List of recently extinct mammals facts for kids

Recently extinct mammals are any mammal that went extinct since the year 1500 C. E., as defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Since the year 1500, roughly 80 mammal species have become extinct.

Extinction of taxa is difficult to detect as long gaps without a sighting is not definitive, but before 1995 a threshold of 50 years without a sighting was used to declare extinction.

One study found that extinction from habitat loss is the hardest to detect, as this might only fragment populations to the point of concealment from humans. Some mammals declared as extinct may very well reappear. For example, a study found that 36% of purported mammalian extinction had been resolved, while the rest either had validity issues (insufficient evidence) or had been rediscovered.

As of December 2015, the IUCN lists 30 mammalian species as "critically endangered (possibly extinct)".

Conventions

All species listed as "Extinct" are classified as being extinct (no known remaining individuals left) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). All species listed as Extinct in the wild are classified as being extinct in the wild, meaning that all remaining individuals of the species reside in captivity. All species listed as "Possibly extinct" are classified as being critically endangered, as it is unknown whether or not these species are extinct. Extinct subspecies such as the Javan tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica) are not listed here as the species, in this case Panthera tigris, is still extant. The IUCN Redlist classification for each species serves as a citation, and the superscripted "IUCN" by the date is a link to that species' page. A range map is provided wherever available, and a description of their former or current range is given if a range map is not available.

Causes of extinction

Habitat degradation is currently the main anthropogenic cause of species extinctions. The main cause of habitat degradation worldwide is agriculture, with urban sprawl, logging, mining and some fishing practices close behind. The physical destruction of a habitat, both directly (deforestation for land development or lumber) and indirectly (burning fossil fuels), is an example of this.

Also, increasing toxicity, through media such as pesticide, can kill off a species very rapidly, by killing all living members through contamination or sterilizing them. Persistent organic pollutant (POPs), for example, can bioaccumulate to hazardous levels, getting increasingly more dangerous further up the food chain.

Disease can also be a factor; white nose syndrome in bats, for example, is causing a substantial decline in their populations and may even lead to the extinction of a species.

Overhunting also has an impact. Terrestrial mammals, such as the tiger and deer, are mainly hunted for their pelts and in some cases meat, and marine mammals can be hunted for their oil and leather. Specific targeting of one species can be problematic to the ecosystem because the sudden demise of one species can inadvertently lead to the demise of another (coextinction) especially if the targeted species is a keystone species. Sea otters, for example, were hunted in the maritime fur trade, and their drop in population led to the rise in sea urchins—their main food source—which decreased the population of kelp—the sea urchin's and Steller's sea cow's main food source—leading to the extinction of the Steller's sea cow. The hunting of already limited species can easily lead to its extinction, as with the bluebuck whose range was confined to 1,700 square miles (4,400 km²) and was hunted into extinction soon after discovery by European settlers.

Australia

Island creatures are usually endemic to only that island, and that limited range and small population can leave them vulnerable to sudden changes. Australia and its unique fauna have suffered an extreme decline in mammal species, 10% of its 273 terrestrial mammals, since European settlement (a loss of one to two species per decade); in contrast, only one species in North America has become extinct since European settlement. Furthermore, 21% of Australia's mammals are threatened, and unlike in most other continents, the main cause is predation by feral species, such as cats.

Extinct species

A species is declared extinct after exhaustive surveys of all potential habitats eliminate all reasonable doubt that the last individual of a species, whether in the wild or in captivity, has died. Recently extinct species are defined by the IUCN as going extinct after 1500 C. E.

