List of extinct animals of North America
Encyclopedia
This is an incomplete list of extinct
animals of North America. This list covers only extinctions from the Holocene
epoch, a geological period that extends from the present day back to about 10,000 radiocarbon years, approximately 11,430 ± 130 calendar years BP
(between 9560 and 9300 BC
).
Recent extinctions (1500 AD to present)
|Species
|Common Name
|Location(s)
|Comments
|Pictures
|-
Recent extinctions (1500 AD to present)
Possibly Extinct
Modern extinctions (1500 AD to present)
Possibly Extinct
Possibly Extinct
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
animals of North America. This list covers only extinctions from the Holocene
Holocene
The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...
epoch, a geological period that extends from the present day back to about 10,000 radiocarbon years, approximately 11,430 ± 130 calendar years BP
Before Present
Before Present years is a time scale used in archaeology, geology, and other scientific disciplines to specify when events in the past occurred. Because the "present" time changes, standard practice is to use AD 1950 as the origin of the age scale, reflecting the fact that radiocarbon...
(between 9560 and 9300 BC
Anno Domini
and Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
).
Mammals
Prehistoric extinctions (beginning of the Holocene to 1500 AD)- American cheetahs Miracinonyx trumani and Miracinonyx inexpectatus, 11000 BC.
- American lionAmerican lionThe American lion — also known as the North American lion, Naegele’s giant jaguar or American cave lion — is an extinct lion of the family Felidae, endemic to North America during the Pleistocene epoch , existing for approximately...
Panthera leo atrox, USA, Canada and Mexico, 10000 BC - American mastodonAmerican mastodonThe American mastodon is an extinct North American proboscidean that lived from about 3.7 million years ago until about 10,000 BC. It was the last surviving member of the mastodon family. Fossil finds range from present-day Alaska and New England in the north, to Florida, southern...
Mammut americanum, USA and Canada, 4080 BC - American scimitar catsHomotheriumHomotherium is an extinct genus of machairodontine saber-toothed cats, often termed scimitar cats, endemic to North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa during the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs , existing for approximately .It first became extinct in Africa some 1.5 million years ago...
Homotherium, ssp., USA, Canada, Mexico, 10000 BC - Ancient bison Bison antiquus, USA, 8000 BC.
- Beringian cave lion Panthera leo vereshchagini, Northern USA and Canada, 11000 BC.
- California tapirsCalifornia tapirsThe California tapir is a term that is applied to either of two species of tapirs that concurrently inhabited the North American continent during the Pleistocene era – Tapirus californicus and Tapirus merriami. Both species went extinct approximately 13,000 to 11,000 B.C...
Tapirus californicus and Tapirus merriami, USA, 11000 BC. - Caribbean ground slothsPilosans of the CaribbeanThe mammalian order Pilosa, which includes the sloths and anteaters, includes various species from the Caribbean region. Many species of sloths are known from the Greater Antilles, all of which went extinct over the last millennia, but some sloths and anteaters survive on islands closer to the...
, ssp. Caribbean islands, 5000 BC. - Columbian mammothColumbian MammothThe Columbian Mammoth is an extinct species of elephant of the Quaternary period that appeared in North America during the late Pleistocene. It is believed by some authorities to be the same species as its slightly larger cousin, M...
Mammuthus columbi, USA and Mexico, 5800 BC. - Dire wolfDire WolfThe Dire Wolf, Canis dirus, is an extinct carnivorous mammal of the genus Canis, and was most common in North America and South America from the Irvingtonian stage to the Rancholabrean stage of the Pleistocene epoch living 1.80 Ma – 10,000 years ago, existing for approximately .- Relationships...
Canis dirus, USA, Canada, Mexico, 8000 BC. - Florida giant beaverCastoroides leiseyorumCastoroides leiseyorum is an extinct species of the genus Castoroides of the family Castoridae, endemic to North America, more specifically the southeastern United States ~2.1 million—11,000 years ago. See notes below....
Castoroides leiseyorum, Florida, USA, 11000 BC. - Florida saber-toothed catXenosmilusXenosmilus is a genus of extinct Machairodontinae, or saber-toothed cat. Two fairly intact specimens were found by amateur fossil hunters, in 1983 in the Haile limestone mines in Alachua County, Florida...
