Animals: those that are not, and those that will not be. Animals: those that are not, and those that will not be Three types of tigers

Mankind has been developing for tens of thousands of years, adjusting the environment to suit its needs. And only in last years we began to think about how detrimentally this very development is reflected in nature. We have Red Books, the fight against poachers has intensified, nature reserves have opened, but animals continue to die out, and the main reason for this is still.

Why are animals dying?

The disappearance of old species and the emergence of new ones is a completely natural process on Earth. For hundreds of thousands of years, extinction has been different reasons, and not so long ago, a person was added to these reasons. But first things first.

All previous periods of extinctions were associated with climate change, the movement of tectonic plates, volcanic activity, collision with celestial bodies, etc. The current (rapidly growing) extinction of animals began about 100,000 years ago- just in the period of human settlement on Earth. Our distant ancestors unknowingly invaded ecosystems and disrupted the ecological balance by hunting, destroying habitats and spreading disease.

But further more, about 10,000 years ago, we mastered agriculture and began to lead a sedentary lifestyle. By creating their settlements, a person changed the local ecosystem for himself, which no other species in history has allowed itself. Because of this, some animals simply died, others moved to new territories and, again, crowded out local species.

Habitat disturbance

For our own needs, we had to engage in deforestation, plow the land, drain swamps, create reservoirs - all this radically changed the habitat habitual for living organisms. Animals were deprived of their habitat, where they obtained food and multiplied.

Habitual habitats of animals become unsuitable largely due to. Pesticides, petroleum, phenols, metals, toxic and nuclear waste- all this infects the atmosphere, soil, oceans and, of course, negatively affects all the inhabitants of the Earth.

All life is interconnected and the extinction of animals of one species often provokes other extinctions. This phenomenon is called "cumulative effect".

Example. In Malaysia, they decided to radically get rid of malarial mosquitoes by resorting to the use of the pesticide DDT. Mosquitoes defeated - malaria is not terrible! But there were also cockroaches that were not exposed to DDT. Cockroaches were eaten by lizards, which were weakened by the pesticide. So lizards became easy prey for cats, which caused the death of the latter. As a result, the number of rats, carriers of diseases to match malaria, has increased dramatically in that region.

Excessive production

Today we use animal world not only as a source of food, but also for the extraction of raw materials and many needs that are not vital.

For the production of medicines, perfumes, cosmetics and some industrial products, raw materials are needed, namely animal raw materials. Officially, endangered animals do not go to these needs, but the law is not written for poachers.

Poaching and smuggling of animals is incredibly developed in all countries and causes irreparable damage nature. That's what you knew smuggling of animals and plants can be compared with the smuggling of weapons and drugs? And, of course, we are not always talking about the illegal circulation of rare animals in a living form, but often about their valuable parts: bone, fur, etc.

A striking example of extinction due to over-prey is the Dodo bird, which we will talk about later.

Influence of Introduced Species

There is such a concept "introduction" is human-led intentional and unintentional relocation different types animals outside their habitats. In other words, because of man, new species began to appear where they did not exist before and should not exist. At the same time, the introduced species, having no natural enemies in the new territory, begin to multiply and displace the local inhabitants.

The classic example is the introduction of rabbits to Australia. They were brought there from England for sport hunting. The local climate was to the liking of the rabbits, and local predators were not agile enough to hunt them. Therefore, the eared quickly bred and began to destroy entire pastures. Foxes were brought to Australia to exterminate them, but they began to hunt local marsupials, which only aggravated the situation. With grief in half, with the help of a special virus, they managed to get rid of rabbits.

Destruction to protect agricultural and commercial facilities

More than 20 species are threatened with extinction due to the fact that their representatives harm agriculture and industry. These include birds of prey, rodents, pinnipeds, monkeys, etc.

What animals and birds have become extinct recently?

Over the past 500 years 844 species of animals and birds became extinct. Let's recall some of them.

