Humans are not always adept at self-control, especially when faced with something that seems both plentiful and tempting. While species extinction usually has multiple causes, the extinction of some species can be almost directly linked to the insatiable appetite of modern humans. Read on to learn about some of the animals that have been lost due to our unrestrained exploitation.
1. Mammoth - Mammuthus primigenius
Mammoths are best known for the numerous well-preserved frozen mammoth carcasses found in Siberia. These massive creatures went extinct approximately 7,500 years ago, shortly after the end of the last Ice Age. While climate change undoubtedly played a significant role in their extinction, recent research suggests that humans may have been the primary cause, or at least the ultimate driving force. The combined pressures of widespread hunting and global warming created a deadly situation where even the enormous and powerful mammoths could not withstand the voracious appetites of humans in this ever-changing world.
2. Auk - Pinguinus impennis
Auks are flightless seabirds that primarily breed on rocky islands in the North Atlantic, including St. Kilda, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Fink Island near Newfoundland. These birds are about 75 centimeters (30 inches) long and have short wings adapted for swimming. Auks have virtually no defenses, making them easy prey for predatory hunters as early as the beginning of the 19th century. Sailors captured large numbers of auks, typically driving them onto planks and then slaughtering them as they entered the ship's hold. The last known specimen was killed in June 1844 on Eldi Island in Iceland and is now in a museum collection.
3. Eurasian bison - Bos primigenius primigenius
The Eurasian bison, one of the ancestors of modern cattle, was a large bison that was once widely distributed across the steppes of Europe, Siberia, and Central Asia. A majestic animal, reaching up to 1.8 meters (6 feet) in shoulder height, the Eurasian bison possessed enormous, forward-curving horns and was renowned for its aggressive nature. In ancient Rome, the Eurasian bison was used in bullfights. As prey, the Eurasian bison suffered excessive hunting, leading to localized extinctions in many areas of its range. By the 13th century, its numbers had drastically declined, and only nobles and royalty in Eastern Europe had the right to hunt them. A royal survey in 1564 recorded only 38 Eurasian bison, and the last known female died of natural causes in Poland in 1627.
4. Passenger Pigeon - Ectopistes migratorius
The migratory pigeon was known for its massive migrations, which once darkened the skies for days on end, but it became extinct in the early 20th century due to overhunting. Billions of these gregarious birds, resembling mourning pigeons, once inhabited eastern North America. As American settlers expanded westward, millions of migratory pigeons were hunted each year for food, transported by train to city markets. Hunters frequently raided their nesting sites, sometimes wiping out entire populations within a single breeding season. From 1870 onwards, the species declined drastically, and despite attempts at captivity, conservation efforts failed. The last known migratory pigeon, named Martha, died on September 1, 1914, at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio.
5. The manatee (Hydrodamalis gigas) has been extinct since the 18th century. It fed on kelp that grew near the coast.
In 1741, German naturalist Georg W. Steller discovered the Steller's manatee, which once inhabited the nearshore areas near the Commandor Islands in the Bering Sea. The Steller's manatee was much larger than modern manatees and dugongs, reaching 9 to 10 meters (over 30 feet) in length and weighing approximately 10 tons (22,000 pounds). These large, docile animals floated on the surface of coastal waters; unfortunately, they had almost no ability to dive. This made them easy targets for Russian seal hunters who used harpoons, as they were seen as a source of prey for long sea voyages. This hunting was often unrestrained, leading to the species' extinction in 1768, less than 30 years after its initial discovery. No well-preserved specimens exist today.
6. Dodo - Raphus cucullatus
"Extinct like the dodo." Indeed. These flightless, ground-nesting birds once thrived on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Larger than a turkey, weighing about 23 kilograms (approximately 50 pounds), the dodo had bluish-grey feathers and a large head. With no natural predators, the dodo was initially untroubled when discovered by Portuguese sailors around 1507. However, these sailors and subsequent navigators quickly hunted them extensively, as they were an easy source of fresh meat. Later, monkeys, pigs, and rats were introduced to the island, a disaster for the increasingly weakened bird population, as these mammals preyed on their fragile eggs. The last dodo was killed in 1681. Sadly, scientific descriptions and museum specimens of this species are extremely rare.