Xenosmilus hodsonae, USA, 11000 BC. - Florida spectacled bear Tremarctos floridanus, USA, 8000 BC.
- Giant beaverGiant BeaverCastoroides ohioensis was a species of giant beaver, huge members of the family Castoridae , endemic to North America during the Pleistocene epoch .-Morphology:...
Castoroides ohioensis, Great Lakes region, 11000 BC. - Giant hutiaGiant hutiaThe giant hutias are an extinct group of large rodents known from fossil and subfossil material in the West Indies. One species, Amblyrhiza inundata, is estimated to have weighed between , big specimens being as large as an American Black Bear...
ssp. Caribbean islands, 1000 BC. - Giant polar bearUrsus maritimus tyrannusUrsus maritimus tyrannus was a very large fossil subspecies of polar bear, descended from an Arctic population of brown bears. Its name in Latin means tyrant sea bear. The species is mentioned by Björn Kurtén, who assigned it to a Polar bear subspecies, U. m. tyrannus. Its bones have been found in...
Ursus maritimus tyrannus, ArcticArcticThe Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
region. - Giant short-faced bear Arctodus simus, USA, 8000 BC.
- Glyptotherium ssp. USA and Mexico, 8000 BC.
- Hagerman horseHagerman HorseThe Hagerman horse , also called the Hagerman zebra or the American zebra, was a North American species of equid from the Pliocene period and the Pleistocene period. It was one of the oldest horses of the genus Equus. Discovered in 1928 in Hagerman, Idaho, it is believed to have been like the...
Equus simplicidens, USA, 10000 BC. - Harlan's ground slothParamylodonParamylodon is an extinct genus of ground sloth of the family Mylodontidae endemic to North America during the Pliocene through Pleistocene epochs, living from around ~4.9 Mya—11,000 years ago .-Overview:...
Paramylodon harlani, USA and Mexico, 11000 BC. - Harlan's muskox or Woodland Muskox Bootherium bombifrons, USA, 9000 BC.
- Harrington's mountain goatHarrington's Mountain GoatHarrington's Mountain Goat was a species of North American caprid that resided in the Southwest of the continent during the Pleistocene epoch. A relative of the modern Mountain Goat, which is the only existing species in the genus Oreamnos, O...
Oreamnos harringtoni, USA, 12000 10000 BC. - Ice Age bisonBison latifronsBison latifrons is an extinct species of bison that lived in North America during the Pleistocene. Also known as the giant bison, it reached a shoulder height of 2.5 metres , and had horns that spanned over 2 metres...
Bison latifrons, Canada, USA and Mexico, 22000 BC. - Imperial mammoth Mammuthus imperator, USA, 11000 BC.
- Jefferson's ground sloth Megalonyx jeffersonii, USA and Canada, 10000-9000BC.
- Large-headed llamaHemiaucheniaHemiauchenia is a genus of lamine camelids that evolved in North America in the Miocene period approximately 10 million years ago. This genus diversified and moved to South America in the early Pleistocene as part of the Great American Interchange, giving rise to modern lamines...
Hemiauchenia macrocephala, USA and Mexico, 11000 BC. - LeConte’s peccaryPlatygonusPlatygonus is an extinct genus of herbivorous peccary of the family Tayassuidae, endemic to North America from the Miocene through Pleistocene epochs , existing for approximately ....
Platygonus, ssp. USA, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, 11000 BC. - Long-nosed peccaryMylohyusMylohyus is an extinct genus of peccary found in North and Central America. It evolved in the Pliocene and its extinction is probably as recent as 9,000 years ago. It would have been familiar with early humans....
Mylohyus nasutus, ssp. USA, 9,000 BC. - Mountain deer Navahoceros fricki USA, 10000 BC.
- Mexican horseEquus conversidensEquus conversidens Owen 1869, or the Mexican Horse, was a Pleistocene species of horse, now extinct, that inhabited North America.Fossils found in Mexico, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Florida have been identified as Equus conversidens...
