GONE THE WAY OF THE DODO
Extinction is nothing new, and it’s been going on a lot longer than people have been messing up things. However, humanity’s track record isn’t very good at caring for animals that tend to be in short supply.
A partial listing of known extinct species:
1662 1852 1883 1936 1940s 1950s 1975 1976 1979 1982 1996 2000 2007 2019
Dodo
What: Flightless bird Where: Mauritius Why: Loss of habitat and food source
Great Auk
What: Flightless bird
Where: Rocky islands in the North Atlantic Why: Overhunting
Quagga What: A type of zebra Where: South Africa Why: Overhunting Tasmanian tiger What: Marsupial Where: Australia and Tasmania Why: Killed because of threat to livestock Bubal hartebeest
What: A type of antelope
Where: North Africa
Why: Overhunting
Caribbean monk seal
What: Marine mammal
Where: Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico Why: Overhunting
Round Island burrowing boa What: Snake
Where: Round Island, near Mauritius Why: Killed off by nonnative species
Javan tiger
What: Cat
Where: Java, Indonesia
Why: Loss of habitat to development
Dutch Alcon blue butterfly What: Butterfly
Where: Netherlands
Why: Loss of habitat to development
Tecopa pupfish
What: Fish
Where: Mojave Desert hot springs Why: Loss of habitat to development
Zanzibar leopard
What: Cat
Where: Tanzania
Why: Hunted by superstitious locals
Pyrenean ibex What: Wild goat Where: Spain Why: Overhunting
Madeiran large white
What: Butterfly
Where: Portuguese islands Why: Loss of habitat to development
Indian/Asiatic cheetah
What: Cat
Where: India
Why: Extinct in India due to desertification