Common name	Binomial name	Order	Date of extinction	Former range	Picture
Broad-faced potoroo	Potorous platyops Gould, 1844	Diprotodontia	1875	Australia
Eastern hare wallaby	Lagorchestes leporides Gould, 1841	Diprotodontia	1889	Australia
Lake Mackay hare-wallaby	Lagorchestes asomatus Finlayson, 1943	Diprotodontia	1932	Australia
Desert rat-kangaroo	Caloprymnus campestris Gould, 1843	Diprotodontia	1935	Australia
Tasmanian tiger, or Tasmanian wolf	Thylacinus cynocephalus Harris, 1808	Dasyuromorphia	1936	Australia, Tasmania
Toolache wallaby	Macropus greyi Waterhouse, 1846	Diprotodontia	1939	Australia
Desert bandicoot	Perameles eremiana Spencer, 1837	Peramelemorphia	1943	Australia
Lesser bilby, or yallara	Macrotis leucura Thomas, 1887	Peramelemorphia	1931	Australia
Pig-footed bandicoot	Chaeropus ecaudatus Ogilby, 1838	Peramelemorphia	1950s	Australia
Crescent nailtail wallaby	Onychogalea lunata Gould, 1841	Diprotodontia	1956	Australia (western and central)
Red-bellied gracile opossum, or Red-bellied gracile mouse opossum	Cryptonanus ignitus Díaz, Flores and Barquez, 2002	Didelphimorphia	1962	Argentina
Nullarbor dwarf bettong	Bettongia pusilla McNamara, 1997	Diprotodontia	1500 early 1500s	Australia, Nullarbor Plain
Steller's sea cow	Hydrodamalis gigas von Zimmermann, 1780	Sirenia	1768	Commander Islands
Bramble Cay melomys	Melomys rubicola Thomas, 1924	Rodentia	2016	Australia, Bramble Cay
Oriente cave rat	Boromys offella Miller, 1916	Rodentia	1500 early 1500s	Cuba
Torre's cave rat	Boromys torrei Allen, 1917	Rodentia	1500 early 1500s	Cuba
Imposter hutia	Hexolobodon phenax Miller, 1929	Rodentia	1500 early 1500s	Hispaniola
Montane hutia	Isolobodon montanus Miller, 1922	Rodentia	1500 early 1500s	Hispaniola
	Lagostomus crassus Thomas, 1910	Rodentia	1900 early 1900s	Peru
Galápagos giant rat	Megaoryzomys curioi Niethammer, 1964	Rodentia	1500s	Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos
Cuban coney	Geocapromys columbianus Chapman, 1892	Rodentia	1500 early 1500s	Cuba
Hispaniolan edible rat	Brotomys voratus Miller, 1916	Rodentia	1536–1546	Hispaniola
Puerto Rican hutia	Isolobodon portoricensis Allen, 1916	Rodentia	1900 early 1900s	Hispaniola and introduced to Puerto Rico, Saint Thomas Island, Saint Croix Island and Mona Island
Big-eared hopping mouse	Notomys macrotis Thomas, 1921	Rodentia	1843	Australia (central Western Australia)
Darling Downs hopping mouse	Notomys mordax Thomas, 1921	Rodentia	1846	Australia (Darling Downs, Queensland)
White-footed rabbit-rat	Conilurus albipes Lichtenstein, 1829	Rodentia	1860 early 1860s	Australia, eastern coast
Capricorn rabbit rat	Conilurus capricornensis Cramb and Hocknull, 2010	Rodentia	1500 early 1500s	Australia, Queensland
St Lucy giant rice rat, or Santa Lucian pilorie	Megalomys luciae Major, 1901	Rodentia	1881	Saint Lucia
Short-tailed hopping mouse	Notomys amplus Brazenor, 1936	Rodentia	1896	Australia, Great Sandy Desert
Nelson's rice rat	Oryzomys nelsoni Merriam, 1889	Rodentia	1897	Islas Marías
Long-tailed hopping mouse	Notomys longicaudatus Gould, 1844	Rodentia	1901	Australia
Great hopping mouse	Notomys robustus Mahoney, Smith and Medlin, 2008	Rodentia	1500 early 1500s	Australia, Flinders and Davenport Ranges
Desmarest's pilorie, or Antillean giant rice rat	Megalomys desmarestii Fischer, 1829	Rodentia	1902	Martinique
Bulldog rat	Rattus nativitatis Thomas, 1888	Rodentia	1903	Christmas Island
Maclear's rat	Rattus macleari Thomas, 1887	Rodentia	1903	Christmas Island
Darwin's Galapagos mouse	Nesoryzomys darwini Osgood, 1929	Rodentia	1930	Galapagos Islands
Gould's mouse	Pseudomys gouldii Waterhouse, 1839	Rodentia	1930	Australia, southern half
Long-eared mouse	Pseudomys auritus Thomas, 1910	Rodentia	1800 early 1800s	Australia, Kangaroo Island and the Younghusband Peninsula
Pemberton's deer mouse	Peromyscus pembertoni Burt, 1932	Rodentia	1931	San Pedro Nolasco Island
Samana hutia	Plagiodontia ipnaeum Johnson, 1948	Rodentia	1500 early 1500s	Hispaniola
Lesser stick-nest rat, or white-tipped stick-nest rat	Leporillus apicalis John Gould, 1854	Rodentia	1933	Australia, west-central