Dodos (Dodo)

These flightless birds lived in the Mascarene Islands and in Mauritius. But the active colonization of these territories in the 17th century caused their rapid extinction. People not only hunted dodos endlessly, but also brought some predators (rats, cats, dogs), which also contributed.

The name "Dodo" (from Portuguese - "stupid"), these birds received from the sailors. The fact is that in their habitat they had no enemies and were trusting towards people. It was not particularly necessary to hunt the Dodos - they simply approached them and beat them on the head with a stick. And it was difficult for these birds to hide from danger, because. they could neither fly nor swim nor run fast.

Most major representative one of the subspecies of these birds reached 3.5 meters and weighed about 250 kg. They didn't have wings. Until the 16th century they lived in New Zealand, until they were completely exterminated by the natives.

parrot

This species was the only parrot that lived in North America. But it turned out to be unimportant and the Carolina parrot was exterminated, because damaged fields and fruit trees. They were last seen in the 1920s.

Another example, when creatures unable to hide simply died from human onslaught. They flew badly, or maybe they didn’t know how at all. That's why hunting it was not difficult for them. For 100 years after discovery, the species completely disappeared.

The last member of this species died in 1936. It was the largest marsupial carnivore, living mainly on the island of Tasmania. Destroyed by man damage to agriculture.

By the way, they tried to clone the Tasmanian tiger using the DNA of alcoholized puppies. But the project failed because DNA could not be extracted.

The only place where these tigers lived was the island of Bali. With the appearance there firearms locals began to take an interest in these felines hunters, and in 25 years destroyed the whole species.

At one time, representatives of this subspecies of the rhinoceros were distributed almost throughout Africa, but through the efforts poachers by the early 2000s, only a few individuals remained. In 2011, the last representative of this species was gone.

By the way, a number of scientists claim that about half of the currently existing species will disappear in 100 years.

In 2012, Lonely George died - the last representative of this species. These huge land turtles were inhabitants of the Galopogo Islands. Many of them lived to be 200 years old. Unfortunately, these turtles killed the neighborhood with people. Delicious meat and a chic shell - well, what hunter can resist this? It would seem that the ban on hunting was introduced in a timely manner, but the poachers do not care about the laws...

This unusual animal, resembling a hybrid of a zebra and a horse, was common in South Africa. They were trusting and friendly, so it was not difficult to tame the quagga. They were exterminated because tasty meat and valuable skins. The last member of the species died in 1883.

Declared extinct in 1964. Lived in the area North America until it was completely exterminated by local farmers, because attacked livestock.

Be sure to watch the video, which tells about some more extinct animals due to our fault:

Endangered Animals

Marsupials living in the eucalyptus forests of Australia. Actually, on the crowns of these trees, koalas spend most of their lives. In the 18th and 19th centuries they began to be killed because of the valuable thick fur. Millions of skins were exported per year. Fortunately, the Australian government stopped this madness in time, first limiting and then completely banning koala hunting.

Today, the population of these "cubs" is gradually recovering, but there is still a risk of extinction of the entire species. The reason for this is Forest fires, deforestation and disease.

Ivory is highly valued all over the world, and poachers, of course, know about it. They are doing business with might and main, despite international prohibitions.

Annually Elephant population drops by 30,000. And for what? For the production of jewelry and other useless gizmos?!

Several centuries ago, cheetahs were common in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Today it is a representative of a purely African fauna. At the same time, single individuals are found mainly in protected areas. Local farmers see them only as pests that prey on livestock. Yes and poachers are interested in extracting cheetah skins.

Today, no more than 12 thousand individuals remain in the world, while 100 years ago there were about 100,000 (!).

Found in the grassy plains between Kenya and Somalia, this species of antelope suffers greatly from disease, predators and, of course, humans. We are gradually destroying the habitat of these animals, hunting them down and depriving them of food by grazing herds of livestock.

Today the number of chirol does not exceed 1000 individuals. However, they are not kept in zoos and are not placed in nature reserves.

In nature, these monkeys are the closest relatives of humans. But this does not prevent us from cutting down the forests where they live, and keep hunting for them.