, Equus conversidens USA and Mexico, 11000 BC. - North American capybaraNeochoerus pinckneyiNeochoerus pinckneyi was a North American species of capybara. While capybaras originated in South America, formation of the Isthmus of Panama three million years ago allowed some of them to migrate north as part of the Great American Interchange...
Neochoerus pinckneyi, USA and Mexico, 11000 BC. - Northern pampathereHolmesinaHolmesina is a genus of pampathere, an extinct group of armadillo-like creatures that were distantly related to extant armadillos. Like armadillos, and unlike the other extinct branch of Cingulata, the glyptodonts, the shell was made up of flexible plates which allowed the animal to move more easily...
Holmesina septentrionalis, USA, 11000 BC. - Panamerican ground slothEremotheriumEremotherium is an extinct genus of actively mobile ground sloth of the family Megatheriidae, endemic to North America and South America during the Pleistocene epoch...
Eremotherium laurillardi, Canada, USA, Mexico, 11000 BC. - Pygmy mammothPygmy MammothThe Pygmy Mammoth or Channel Islands Mammoth is an extinct species of dwarf elephant descended from the Columbian mammoth . A case of island or insular dwarfism, M. exilis was only to tall at the shoulder and weighed about , in contrast to its tall, ancestor.Remains of M...
Mammuthus exilis, Channel IslandsChannel Islands of CaliforniaThe Channel Islands of California are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California along the Santa Barbara Channel in the United States of America...
of CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA, 10800-11300 BC. - Saber-tooth catsSmilodonSmilodon , often called a saber-toothed cat or saber-toothed tiger, is an extinct genus of machairodonts. This saber-toothed cat was endemic to North America and South America, living from near the beginning through the very end of the Pleistocene epoch .-Etymology:The nickname "saber-tooth" refers...
Smilodon fatalis and Smilodon populator, North and South America, 8000 BC. - Saiga antelopeSaiga AntelopeThe saiga is a Critically Endangered antelope which originally inhabited a vast area of the Eurasian steppe zone from the foothills of the Carpathians and Caucasus into Dzungaria and Mongolia. They also lived in North America during the Pleistocene...
Saiga tatarica, USA and Canada, 11000 BC. - Shasta ground slothNothrotheriopsNothrotheriops is a genus of Pleistocene ground sloth found in North and South America. This genus of bear-sized xenarthran was related to the much larger, and far more famous Megatherium, although it has recently been placed in a different family, Nothrotheriidae.-Discovery and species:Fossils of...
Nothrotheriops, spp. USA, 11000 BC. - Scott's horseEquus scottiEquus scotti is an extinct species of Equus, the genus that includes the horse. E. scotti was native to North America and likely evolved from earlier, more zebra-like North American equids early in the Pleistocene Epoch...
Equus scotti, USA and Mexico, 11000 BC. - Shrub-oxShrub-oxThe shrub-ox is an extinct genus and species of Bovidae native to North America. It is a close relative of the musk-ox....
Euceratherium collinum 9500 BC - Stag-mooseStag-mooseThe stag-moose or stag moose was a large, moose-like deer of North America of the Pleistocene epoch. It was slightly larger than the moose, with an elk-like head, long legs, and complex, palmate antlers...
Cervalces scotti, USA and Canada, 12000 BC. - Steppe wisentSteppe WisentThe Steppe Bison or steppe wisent was a bison found on steppes throughout Europe, Central Asia, Beringia, and North America during the Quaternary...
Bison priscus, Canada and Alaska, 12000 BC. - Stilt-legged llama Hemiauchenia macrocephala, USA and Mexico, 11000 BC.
- Stout-legged llamaPalaeolamaPalaeolama is an extinct North and South American genus of lamine camelid.Palaeolama mirifica, the "stout-legged llama", is known from southern California and the southeastern U. S...
Palaeolama mirifica, USA, 11000 BC - Tar-pit pronghornCapromeryx minorCapromeryx minor is a very small, extinct species of pronghorn-like antilocaprid ungulate discovered in the La Brea Tar Pits of California and elsewhere. It has been found at least as far east as the coast of Texas. It stood about 60 centimetres tall at the shoulders and weighed about 10...
