Over a million species of animals and plants are now hanging by a thread, more than ever before in human history, says the International Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Yep, it’s not just dramatic headlines. It’s real, and it’s happening faster than we think.
Some of these incredible creatures have already taken their final bow. So today, we’ve rounded up a list of animals that have sadly gone extinct: some in recent years, others within our lifetime. From the mysterious Japanese wolf to the majestic Sea Cow, these are once-thriving species we’ll only see in books now.
Ready for a wild (and slightly heartbreaking) ride through nature’s past. Scroll on to discover some fascinating animals.
#1 Quagga - Extinct 1883
The quagga used to live only in South Africa but sadly disappeared in the late 1800s because of hunting. For a long time, people thought it was its own separate species, but studies now show it was actually a subspecies of the plains zebra.
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33points
#2 Dodo Bird - Extinct 1662
The island of Mauritius, located east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, was once the only home of the dodo. This bird, which could not fly, is now extinct, much like its closest relative, the similarly flightless Rodrigues solitaire. Both of these unique bird species are no longer found anywhere on Earth.
32points
#3 Thylacine - Extinct 1936
The thylacine, a meat-eating pouched mammal, was once found on the Australian mainland and the islands of Tasmania and New Guinea. Also known as the Tasmanian tiger or Tasmanian wolf, this creature typically grew to be about 4 to 6 feet long. It could weigh up to 66 pounds.
31points
Earth’s wildlife is in crisis. According to the WWF and Zoological Society of London’s Living Planet Report, global animal populations have plummeted by a staggering 69% over the past 50 years.
From birds and reptiles to amphibians and fish, life across oceans and forests is vanishing faster than we ever imagined. This rapid decline between 1970 and 2018 paints a sobering picture of the damage we’re doing, and unfortunately, it’s still getting worse.
#4 Javan Tiger - Extinct 2008
The Javan tiger, a specific population known as Panthera tigris sondaica, was once commonly found on the Indonesian island of Java, particularly during the 1800s. It was one of three tiger groups that colonized the Sunda Islands many thousands of years ago, during the last glacial period. Unfortunately, due to widespread habitat loss and hunting, the Javan tiger is now extinct, with the last confirmed sightings occurring in the mid-1970s.
28points
#5 Carolina Parakeet - Extinct 1918
The Eastern, Midwest, and Plains states of the United States were once home to the Carolina Parakeet, a small green parrot distinguished by its bright yellow head and reddish-orange face. This neotropical bird, which also had a pale beak, is now unfortunately extinct. It holds the sad distinction of being the only parrot species native to the eastern US, with its demise largely attributed to habitat loss and hunting for its colorful feathers.
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27points
#6 Great Auk - Extinct 1852
The Great Auk, a flightless seabird sometimes called the garefowl or penguin, vanished from Earth in the mid-19th century, having first appeared around 400,000 years ago. This bird was the only modern species within its genus, Pinguinus. Intense hunting for its meat, eggs, and feathers played a major role in its extinction.
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27points
It’s not just about fewer animals: some species are gone entirely. While the word “extinct” might conjure images of dinosaurs, many creatures have disappeared just in the last few decades. These recently extinct animals were part of our shared world until not so long ago. They had names, behaviors, and roles in their ecosystems.
#7 Japanese Wolf - Extinct 1905
Once native only to Japan's islands of Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū, the Japanese wolf (or Honshū wolf) was a distinct subspecies of the gray wolf. It shared the Japanese archipelago with just one other wolf type, the Hokkaido wolf. Unfortunately, this unique island wolf is now extinct, with the last confirmed individual k****d in 1905, primarily due to habitat loss and deliberate eradication efforts by humans.
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26points
#8 Steller's Sea Cow - Extinct 1768
In 1741, Georg Wilhelm Steller documented the Steller's sea cow, an animal that Europeans discovered living only around the Commander Islands in the Bering Sea, between Alaska and Russia. This unique sirenian, a type of marine mammal, is now extinct. Its existence was only known for a short period after Steller's description.
25points
#9 Caspian Tiger - Extinct 1970
The Caspian tiger, a population known as Panthera tigris tigris, once inhabited a wide expanse of Asia, from eastern Turkey and northern Iran, through Mesopotamia and Central Asia, all the way to western China's Xinjiang region. Its territory also extended around the Caspian Sea and into northern Afghanistan, and historical records show it was present in southern Russia up until the Middle Ages. Sadly, this majestic subspecies was driven to extinction primarily due to habitat loss and hunting, with the last reliable sightings in the early 1970s.
23points
Here’s the truly alarming part: according to a 2014 Brown University study, species are now dying off 1,000 times faster than they did during the previous 60 million years. Let that sink in. Human activity has accelerated extinction to catastrophic levels. Jurriaan de Vos, the lead author of the study, emphasized that we’re reaching a breaking point and urgent conservation efforts are now more necessary than ever.
#10 Tarpan - Extinct 1909
The tarpan, a free-ranging horse that roamed the Eurasian steppe, presents a bit of a puzzle to scientists, who still debate whether it was a true wild horse, a feral descendant of domestic horses, or a hybrid. These horses lived across the steppes from the 18th up to the 20th century. The last individuals believed to be tarpans disappeared in the early 1900s, leading to their extinction.