Today, the orangutan's range is limited to Borneo and Sumatra. Their total number is about 70 thousand, which is several times less than in the middle of the last century.

The orangutan is the most intelligent creature on Earth after humans, and in 10 years it may completely disappear if the rate of extinction continues.

Outwardly, this animal resembles a large fluffy cat. True, by nature he is quite ferocious and it is very difficult to tame a manul. It is on the verge of extinction because of its valuable fur.

Today it is the largest lizard in the world. Individual representatives of the species reach 2 meters in length.

Their disappearance is associated with tourism, settlement of territories and the destruction of their usual food.

These marine animals are found off the northern shores Pacific Ocean. In the 18-19 centuries, sea otters began to be massively exterminated because of valuable fur. Fortunately, the chaos was stopped international efforts, and hunting for them was almost universally prohibited.

Today, the population of sea otters is 88 thousand. However, its growth is not observed. The reason for this is a series environmental issues associated with ocean pollution.

It is the largest land predator. In total, there are about 25 thousand of them on the planet. In recent decades, despite the attacks of poachers, the population of polar bears has been relatively stable.

However, scientists are sounding the alarm, predicting the complete extinction of this species between 2050 and 2100. Reason - global warming, due to which the arctic . And without them, polar bears cannot fully hunt.

By the way, polar bear- the only predator that tracks down and hunts a person as if it were ordinary prey.

What is being done to protect animals from extinction

First of all, hunting certain types regulated by law, both internationally and nationally. We have such a document Federal Law "On the Animal World".

The Red Book is used to account for endangered animals. It is available in every country and also has an international version.

It should be mentioned that depending on the risk of extinction, certain species may have different conservation status proposed International Union Conservation of Nature (IUCN):

• Extinct. This includes species that are completely extinct (EX) and those that are no longer found in wild nature– only in captivity (EW).
• Endangered. This category includes animals that in a few generations may completely disappear from the wild (CR), endangered (EN) and vulnerable species (VU).
• The risk is low. These are species dependent on conservation efforts (CD), near threatened (NT) and those of least concern (LC).

Animals with status "Disappeared in the Wild" (EW) are one example of human efforts to conserve endangered species. Such animals can only be found in an artificially created environment, which are various zoological institutions. Unfortunately, several of these species have already been put to rest, because their representatives cannot give offspring and simply live out their last days.

Reserves and reserves are one of the most effective ways conservation of endangered animals. There are about 150 nature reserves in our country. In such areas, hunting, cutting down trees, and sometimes the presence of a person is prohibited.

In addition, there are also such animals, the threat of extinction of which is simply not assessed for one reason or another. All of these criteria are applied in the IUCN Red List.

A biological species is officially considered extinct when its last representative dies out. There is also a concept functional extinction- all remaining individuals can no longer breed, for example, due to age or health.

Who was saved from extinction?

Once distributed throughout North America, today it is the rarest bird species. Their number does not exceed 150 individuals.

The condor was a prestigious prey for hunters. It got to the point that in 1987 only 27 representatives of this species remained. Fortunately, they managed to be placed in reserves, where they began to multiply rapidly.

Most rare view wolves. They lived in the southeastern United States. They were exterminated mainly by farmers, dissatisfied with the fact that red wolves attacked livestock and birds.

At the time of 1967, 14 representatives of the species remained in the world. They were placed in captivity, and today the number of red wolves is 100 individuals.

Back in the 17th century, saigas were one of the most common species in Eurasia, but because of humans, their range has narrowed to relatively small steppe regions of the Southern Volga region, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia.

Because of uncontrolled hunting saigas were nearly extinct by the early 19th century. But thanks to timely protective measures, the population was restored and permission to hunt them again appeared. Their numbers again drastically reduced to a critical state.

Today, there are about 50,000 saigas left in the world. The complex of measures for the conservation of the species includes the strict suppression of poaching and ensuring the safety of the protected area.