Capromeryx minor, USA and Mexico, 11000 BC. - Western camelCamelopsCamelops is an extinct genus of camels that once roamed western North America, where it disappeared at the end of the Pleistocene about 10,000 years ago. Its name is derived from the Greek κάμελος + , thus "camel-face."-Background:...
Camelops hesternus, USA and Mexico, 8000 BC. - Woolly mammothWoolly mammothThe woolly mammoth , also called the tundra mammoth, is a species of mammoth. This animal is known from bones and frozen carcasses from northern North America and northern Eurasia with the best preserved carcasses in Siberia...
Mammuthus primigenius, Northern USA, 2000 BC. - Yukon wild horse Equus lambei, USA and Canada, 11000 BC.
Recent extinctions (1500 AD to present)
- Antillean Cave Rat
- Insular Cave RatInsular Cave Rat- Species and description :The Insular Cave Rat is an Extinct species of spiny rat native to Puerto Rico. The spiny rats are a group of hystricognath rodents in the family Echimyidae. They are distributed from Central America through much of South America. They were also found in the West Indies...
Heteropsomys insulans, 1600s - Corozal Rat
- Eastern CougarEastern CougarThe North American Cougar , is the cougar subspecies once commonly found in eastern North America and still prevalent in the western half of the continent...
Puma concolor couguar, 2011 - Puerto Rican ShrewPuerto Rican shrewThe Puerto Rican Nesophontes , or Puerto Rican Shrew, is an extinct soricomorph endemic to the island of Puerto Rico....
Nesophontes edithae. 1600s - Puerto Rican Long-nosed BatPuerto Rican Long-nosed BatThe Puerto Rican Long-Nosed Bat is an extinct species of bat, of the genus Monophyllus. This species of bat was never observed by European explorers, although the species was thought to have died out in the colonial era, due to indigenous artifacts indicating survival up to that time...
Monophyllus frater - Puerto Rican Long-tongued Bat
- Lesser Puerto Rican Ground Sloth
- Sherman's Pocket Gopher
- Goff's Pocket GopherGoff's Pocket GopherGoff's southeastern pocket gopher was a pocket gopher endemic to Brevard County, Florida, United States. The last sightings recorded were in 1955. They burrowed and lived mostly underground eating mainly underground vegetation. Their habitat was temperate desert and sandy coastline...
Geomys pinetis goffi - Tacoma Pocket GopherTacoma Pocket GopherThe Tacoma Pocket Gopher , was a subspecies of the Mazama Pocket Gopher that was restricted to a few isolated populations in the southern Puget Sound area and on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. The animal became extinct in 1970.-References:...
Thomomys mazama tacomensis - Giant Deer Mouse
- Pallid Beach MousePallid Beach MouseThe Pallid beach mouse or Ponce de Leon Beach Mouse was known from two locations in Florida, Ponce Park, Volusia County and Bulow, Flagler County. No individuals have been seen since 1959. The average Pallid Beach mouse was anywhere from 4 to 8 centimeters in length...
Peromyscus polionotus decoloratus, 1959 - Gull Island VoleGull Island voleThe Gull Island Vole is a subspecies of the Meadow Vole last collected in 1897. A ground-dwelling coastal beach grass herbivore endemic to Gull Island, New York, it disappeared after habitat destruction for naval fortifications in August 1898 for the Spanish-American War. Also, feral cats were...
Microtus pennsylvanicus nesophilus, 1897 - Louisiana Vole
- Puerto Rican HutiaPuerto Rican HutiaThe Puerto Rican Hutia is an extinct species of rodent in the Capromyidae family. It was found in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Puerto Rico....
Isolobodon portoricensis - Puerto Rican Paca
- Lesser Puerto Rican Agouti
- Greater Puerto Rican Agouti
- Sea MinkSea MinkThe Sea Mink, Neovison macrodon, is an extinct North American member of the family Mustelidae. It is the only mustelid, and one of only two terrestrial mammal species in the order Carnivora, to become extinct in historic times . The body of the sea mink was significantly longer than that of the...
