Extinct animals

Hint

Answer

The passive, flightless bird that was hunted to extinction by humans only about 100 years after its initial discovery in 1581.

Native to mainland Australia and Tasmania, they were declared extinct as recently as the 1930s after a century of intensive hunting encouraged by bounties (farmers feared that these animals were killing their sheep).

It was actually the most common bird in North America as recently as 200 years ago, and some reports counted single flocks numbering in the billions.

The effort to wipe this animal was so systematic that the killing of the last known pair was documented in gruesome detail. On July 3rd, 1844, a hunter named Sigurður Ísleifsson had strangled the last two adults, while his partner Ketill Ketilsson smashed the egg the animals had been incubating with his boot.

What looks like a Hybrid cross between a zebra and a horse. Targeted mostly because of their unique and beautiful hides, These animals were wiped out by hunters by the 1870s. The last captive Animal, a mare, died Aug. 12, 1883 in Amsterdam Zoo.

Unique species native of the Falkland Islands. Settlers of the islands were threatened by the animal since they believed it hunted their sheep, so they systematically set out to shoot and poison the animals on a massive scale. The animal officially went extinct in 1876.

Found only in the Zanzibar archipelago of Tanzania. Due to the widespread but ridiculous belief among locals that these animals are kept by witches and sent by them to cause harm, an extermination campaign was launched and has been underway for decades.

The only known native animal to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Their demise was foreshadowed during Columbus’ 1494 voyage, when the tiny seals were first discovered. Described as “sea wolves” by Columbus himself, eight were recorded to have been killed and slaughtered for their meat.

The species' demise came shortly after its beautiful, colorful feathers became fashionable to wear as decorations in ladies' hats. The last known wild specimen was killed in Okeechobee County, Florida in 1904, and the species was officially declared extinct in 1939.

Recognized by the distinct reddish orange fur that covered its underparts, the animal was hunted to extinction almost entirely for the purpose of sport. In fact, they were often captured and used for the execution of criminals ad bestias after the Roman Empire expanded into North Africa.

Hunted for its fur and for sport, these animals were often chased down using greyhounds.

Prized for its fur, this tiny creature was vigorously hunted until its extinction in the 1860s. Unfortunately, the hunting of this animal was so rapid that there was never any time for its behavior to have been described by science.

This animal was once used for sacrificial purposes by the ancient Egyptians and was even mentioned in the Old Testament.

Related to the manatee and the dugong, this plump sea dweller once lived in the Arctic waters of the North Pacific. Because of the frigid waters where they lived, these animals grew to immense sizes, with reports putting them at around 30 feet long and weighing up to 10 tons.