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21points
#11 Pinta Island Tortoise - Extinct 2012
Ecuador's Pinta Island was the exclusive home to a distinct subspecies of Galapagos tortoise, sometimes referred to as the Abingdon Island tortoise. The very last purebred individual of this line, a male famously named Lonesome George, passed away in 2015, marking the extinction of his kind. A major factor in their disappearance was the introduction of non-native species to Pinta Island, particularly goats, which overgrazed the vegetation these tortoises relied on for food.
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19points
#12 Newfoundland Wolf - Extinct 1911
A unique seasonal color variation marked the Newfoundland wolf, a now-extinct grey wolf subspecies that lived exclusively on the island of Newfoundland. Some of these wolves would turn white during autumn and early winter, while others maintained a dark, almost black, coat year-round. This distinctive animal disappeared from its island home, with the last confirmed individuals being k****d in the early 20th century, largely due to intensive hunting encouraged by bounties.
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19points
Freshwater species are taking the biggest hit. WWF’s 2020 report revealed that the population of freshwater wildlife decreased by a jaw-dropping 84% between 1970 and 2018—more than any other category. Rivers, lakes, and wetlands, vital lifelines for people and animals, are drying up, being polluted, or overused. And the numbers continue to get worse, not better.
#13 Megalodon - Extinct Around 3,6 Million Years Ago
The massive shark commonly called Megalodon, scientifically known as Otodus megalodon, dominated Earth's oceans from approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago. This immense predator, a type of giant mackerel shark, lived during a period spanning the Early Miocene to the Early Pliocene epochs. Growing to estimated lengths of up to 60 feet or more, it was one of the largest and most powerful carnivores to have ever existed.
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17points
#14 Barbary Lion - Extinct In The Wild By The 1960s
From the mountains and deserts of Morocco all the way to Egypt, the Barbary lion—also known by names like the North African, Atlas, or Egyptian lion—once roamed. This distinctive population of the lion subspecies Panthera leo leo is now considered extinct in the wild. While captive individuals with Barbary lion ancestry may still exist, the wild lions of North Africa, famed for their darker manes and robust build, disappeared primarily due to habitat loss and hunting pressure by the mid-20th century.
16points
#15 Caribbean Monk Seal - Extinct 1952
The Caribbean Sea was once the exclusive habitat of the Caribbean monk seal, a species also referred to as the West Indian seal or, more colorfully, the "sea wolf." Sadly, this marine mammal is no longer found anywhere, having been driven to extinction. Overhunting by humans for their blubber, meat, and hides, along with general disturbance, are considered the primary reasons for their disappearance, with the last confirmed sighting occurring in 1952.
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15points
Plants aren’t safe either. The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew's research warns that nearly 40% of all plant species are at risk of extinction—that’s nearly 4 out of every 10! Many haven’t even been formally identified yet. Imagine a flower blooming for the last time in a remote corner of the world without anyone even knowing it existed. It’s like losing chapters from a book we never got to read.
#16 Pyrenean Ibex - Extinct Around 2000
Native to the Iberian Peninsula and parts of southern France, the Pyrenean ibex was one of four subspecies of the Iberian wild goat. Although it officially became extinct in the year 2000, scientists made an attempt to "resurrect" the subspecies through cloning nearly a decade later in 2009. Unfortunately, the cloned individual survived for only a very short time after birth, meaning the subspecies remains extinct despite this groundbreaking effort.
15points
#17 California Grizzly Bear - Extinct 1924
Though it prominently features on California's state flag, the California grizzly bear—also known by names like the California golden bear or chaparral bear—is now an extinct population of the brown bear. This powerful animal, once a symbol of the wild West Coast, vanished from the landscape in the early 20th century. The combination of extensive hunting and significant habitat loss ultimately sealed the fate of this impressive grizzly.
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15points
#18 Japanese Sea Lion - Extinct 1970s
The Japanese sea lion, an aquatic mammal that vanished in the 1970s, was long considered a subspecies of the California sea lion. However, by 2003, scientific understanding shifted, and it is now often recognized as its own distinct species. These marine animals were primarily found around the Sea of Japan and the coasts of Japan and Korea, with overhunting and habitat disruption being major factors in their disappearance.
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15points
Birds are also under a growing threat. Since 2016, around 3.5% of domesticated bird species have gone extinct. And the wild ones are suffering, too. About 23% of threatened birds are already showing signs of stress from climate change. Rising temperatures, shifting habitats, and disappearing food sources are forcing them to migrate unpredictably or perish.
#19 Passenger Pigeon - Extinct 1914
North America once teemed with the passenger pigeon, a bird so numerous—estimated at 3 to 5 billion individuals—that its flocks could darken the sky for hours as they passed. This now-extinct species, sometimes referred to as the wild pigeon, was found only on this continent. Despite its incredible abundance, relentless hunting and widespread habitat destruction led to its complete disappearance by the early 20th century, a stark example of human impact on wildlife.
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14points
#20 Moa - Extinct Around 1400 Ce
New Zealand was once the exclusive home to the moa, a remarkable group of flightless birds that are now extinct. Some moa species were incredibly tall, with certain individuals reaching impressive heights of up to 12 feet. These giants of the bird world were driven to extinction by the Māori people, who hunted them for food and used their bones and feathers, shortly after human settlement of the islands.
14points