Mustela macrodon, 1860 - Caribbean Monk SealCaribbean Monk SealThe Caribbean monk seal or West Indian monk seal is an extinct species of seal. It is the only seal ever known to be native to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The last verified recorded sighting occurred in 1952 at Serranilla Bank...
Monachus tropicalis, 1952 - Steller's Sea CowSteller's Sea CowSteller's sea cow was a large herbivorous marine mammal. In historical times, it was the largest member of the order Sirenia, which includes its closest living relative, the dugong , and the manatees...
Hydrodamalis gigas, 1763 - Columbia Basin Pygmy RabbitColumbia Basin Pygmy RabbitColumbia Basin Pygmy Rabbits are the world's smallest and among the rarest. Native only to a single area of Washington State called the Columbia Basin, this once isolated population of pygmy rabbits usually weighs less than a pound in adulthood and was declared extinct in the wild in the 1990s,...
subpopulation of Pygmy RabbitPygmy RabbitThe Pygmy Rabbit is a North American rabbit, and is one of only two rabbit species in America to dig its own burrow... - Arizona Wapiti
- Colorado Hog-nosed Skunk
- Smith Island Cottontail
- Allen's Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel
- Banks Island Wolf Canis lupus bernardi, 1920
- Cascade Mountains Wolf Canis lupus fuscus, 1940
- Antillean Giant Rice RatAntillean Giant Rice RatMegalomys desmarestii, also known as the Martinique Muskrat, Desmarest's Pilorie, or the Antillean Giant Rice Rat, is an extinct rice rat from Martinique in the Caribbean. It was among the largest species of West Indian rice rat, as big as a cat, and was one of the first Caribbean mammals to become...
- Eastern ElkEastern elkThe Eastern elk is one of six subspecies of elk that inhabited northern and eastern United States, and southern Canada. The last Eastern elk was shot in Pennsylvania on September 1, 1877. The subspecies was declared as extinct by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 1880...
Cervus canadensis canadiensis, 1887 - Merriam's ElkMerriam's ElkThe Merriam's Elk is an extinct subspecies of elk once found in the arid lands of the southwestern United States. Since the arrival of the Europeans uncontrolled hunting and cattle grazing had driven the subspecies into extinction over a century ago, with the exact presumed date being 1906...
Cervus canadensis merriami, 1913 - Arizona Jaguar Panthera onca arizonensis, 1905
- Tule ShrewTule ShrewThe Tule Shrew is a possibly extinct subspecies of the Ornate Shrew . It was confined to the Baja California peninsula in Mexico.-Description:...
Sorex ornatus juncensis, 1905
Birds
{| class = "wikitable sortable"|Species
|Common Name
|Location(s)
|Comments
|Pictures
|-
- Californian TurkeyCalifornian TurkeyThe Californian Turkey was a species of Meleagrididae from North America, especially California. It went extinct about 10,000 years ago....
Meleagris californica, USA, 10,000 BC. - Chendytes lawi, California, 1800 BC.
- Merriam's Teratorn, Southern USA, 8000 BC.
- Pleistocene Black Vulture, Western USA.
- Saint Croix MacawSaint Croix MacawThe Saint Croix Macaw is an extinct species of parrot from the Caribbean islands of Saint Croix and Puerto Rico. It was originally described by Alexander Wetmore in 1937 based on a subfossil limb bone unearthed by L. J. Korn in 1934 from a kitchen midden at an Amerindian archeological sites on...
, St. Croix, Virgin Islands. - Puerto Rican Obscure Bunting , Puerto Rico
- Antillean Cave RailAntillean Cave RailThe Antillean Cave Rail , also known as DeBooy's Rail, is an extinct rail species which occurred on Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands. Bone fragments of this species were first unearthed by archaeologist Theodoor de Booy in kitchen midden deposits on the Richmond estate near...
Recent extinctions (1500 AD to present)
- Labrador DuckLabrador DuckThe Labrador Duck was a striking black and white eider-like sea duck that was never common, and is believed to be the first bird to become extinct in North America after 1500. The last Labrador Duck is believed to have been seen at Elmira, New York on December 12, 1878; the last preserved specimen...
