11 animals extinct less than 20 years ago
With numerous NGOs, awareness campaigns and environmentalists talking about it, virtually everyone knows that the world has lost several species of animals over the years. The cause? Us. Due to changes in nature - predatory hunting, deforestation, greenhouse effect etc. - caused by humans, the natural balance is being modified, and some animals, unfortunately, cannot resist it.
Although we have studied extinct species for several years, please be aware that some animals officially disappeared from the face of the Earth a short time ago during our lifetime. The BuzzFeed website has listed some of these examples that will surely lack the delicate balance of nature and that from now on they will only be known for drawing or photo records. Check out:
1 - Galapagos Giant Tortoise - June 24, 2012
The Lonesome George (or George the Loner) lived for apparently a century. A long time considering that George was quietly inhabiting the Galapagos during the period of two world wars. The sad part of the story, however, is the fact that he was the last of his kind.
When alive, the animal came to be considered one of the rarest creatures in the world, especially since it had no children or other known individuals of its subspecies - and that is possibly where the nickname "loner" comes from.
2 - Western Black Rhino - 2011
A victim of rampant hunting - despite efforts by environmentalists and protective laws - the black rhino subspecies was officially declared extinct in 2011. In addition, the remaining three remaining black rhino subspecies are also critically endangered.
3 - Winged Grebe - 2010
A lake in Madagascar was, until 2010, home to the species of a small diving duck. However, habitat loss and predation by carnivorous fish of non-native species have extinguished the alaotra loons.
4 - Caribbean Monk Seal - 2008
Representatives of this species were hunted extensively during the period from 1700 to 1800, especially because their fat was used as oil for lamps and machines. The last example of the Caribbean monk seal was seen alive in 1952, but it was not until 2008 that this species became officially extinct.
The extinction of these seals also means the disappearance of a species of insect that only lived inside the nose of these aquatic animals.
5 - Baiji Dolphin - 2006/2007
Declared extinct in 2006, the so-called baiji dolphin species was again considered "functionally extinct" in 2007. Such categorization occurred after a video captured five years ago featured what appeared to be an animal of this species. However, even if there is only one of these living creatures, others will not be born.
6 - Poʻouli - 2004
Even though technically listed as "critically endangered", this Hawaiian bird species can be considered extinct since 2004, as no representative has been found in the wild in recent years.
Many point out that the main reason for this extinction was the appearance of non-native species in the Hawaiian ecosystem - which caused the decline of this bird species and an imbalance in nature.
7 - Mariana Mallard - 2004
This species of duck was considered extinct in 2004, but the last pair of these birds was seen in the wild as early as 1979. The loss of habitat - caused by draining swamps for agriculture and the damage to nature brought about by World War II - was the main reason that caused the decline of this species, which was found on only three Pacific islands.
8 - Pyrenees Ibex - 2000
The last representative of this mammal species was killed in 2000 by a tree that fell on it. Still, scientists tried to keep the lineage alive by creating a clone in 2009. This, however, died still small due to complications in the lungs.
9 - The Java Tiger - 1994
This subspecies of tiger lived in Java, an island of Indonesia. As early as 1984, a representative of her was killed, but until 1993 scientists could find no other evidence that these tigers were still there. Apparently the main cause of extinction was the loss of habitat caused by agriculture in the region.
10 - Ivory Woodpecker - 1994
The last ivory-billed woodpecker was seen in the wild in 1940. Since then, there have been several reports of people who have spotted these birds. In addition, a 2002 audio recording caused a stir among scientists and aficionados to look for birds of this species - apparently the sound of a bird pecking a tree. Despite some promising clues, the bird remains officially extinct.
11 - Canarian Oystercatcher - 1994
The photo above is actually from another bird that visually looks almost like the Canarian Oystercatcher. These seabirds in the Canary Islands died from the depletion of their food source caused by commercial fishing.
Source: BuzzFeed
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