The reason for the decline in the number of pandas was mainly the destruction of their habitat, when China's forests were cut down for human settlements and arable land.

Today, areas inhabited by pandas are under strict control and are protected areas. Poaching is punishable by death. However, despite good conditions habitat, the panda population is recovering slowly. Today there are about 500 individuals.

The reasons for its decline are poaching, destruction natural places habitats and undermining the food base.

Today, about 550 Amur tigers live in the protected areas of the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories. Their resettlement is planned in those places where they were exterminated - this will significantly increase the population.

These animals do not exceed the size of an ordinary cat. They were well distributed on the islands near California until all the sea eagles were exterminated there in the early 90s. For foxes, these birds did not pose a danger, and hunted only for fish. The place of the eagles was soon taken golden eagles, who no longer hesitated to hunt foxes, and quickly destroyed almost the entire population.

The remaining foxes were raised in captivity until the golden eagle problem was solved. Today, the population has been restored and is 3 thousand individuals.

This is the last representative wild bulls in Europe. In the wild it completely destroyed by the hunters. Fortunately, these animals were still kept in many zoos.

Thanks to the efforts of scientists, bison have now returned to the wild. Their total number is close to 4 thousand individuals.

Conclusion

Despite all the efforts of environmentalists, almost a third species is in danger of extinction. In many ways, this happened because we realized it too late. Official bans today are ignored by poachers who, for the sake of profit, will not hesitate to kill the last elephant or tiger. Much of the blame lies with the final consumers of the “goods” supplied by poachers, who are crazy about possessing the skulls of rare animals, wearing valuable fur coats, or rubbing “healing” fats into their skin.

It was the largest marsupial carnivore of our time (it was about 60 cm high and about 180 cm long with the tail). Thylacines once lived in mainland Australia and New Guinea, but as a result of human activities, they were already almost extinct there by the time of colonization by Europeans. However, they remained in Tasmania, where they were called Tasmanian tigers or Tasmanian wolves. The last thylacine in the wild was killed in 1930. And in captivity, the last Thylacine, which is shown in the photo, died in 1936.

However, as early as the 1960s, people were hoping that Thylacines might still be around somewhere, and until the 1980s they were not officially considered completely extinct. And so far, however, isolated reports of sightings of the surface in Tasmania and New Guinea.

Quagga

The quagga in the photo is the only animal of this subspecies that has ever been photographed. This female specimen was photographed at the London Zoo. The quagga is a subspecies of the plains zebra that lived in large numbers in the wild in South Africa. However, the quagga has been extirpated for meat, hides, and for the purpose of preserving pet food. The last wild Quagga was shot in the 1870s, and in captivity the last individual died in August 1883. Interestingly, Quagga was the first extinct animal whose DNA was studied in detail. Before that, it was believed that this animal was a completely separate species, and not a subspecies of zebras.

mexican grizzly bear

Grizzly can live not only in the climate of North America or Canada. Previously, the grizzly also lived in Mexico. This animal belonged to the subspecies brown bear. The Mexican grizzly was a very large bear with small ears and a high forehead. It was finally exterminated by ranchers in the 60s of the last century, as it was a danger to their livestock. By 1960, only 30 individuals remained, but by 1964, the Mexican grizzly was already considered extinct.

Tarpan

Tarpan, or Eurasian Wild Horse, lived in the steppes of a number of European countries, in the European part of Russia, in Western Siberia and on the territory of Western Kazakhstan. The height at the withers of Tarpan reached 136 cm with a body length of about 150 cm. Tarpans had a standing mane and thick wavy hair, which in summer was black-brown, yellow-brown or dirty yellow, and in winter it became lighter with a dark stripe along the back. They had dark legs, a mane and tail, and strong hooves that did not require horseshoes.