, - Heath HenHeath HenThe Heath Hen was a distinctive subspecies of the Greater Prairie Chicken, Tympanuchus cupido, a large North American bird in the grouse family, or possibly a distinct species....
, - Spectacled CormorantSpectacled CormorantThe Spectacled Cormorant or Pallas's Cormorant is an extinct marine bird of the cormorant family of seabirds that inhabited Bering Island and possibly other places in the Komandorski Islands and the nearby coast of Kamchatka...
, - Atitlán GrebeAtitlán GrebeThe Atitlán Grebe , also known as Giant Grebe, Giant Pied-billed Grebe, or Poc, is an extinct water bird, a relative of the Pied-billed Grebe. It was endemic at the Lago de Atitlán in Guatemala at an altitude of 1700 m asl. Thanks to the field work of the American ecologist Anne LaBastille, its...
- Bermuda Night HeronBermuda Night HeronThe Bermuda Night Heron is an extinct heron species from Bermuda. It is sometimes assigned to the genus Nycticorax. It was first described in 2006 by Storrs L. Olson and David B. Wingate from subfossil material found in the Pleistocene and Holocene deposits in caves and ponds of Bermuda...
, - Virgin Islands Screech-Owl,
- Mauge's Parakeet,
- Carolina ParakeetCarolina ParakeetThe Carolina Parakeet was the only parrot species native to the eastern United States. It was found from the Ohio Valley to the Gulf of Mexico, and lived in old forests along rivers. It was the only species at the time classified in the genus Conuropsis...
, Conuropsis carolinensis - Passenger PigeonPassenger PigeonThe Passenger Pigeon or Wild Pigeon was a bird, now extinct, that existed in North America and lived in enormous migratory flocks until the early 20th century...
, Ectopistes migratorius - Guadalupe CaracaraGuadalupe CaracaraThe Guadalupe Caracara, Caracara lutosa, is an extinct bird of prey belonging to the falcon family . It was, together with the closely related Crested and Southern Caracara, formerly placed in the genus Polyborus. It was also known as the Quelili or the Calalie.This species inhabited Mexico's...
- Bahaman Barn OwlTyto pollensTyto pollens, also known as Andros Island Barn Owl, Bahamian Barn Owl, Bahamian Great Owl, or "Chickcharnie," was a , flightless barn owl that lived in the old-growth pineyards of Andros Island...
- Brace's EmeraldBrace's EmeraldBrace's Emerald is an extinct species of hummingbird which was endemic to the main island of the Bahamas, New Providence.-Description:...
- Gould's EmeraldGould's EmeraldThe Gould's Emerald is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family. It was described based on a single specimen of unknown origin, but Jamaica or the Bahamas are likely. Except for the type specimen, there are no records, and it is presumed extinct.-Source:* BirdLife International 2004. . ...
- Great AukGreat AukThe Great Auk, Pinguinus impennis, formerly of the genus Alca, was a large, flightless alcid that became extinct in the mid-19th century. It was the only modern species in the genus Pinguinus, a group of birds that formerly included one other species of flightless giant auk from the Atlantic Ocean...
, - Grand Cayman ThrushGrand Cayman ThrushThe Grand Cayman Thrush is an extinct bird from the family of thrushes . It was endemic to Grand Cayman.-Description:...
, Turdus ravidus - Dusky Seaside SparrowDusky Seaside SparrowThe Dusky Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus nigrescens, was a non-migratory subspecies of the Seaside Sparrow, found in Southern Florida in the natural salt marshes of Merritt Island and along the St. Johns River...
, Ammodramus maritimus nigrescens - Guadeloupe Burrowing Owl, Speotyto cunicularia guadeloupensis
- Guadeloupe ParakeetGuadeloupe ParakeetThe Guadeloupe Parakeet might have been a species of parrot that was endemic to Guadeloupe.Jean-Baptiste Labat described a population of small parrots living on Guadeloupe, which have been postulated to be a separate species based on little evidence. They were called Conurus labati, and are now...