Indefatigable Galapagos mouse	Nesoryzomys indefessus Thomas, 1899	Rodentia	1934	Galapagos Islands
Little Swan Island hutia	Geocapromys thoracatus True, 1888	Rodentia	1955	Swan Islands
Blue-gray mouse	Pseudomys glaucus Thomas, 1910	Rodentia	1956	Australia, Queensland and New South Wales
Buhler's coryphomys, or Buhler's rat	Coryphomys buehleri Schaub, 1937	Rodentia	1500 early 1500s	Timor
Insular cave rat	Heteropsomys insulans Anthony, 1916	Rodentia	1500 early 1500s	Puerto Rico and the Vieques Island
Candango mouse	Juscelinomys candango Moojen, 1965	Rodentia	1960	Central Brazil
Anthony's woodrat	Neotoma anthonyi Allen, 1898	Rodentia	1926	Isla Todos Santos
Bunker's woodrat	Neotoma bunkeri Burt, 1932	Rodentia	1931	Coronado Islands
San Martín Island woodrat	Neotoma martinensis Goldman, 1905	Rodentia	1950s	San Martín Island, Baja California
Vespucci's rodent	Noronhomys vespuccii Carleton and Olson, 1999	Rodentia	1500	Fernando de Noronha
St. Vincent colilargo, or St. Vincent pygmy rice rat	Oligoryzomys victus Thomas, 1898	Rodentia	1892	Saint Vincent
Jamaican rice rat	Oryzomys antillarum Thomas, 1898	Rodentia	1877	Jamaica
Nevis Rice Rat, or St. Eustatius rice rat, St. Kitts rice rat	Pennatomys nivalis Turvey, Weksler, Morris, and Nokkert, 2010	Rodentia	1500 early 1500s
Christmas Island pipistrelle	Pipistrellus murrayi Andrews, 1900	Chiroptera	2009	Christmas Island
Sardinian pika	Prolagus sardus Wagner, 1832	Lagomorpha	1774	Corsica, Sardinia and nearby islands
Marcano's solenodon	Solenodon marcanoi Patterson, 1962	Soricomorpha	1500s	Dominican Republic
Puerto Rican nesophontes	Nesophontes edithae Anthony, 1916	Eulipotyphla	1500 early 1500s	Puerto Rico, Vieques Island, St. John, and St. Thomas
Atalaye nesophontes	Nesophontes hypomicrus Miller, 1929	Eulipotyphla	1500 early 1500s	Hispaniola
Greater Cuban nesophontes	Nesophontes major Arredondo, 1970	Eulipotyphla	1500 early 1500s	Cuba
Western Cuban nesophontes	Nesophontes micrus Allen, 1917	Eulipotyphla	1500 early 1500s	Cuba and the Isla de la Juventud
St. Michel nesophontes	Nesophontes paramicrus Miller, 1929	Eulipotyphla	1500 early 1500s	Haiti
Haitian nesophontes	Nesophontes zamicrus Miller, 1929	Eulipotyphla	1500 early 1500s	Haiti
Lesser Mascarene flying fox, or dark flying fox	Pteropus subniger kerr, 1792	Chiroptera	1864	Réunion and Mauritius
Guam flying fox, or Guam fruit bat	Pteropus tokudae Tate, 1934	Chiroptera	1968	Guam
Dusky flying fox, or Percy Island flying fox	Pteropus brunneus Dobson, 1878	Chiroptera	1870	Percy Island
Large Palau flying fox	Pteropus pilosus Andersen, 1908	Chiroptera	1874	Palau
Large sloth lemur	Palaeopropithecus ingens Grandidier, 1899	Primate	1620	In green
Jamaican monkey	Xenothrix mcgregori Williams and Koopman, 1952	Primate	1700 early 1700s	Jamaica, Long Mile Cave
Aurochs	Bos primigenius Bojanus, 1827	Artiodactyla	1627
Bluebuck	Hippotragus leucophaeus Pallas, 1766	Artiodactyla	1800
Red gazelle	Eudorcas rufina Thomas, 1894	Artiodactyla	1800 late 1800s	Algeria
Schomburgk's deer	Rucervus schomburgki Blyth, 1863	Artiodactyla	1932	Thailand
Queen of Sheba's gazelle, or Yemen gazelle	Gazella bilkis Grover and Lay, 1985	Artiodactyla	1951	Yemen
Saudi gazelle	Gazella saudiya Carruthers and Schwarz, 1935	Artiodactyla	2008	Arabian Peninsula
Madagascan dwarf hippopotamus, or Malagasy hippo	Hippopotamus lemerlei Milne-Edwards, 1868	Artiodactyla	1500 early 1500s	Madagascar
Madagascan dwarf hippopotamus, or Madagascan pygmy Hippo, Malagasy hippo	Hippopotamus madagascariensis Guldberg, 1883	Artiodactyla	1500 early 1500s	Madagascar
Falkland Islands wolf, or warrah	Dusicyon australis Kerr, 1792	Carnivora	1876	Falkland Islands
	Dusicyon avus Burmeister, 1866	Carnivora	1500 early 1500s	Patagonia
Sea mink	Neovison macrodon Prentiss, 1903	Carnivora	1894	Northeastern North America
Japanese sea lion	Zalophus japonicus Peters, 1866	Carnivora	1970s	Japan
Caribbean monk seal	Neomonachus tropicalis Gray, 1850	Carnivora	1952	Caribbean Sea
Giant fossa	Cryptoprocta spelea Grandidier, 1902	Carnivora	1500 early 1500s