The last forest Tarpan was killed on the territory of the modern Kaliningrad region in 1814. In 1879, the last steppe tarpan in nature was killed in the steppe in the Kherson region of Ukraine. The last Tarpan who lived in captivity died in 1918. The photo was taken at the Moscow Zoo in 1884 and is claimed to be the only photo of a living Tarpan. However, there are disputes about the photo: is it really a purebred Tarpan or is it a cross between a Tarpan and a domestic horse.

barbary lion

Previously, the Barbary lion (also known as the Atlas or Nubian lion) lived in the territory from Morocco to Egypt. This lion was the largest and heaviest among the lion subspecies. He was distinguished by a particularly thick dark mane, which went far beyond his shoulders and hung down on his stomach. The last wild Barbary lion was shot in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco in 1922. Nevertheless, descendants of Barbary lions live in captivity, however, most likely they are not purebred and have admixtures of other subspecies. Historical reference: The lions used in gladiator fights during Roman times were most likely Barbary. The photo was taken in 1893 in Algiers.

Bali tiger

Unfortunately, the photo is not clear, it was taken in 1913. The Bali tiger is one of the smallest tigers that has ever lived. Bali tigers had short fur brightly orange color, they were the size of leopards or mountain lions.

The last confirmed case of this tiger being killed was in September 1937. But until the 1940s or 1950s, it was suspected that there were still a small number of individuals left on the island. The Bali tigers became extinct due to loss of habitat and because of the fashionable passion for hunting among Europeans.

Caspian tiger

The Caspian tiger inhabited vast territories along river corridors in sparse forests to the west and south of the Caspian Sea. The territory of its habitat spread from Turkey and Iran through Central Asia to the Takla Makan Desert, Xinjiang, China. The Caspian tiger, like the Siberian and Bengal subspecies of the tiger, was the largest feline that ever existed. The population of this subspecies began to decline sharply in the 1920s, which was associated with hunting for them, a reduction in habitat, and a decrease in the amount of food. The last such tiger was killed in February 1970 in the Turkish province of Hakkari. — See more at: Deciphering the DNA of the Caspian tiger showed that it is very close to the Amur tiger and this makes it possible to restore its population.

Black Cameroonian rhinoceros

The Cameroon black rhinoceros, which is a subspecies of the black rhinoceros, was very common in the sub-Saharan savanna until recently. However, despite all the efforts made to protect these animals, poaching has led to their complete extinction. Their horns, as many believed, had medicinal value, which was partly due to their extermination. However, this assumption has no scientific basis.

IN last time The black Cameroonian rhinoceros was seen in 2006, has not been seen since, and was officially declared extinct in 2011.

golden toad

The golden toad has become a very telling example of how human activity leads to the destruction of living beings. This small bright orange toad was first described only in 1966, when it in large numbers lived in an area of ​​30 square miles, near the city of Monteverde, Costa Rica. For a long time in its habitat, the ideal temperature and humidity for its existence were maintained, but human activity has changed the usual parameters. environment which led to the extinction of this animal. Since May 15, 1989, not a single individual has been seen.

Pinta Island tortoise (Abingdon elephant tortoise)

Turtles of Pinta Island (or Abingdon in another way) belong to the subspecies elephant turtle. This is the largest animal of those that became extinct at the very Lately. Lonesome George, who was over 100 years old (pictured), was the last of the species and died on June 24, 2012 from heart failure.

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Number of pets and people vs wild animals. Diagram
Endangered species of animals and plants. Statistics and Trends

Internet marketer, editor of the site "Na accessible language"
Publication date: 12/05/2017

Have you ever seen Bali tiger or marsupial wolf? Most likely no…

It's a pity, but there will no longer be a chance to see these amazing animals live, since they were recently declared extinct.

Despite all the efforts of organizations to protect endangered animals, some species periodically fall into the list of extinct and many are on the verge of extinction. Man is the main culprit in the extinction of animals in our time.

Today we will tell you about 15 prominent representatives fauna extinct quite recently, literally in the last 100 years.

Considered extinct since 1922.

The Barbary lion lived in the North African semi-deserts, steppes and forests, and it was also distributed in the Atlas Mountains in northwestern Africa.