, Aratinga labati (18th Century) - Guadeloupe Parrot, Amazona violacea (1779)
- Lesser Antillean MacawLesser Antillean MacawThe Lesser Antillean Macaw also known as Guadeloupe Macaw is a hypothetical extinct species of macaw species from the Antilles island of Guadeloupe. It was first described in detail by Jean-Baptiste Du Tertre in 1654 and 1657 and later in 1742 by Jean Baptiste Labat...
, Ara guadeloupensis (1760) - Cuban Red MacawCuban Red MacawThe Cuban Red Macaw, Ara tricolor, is an extinct species of parrot that was native to Cuba and the Isla de la Juventud, an island off the coast of west Cuba. At about long it was one of the smaller members of the Ara genus of macaws. It was the last species of macaw native to the Caribbean...
- Martinique House Wren, Troglodytes aedon martinicensis
- Martinique Parrot, Amazona martinicana (1779)
- Slender-billed GrackleSlender-billed GrackleThe Slender-billed Grackle was a species of bird in the icterid family Icteridae. The species was closely related to the western clade of the Great-tailed Grackle, from which it diverged around 1.2 million years ago....
, Quiscalus palustris
Possibly Extinct
- Guadalupe Storm-petrelGuadalupe Storm-petrelThe Guadalupe Storm Petrel is a small seabird of the storm petrel family Hydrobatidae. It is apparently extinct.-Description and ecology:...
, - Bachman's WarblerBachman's WarblerThe Bachman's Warbler, Vermivora bachmanii, is a small passerine bird that inhabits the swamps and lowland forests of the southeast United States. This warbler is a migrant, wintering in Cuba. The Bachman’s Warbler is small for a warbler and is unique for its thin and decurved bill. It has strong...
, - Eskimo CurlewEskimo CurlewThe Eskimo or the "Northern Curlew" is a critically endangered shorebird, now considered by many to be extinct.-Taxonomy:The Eskimo Curlew is one of eight species of curlew, and is classed with them in the genus Numenius. It was formerly placed in the separate genus Mesoscolopax. Numenius is...
, - Imperial WoodpeckerImperial WoodpeckerThe Imperial Woodpecker is – or was – a member of the woodpecker family Picidae. If it is not extinct, it is the world's largest woodpecker species at 56-60 cm long...
, - Semper's WarblerSemper's WarblerThe Semper's Warbler is an extremely rare or possibly extinct New World Warbler which is endemic to Saint Lucia, part of the Lesser Antilles.-Description:...
Reptiles
Prehistoric extinctions (Holocene to 1500AD)- Mona Tortoise,
Modern extinctions (1500 AD to present)
- Navassa Curly-tailed LizardNavassa Curly-tailed LizardThe Navassa curly-tailed lizard is an extinct lizard species from the family of curly-tailed lizards . It is known only from the one female specimen from which it was described in 1868...
, - Navassa Iguana,
- Navassa Island Dwarf Boa,
- Sulcate Blind Snake,
- Saint Croix RacerSaint Croix RacerThe Saint Croix Racer was a species of snake in the Colubridae family.It was endemic to the U.S. Virgin Islands.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996. . Downloaded on 28 July 2007....
, - Martinique Giant AmeivaMartinique Giant AmeivaThe Martinique Giant Ameiva was a species of lizard in the Teiidae family.It is believed to have been endemic to Martinique, though at least one scholar disputes this, instead placing it on Les Iles de la Petite Terre within the Guadeloupean archipelago. It is known only from museum specimens...
, Ameiva major - Martinique Lizard, Leiocephalus herminieri (1830s)
- Ameiva cineraceaAmeiva cineraceaThe Guadeloupe Ameiva was a species of Teiidae lizard that was endemic to Guadeloupe. It is known from specimens collected by early European explorers. The fossil record shows that it once ranged across Guadeloupe, La Désirade, Marie-Galante, and Îles des Saintes, but in most recent times it was...
(early 20th Century, GuadeloupeGuadeloupeGuadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
)
Possibly Extinct
- Culebra Island Giant AnoleCulebra Island Giant AnoleThe Culebra Island Giant Anole or is an extremely rare or possibly extinct lizard of the genus Anolis in the family Polychrotidae.-Taxonomy:...
