Last Survivor Died 2012The Pinta Island Tortoise has long been considered extinct in the wild. Their demise could have been caused by timber harvesting, habitat changes, non-native species of plants and animals, by disease or something else. The last living member of this species was spotted in the wild in 1981 and the Southern Gastric Brooding Frogs were officially declared extinct in 2002. The Southern Gastric Brooding Frog was an aquatic species that lived in rainforests, wet forest communities and near freshwater streams in Australia. Before scientists were able to discover the Southern Gastric Brooding Frogs’ secret, the species became extinct. Scientists thought the ability to turn off the production of stomach acid could be useful to humans. Why? Because this frog delivered it’s young from its mouth, temporarily turning off its stomach acid to do so. The last known members of this rhino sub-species were known to live in Cameroon, West Africa.ĭeclared Extinct in 2002Scientists had hoped the Southern Gastric Brooding Frog could provide a solution for stomach ulcers in humans. They had two horns that were valued on the black market for their beauty and supposed medicinal value. Loss of habitat and poaching was the downfall for the Western Black Rhino. ![]() These giants had tough black skin that protected them from predators, but it was also quite soft to the touch and sensitive to sunlight, so the rhinos would wallow in mud to give them some UV protection. Besides their scary intimidation tactics, they were actually quite gentle and strict vegetarians. ![]() However, these big guys had extremely poor vision and had been known to accidentally run into trees and other objects. in 2018, the Western Black Rhinoceros was officially declared extinct, leaving only four remaining rhino sub-species, all of which are endangered.ĭespite the Western Black Rhino’s large size, they were actually extremely fast runners and could reach speeds of 40 miles per hour when they needed to intimidate other animals or humans. Western Black Rhinocerosĭeclared Extinct in 2018Rhinos have been around since prehistoric times and are the second largest land mammal, second in size only to elephants. The last members were spotted in the reserve in 1976 and the Javan tigers were officially declared extinct in 2003, joining the ever growing list of recently extinct species. ![]() Unfortunately, the protection of the reserve was not enough.ĭue to hunting, loss of forest habitat and lack of prey, the number of Javan tigers dwindled. In the mid 1800s to mid 1900s the native people viewed these tigers as pests and chased them off to the remote mountainous areas.īy 1972, the remaining tigers were sectioned off to the Meru Betiri National Park Reserve. The theory is that the smaller the prey, the smaller the predator.Īt one point, the Javan tigers inhabited all of Java. Their small size was thought to be attributed to the size of the available prey in their native land of Java, Indonesia. The males weighed in at 220 to 310 pounds and the females averaged 170 to 250 pounds. Javan Tigerĭeclared Extinct in 2003The Javan tiger was a big cat, but not in comparison to other tiger species. Here are five recently extinct animals that left our world over the past decade: 5. ![]() Whether we are in the midst of a mass extinction or not, it’s clear that we are losing species at an alarming rate. Now, experts are concerned that a sixth mass extinction has begun, and could take a mere 1,000 years to complete. Total up the numbers in these five mass extinctions and we have lost 99 percent of the Earth’s species – and that’s without human intervention. A mass extinction is when more than three-quarters of the world’s species become extinct in a short frame of time. In the past 540 million years there have been five mass extinctions. Is the world on the verge of losing the majority of its animals? It might sound absurd, but it’s not as far-fetched as you might think when you consider the earth’s history.
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