Extinct in the wild

A species that is extinct in the wild is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as only known by living members kept in captivity or as a naturalized population outside its historic range due to massive habitat loss. A species is declared extinct in the wild after thorough surveys have inspected its historic range and failed to find evidence of a surviving individual.

Common name	Binomial name	Order	Date of extinction	Former range	Picture
Père David's deer	Elaphurus davidianus Milne-Edwards, 1866	Artiodactyla	1939	China
Scimitar oryx	Oryx dammah Cretzschmar, 1827	Artiodactyla	2000	Sahara desert

Possibly extinct

Extinction of taxa is difficult to detect as long gaps without a sighting is not definitive. Some mammals declared as extinct may very well reappear. For example, a study found that 36% of purported mammalian extinction had been resolved, while the rest either had validity issues (insufficient evidence) or had been rediscovered. As of December 2015, the IUCN lists 30 mammalian species as "critically endangered (possibly extinct)".

Common name	Binomial name	Order	Last confirmed sighting	Range	Picture
Kouprey, or gray ox, forest ox	Bos sauveli Urbain, 1937	Artiodactyla	1988
Garrido's hutia	Capromys garridoi Varona, 1970	Rodentia	1989	Cayo Maja
Christmas Island shrew	Crocidura trichura Dobson, 1889	Rodentia	1985
Wimmer's shrew	Crocidura wimmeri de Balsac and Aellen, 1958	Rodentia	1976
De Winton's golden mole	Cryptochloris wintoni Broom, 1907	Rodentia	1937
Wondiwoi tree-kangaroo	Dendrolagus mayri Rothschild and Dollman, 1933	Diprotodontia	2018	Papua New Guinea, Wondiwoi Peninsula
Baiji, or Yangtze river dolphin, whitefin dolphin, white flag dolphin, Chinese lake dolphin, Changjiang dolphin	Lipotes vexillifer Miller, 1918	Cetacea	2002
Zuniga's dark rice rat	Melanomys zunigae Sanborn	Rodentia	1949	Peru, Lomas de Atocongo (hills near Lima)
Dwarf hutia	Mesocapromys nanus Allen, 1917	Rodentia	1937	Ciénaga de Zapata
San Felipe hutia, or little Earth hutia	Mesocapromys sanfelipensis Varona & Garrido, 1970	Rodentia	1978	Cuba
One-striped opossum	Monodelphis unistriata Wagner, 1842	Didelphimorphia	1899
Gloomy tube-nosed bat	Murina tenebrosa Yoshiyuki, 1970	Chiroptera	1962	Tsushima Island and possibly Yaku Island
New Zealand greater short-tailed bat	Mystacina robusta Dwyer, 1962	Chiroptera	1967	Big South Cape Island
Ethiopian amphibious rat, or Ethiopian water mouse	Nilopegamys plumbeus Osgood, 1928	Rodentia	1920s	Mouth of the Lesser Abay River
Lord Howe long-eared bat	Nyctophilus howensis McKean, 1975	Chiroptera	1972	Lord Howe Island
Angel Island mouse	Peromyscus guardia Townsend, 1912	Rodentia	1991	Isla Ángel de la Guarda
Puebla deer mouse	Peromyscus mekisturus Merriam, 1898	Rodentia	1950s	Ciudad Serdan and Tehuacán
Telefomin cuscus	Phalanger matanim Flannery, 1987	Diprotodontia	1997
Montane monkey-faced bat	Pteralopex pulchra Flannery, 1991	Chiroptera	1990s
Aru flying fox	Pteropus aruensis Peter, 1867	Chiroptera	1992
Vanikoro flying fox	Pteropus tuberculatus Peters, 1869	Chiroptera	1980 early 1900s
Emma's giant rat	Uromys emmae Groves and Flannery, 1994	Rodentia	1990s	Owi Island of the Paidaido Islands, Papua Province
Emperor rat	Uromys imperator Thomas, 1888	Rodentia	1888	Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal rat	Uromys porculus Thomas, 1904	Rodentia	1888	Guadalcanal
Central rock rat	Zyzomys pedunculatus Waite, 1896	Rodentia	2001
Malabar large-spotted civet, or Malabar civet	Viverra civettina Blyth, 1862	Carnivora	1980 late 1900s
Bouvier's red colobus	Piliocolobus bouvieri Groves, 2007	Primate	2015	Right bank of the Congo river

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Mamíferos extintos en época histórica para niños