmanian Tiger

The Tasmanian tiger, which was the largest carnivorous marsupial of modern times, went extinct in the 20th century. This timid creature was one of only two known marsupials to possess a pouch in both males and females, the other being the water opossum.

The species was indigenous to Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea.

The Tasmanian tiger population on the Australian mainland had dwindled almost 2,000 years ago, possibly due to the introduction of dingoes or alterations in the climate. However, before European colonization, there were still approximately 5,000Tasmanian tigers living in the wild on Tasmania.

In the 19th century, farmers considered them a menace to their livestock and began offering bounties for their capture. Sadly, the last known Tasmanian tiger perished in 1936 at Hobart Zoo in Tasmania.

Caucasian Wisent

The Caucasian wisent, also known as dombay, was a variety of European bison that lived in the Caucasus Mountains of Eastern Europe.

During the 17th century, the Caucasian bison could be found inhabiting a vast region of the Western Caucasus. However, with the intensification of human settlements in the mountains, the range of the Caucasian wisent began to shrink. By the end of the 19th century, their habitat had been reduced to approximately one-tenth of its original size.

Although the population was estimated to be around 2,000 in the 1860s, it had dwindled to only 500-600 individuals by 1917 and to just 50 by 1921. Despite conservation efforts, local poaching persisted, and sadly, the last three Caucasian wisent were hunted down in 1927.

Caribbean Monk Seal

The Caribbean monk seal, which was once a native species of the Caribbean, has now become extinct. The main causes of their extinction were over-hunting for oil and over-fishing of their food sources. In 1994, they were officially declared extinct.

In 1952, the Caribbean monk seal was last seen at Serranilla Bank, situated between Jamaica and Nicaragua. A five-year exhaustive search was conducted, and in 2008, the United States officially declared the species as extinct.

The Russian Tracker

The Russian tracker was a mountain dog breed known for its remarkable intelligence, and its closest living relative is believed to be the Golden Retriever. This breed was highly skilled and clever, capable of keeping itself and its flock healthy and thriving for several months without any human assistance.

Despite its imposing size, the Tracker was a fast and agile dog breed that could grow up to 76 cm tall at the withers and weigh over 45 kg. This breed was highly adept at hunting down wolves and other predators that posed a risk to its flock of sheep.

The Russian tracker breed vanished in the 1800s, and the reason for its extinction remains unclear.

The Golden Retriever is believed to be the closest living relative of the Tracker breed.

The Great Auk

The Great Auk, which was a flightless bird and possibly the first bird to be called a "penguin," met its demise when the last known pair was captured and killed on the island of Eldey, Iceland, in 1844.

The Great Auk, which was the only modern species in the Pinguinus genus, is not closely related to the birds known as penguins today. Penguins, which were discovered later by Europeans and named by sailors due to their physical resemblance to the Great Auk, belong to a different family of birds called Spheniscidae. Despite their similar appearance, the Great Auk and penguins have evolved separately, with distinct adaptations for their respective environments.

The Pinta Island Tortoise

By the end of the 19th century, hunting had caused the near extinction of the Pinta Island tortoises in Ecuador, and it was assumed that the species was extinct.

However, in 1971, a single male tortoise was discovered on the island, the tortoise, was named Lonesome George. Attempts to breed him with other tortoise species did not result in viable eggs. Sadly, Lonesome George passed away on June 24th, 2012.