The main distinguishing features of the predator are a very thick mane and large size. The males of the Barbary lion weighed from 160 to 250 kilograms, the weight of the females was an order of magnitude less - from 100 to 170 kg. The mane of the Barbary lion grew not only on the neck and head, it went far beyond the shoulders, and also grew on the stomach.

IN Ancient Rome entertaining competitions with the participation of the Barbary lion were common, as a rule, the Turanian tiger, which also became extinct, acted as its opponent.

The reason for the disappearance of the subspecies is considered to be targeted extermination due to the frequent attacks of Barbary lions on livestock, the number of predators has decreased especially strongly after they began to use firearms for shooting.

The last Barbary lion was killed in 1922 in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco.

Considered extinct since 1927.

The Syrian kulan was distributed on the Arabian Peninsula, lived in deserts, semi-deserts, dry meadows and mountain steppes. Lived in Syria, Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

The main component in the diet of the Syrian kulan was grass, leaves of shrubs and trees.

The Syrian kulan was one of the smallest representatives of horses, its height at the withers was only one meter. Also his to distinctive features can be attributed to the changing color depending on the season, in summer the color of the fur of the kulan was olive, and in winter it acquired a sandy and even pale yellow color.

Last wild representative subspecies was shot in 1927 near the Azraq oasis in Jordan, and the last individual living in captivity died in the same year at the Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna (Austria).

3. Marsupial wolf (thylacine)

Considered extinct since 1936.

The marsupial wolf (or Tasmanian wolf) is the only representative of this family that survived to the historical era.

Thylacine was the largest of the marsupial predators of our time, its weight was 20-25 kg, the height at the withers reached 60 centimeters, the body length was 1-1.3 meters (with a tail - 1.5-1.8 m.).

It is known that in ancient times (the end of the Pleistocene and the beginning of the Holocene), stylacine lived on the territory of mainland Australia, as well as on the island New Guinea, about 3000 years ago, marsupial wolves were driven out of their territory by dingo dogs, brought there by people from Southeast Asia.

In historical times, marsupial wolves lived only on the island of Tasmania - where dingo dogs did not penetrate.

The reason for the extinction of the Tasmanian wolf, as in a number of other cases, is the mass extermination of people. The marsupial wolf was considered the main enemy of the Tasmanian farmers, he attacked the sheep and ruined the poultry houses. In the 30s of the 19th century, a mass shooting of a predator began, the authorities gave rewards to hunters for the head of each killed animal.

After a long shooting, the number of thylacines decreased, rare specimens were found only in remote areas. In addition to shooting, the Tasmanian wolf population was severely damaged by a viral disease that broke out at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1914, marsupial wolves were numbered in units.

The last marsupial wolf living in the wild was killed on May 13, 1930, and in 1936 the last individual kept in a private zoo in Hobart died of old age.

In March 2017, the media reported that animals similar to thylacine were caught in the lenses of video traps in Cape York Park. For reasons of keeping the animal's habitat a secret, the photographs were not released to the public. There was no official confirmation that it was the marsupial wolf that got into the lenses.

Considered extinct since 1937.

Gray kangaroos lived in the south and southeast of Australia. Individuals of this species could be found in open spaces next to eucalyptus forests, in which these animals hid during the rains.

The name of the animal was given in honor of Sir George Gray, who served as Governor of South Australia from 1812 to 1898.

Like other members of the kangaroo family, Gray's kangaroos ate plant food, mainly foliage of shrubs and trees.

Poaching is considered the main cause of extinction - people hunted kangaroos for fur and meat. In addition, scientists believe that the reason for the decline in the population of wild gray kangaroos is attacks on them by predatory animals.

Gray's last wild kangaroo was killed in 1924, and in 1937 the last individual living in the national park died.

Declared extinct in 1937.

The Bali tiger lived exclusively on the island of Bali (Indonesia), most often this feline representative could be found in local forests.

The Bali tiger was one of the smallest representatives of the tiger species. The weight of males was 90-100 kg, females were slightly smaller, their weight rarely exceeded 80 kg, usually 65-75 kg. The body length of adult males was in the region of 120-230 centimeters, females - from 93 to 183 cm.

The life expectancy of Bali tigers is 8-10 years.

After the killing of the first Bali tiger, in 1911, representatives of this subspecies began to be of interest to hunters. Due to the relatively small area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe habitat of these animals, the Bali tigers were exterminated very quickly.

The last female was killed in the western part of the island. The subspecies was officially declared extinct in 1937.

Considered extinct since 1938.

The Schomburgka deer lived in central Thailand in the valley of the Chao Phraya River. It could be found on swampy plains overgrown with shrubs, reeds and tall grass.

During the rainy and flood season, Schomburgk's reindeer would leave the marshland and rise to higher ground, becoming easy prey for hunters.

Representatives of this species were named after the British Consul in Bangkok, Sir Robert Schomburgk, who worked there from 1857 to 1864.

According to scientists main reason the extinction of the Schomburgk deer is the development of the infrastructure of cities located near the habitats of animals. Drainage of swamps, construction of roads and enterprises have actually destroyed the habitats of this animal. In addition, hunters and poachers have made their "contribution" to the extinction of this species.

It is known that the last Schomburgk deer living in the wild was killed in 1932, and the last individual living in the zoo died in 1938.

Considered extinct since 1950.

The island hutia lived exclusively on the island of Small Sisne in the Caribbean Sea (the territory of Goonduras). Due to the fact that the base of the island on which the Hutii lived consists mainly of coral rock, these animals, as a rule, could not dig holes, therefore they settled in the crevices of the coral rock.

Representatives of the species were herbivores. Their weight could reach one kilogram, and the length of the body adult was 33-35 centimeters. The sizes of males practically did not differ from the sizes of females.

It is believed that the island hutias were exterminated by cats brought to the island by people. The last mention of these creatures dates back to 1950.

The species has been considered extinct since 1952. Officially declared extinct only in 2008.

The Caribbean monk seal was the only representative of the genus of seals that lived in the Caribbean Sea. They could be found on sandy beaches, as well as reef lagoons.

Caribbean monk seals were last sighted in the western part of caribbean in 1952, from that moment on they were never seen again. During an expedition conducted in the Caribbean in 1980, scientists did not find a single monk seal.

According to zoologists, the main reason for the extinction of the Caribbean monk seals is the negative impact of human activities on the environment.

Considered extinct since the 1960s.

The Mexican grizzly lived in the forests, it could be found in the state of Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila and Northern Durango in Mexico, in addition, individuals of this species were also found in the United States - in the states of Arizona and New Mexico.

The last time a live Mexican grizzly was seen was in 1960.

The extinction of Mexican grizzlies is associated with uncontrolled hunting for them, as well as with the development of human habitats for these animals.

In 1959, the Mexican government banned the hunting of Mexican grizzlies, but this measure was belated and did not help save the population.

Considered extinct since 1974.

The Japanese sea lion lived in the Sea of ​​Japan on the western and east coast Japan, as well as on the east coast of Korea.

In addition, it could be found on the island of Ryukyu (Japan), on the southern coast of the Russian Far East, on the Kuril Islands, Sakhalin and in the south of the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.

The main reason for the extinction of the Japanese sea lion is considered to be hunting and persecution by fishermen.

According to scientists, in the 19th century, the population of Japanese sea ​​lions numbered from 30 to 50 thousand individuals. Uncontrolled hunting for them and the development of their habitats has led to a terrifying reduction in their numbers. The last reliable information about 50-60 individuals was obtained in 1951, then a small population was found on the Liancourt Islands.

The last time a Japanese sea lion was seen in 1974 on the coast of the small island of Rebun. Since that time, no one else saw these animals.

11. Canary black oystercatcher

Declared extinct in 1994.

The Canarian black oystercatcher lived in West Africa on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. This bird also suffered from human hands. It is worth noting that people did not hunt this bird, but still brought it to starvation.