,
Amphibians
- Vegas Valley Leopard FrogVegas Valley Leopard FrogThe Vegas Valley Leopard frog is a species of frog previously declared extinct. Once it occurred in the Las Vegas Valley, as well as Tule Springs, Clark County, southern Nevada, United States of America, at elevations between 370 and 760 m. It was believed to be the only frog endemic to the United...
, - Catahoula Salamander,
- Golden ToadGolden toadThe golden toad was a small, shiny, bright true toad that was once abundant in a small region of high-altitude cloud-covered tropical forests, about 30 square kilometers in area, above the city of Monteverde, Costa Rica. For this reason, it is sometimes also called the Monteverde golden toad, or...
, Costa Rica
Possibly Extinct
- Golden CoquiGolden coquíThe Golden coquí is a rare and possibly extinct leptodactylid frog species endemic to Puerto Rico.-General description:...
, - Mottled CoquíMottled CoquíEneida's Coquí is a species of Coquí, a small variety of frog endemic to the main island of Puerto Rico and its archipelago. Known as Coquí de Eneida in Puerto Rico, this amphibian is mainly terrestrial. Its average adult size is from one to 1 3/16 inches. It has a number of small warts...
- Web-footed CoquíWeb-footed CoquiThe Web-footed Coqui also known as Karl's Robber Frog is a possible extinct Puerto Rican frog species from the coquí genus.-Description:...
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Fish
- Longjaw CiscoLongjaw ciscoThe longjaw cisco was a deep water cisco or chub, usually caught at depths of 100 metres or more from Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Erie. Its Latin name was derived from Alpena, a city in Michigan...
, - Deepwater CiscoDeepwater ciscoThe deepwater cisco was one of the largest ciscoes in the Great Lakes. Its average length was 30cm and it was about 1.0 kilogram in weight...
, - Lake Ontario Kiyi,
- Blackfin CiscoBlackfin ciscoThe blackfin cisco is a North American salmonid fish in the freshwater whitefish sub-family Coregoninae. This silvery, deep-bodied fish with black fins, large eyes, a blunt snout and a terminal mouth, is one of the largest species of ciscoes...
, - Yellowfin Cutthroat TroutYellowfin cutthroat troutThe yellowfin cutthroat trout , a subspecies of the cutthroat trout, was officially identified in 1891 and named after the US Fish Commissioner, MacDonald...
, - Alvord Cutthroat TroutAlvord cutthroat troutThe Alvord cutthroat trout, Oncorhynchus clarki alvordensis, was a subspecies of cutthroat trout. It was native to spring-fed creeks that ran down to Alvord Dry Lake in southeast Oregon, which was a large lake during the ice ages and an isolated drainage, part of the Great Basin today...
, - Silver TroutSilver troutThe silver trout is an extinct trout species last seen in Dublin Pond, New Hampshire, in 1930, in a catch of six. The only properly confirmed occurrence of the fish was also in Dublin Pond....
, - Maravillas Red Shiner,
- Independence Valley Tui ChubIndependence Valley tui chubThe Independence Valley tui chub, Gila bicolor isolata, was a subspecies of tui chub endemic to the drainage of the Independence Valley in northern Nevada. Described as "abundant" when first collected and identified in 1965, it was extinct within less than a decade due to the introduction of...
, - Thicktail ChubThicktail chubThe Thicktail chub was a type of minnow that inhabited the lowlands and weedy backwaters of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers in the Central Valley of California. It was once abundant in lowland lakes, marshes, ponds, slow-moving stretches of river, and, during years of heavy run-off, the...
, - Pahranagat SpinedacePahranagat spinedaceThe Pahranagat spinedace, Lepidomeda altivelis, is an extinct fish that originally inhabited the Pahranagat Valley in Nevada, United States.-References:*...
, - Phantom ShinerPhantom shinerThe phantom shiner was a species of fish. It was once endemic to the Rio Grande basin and ranged from central New Mexico to southernmost Texas and adjacent Tamaulipas...
, - Las Vegas DaceLas Vegas DaceThe Las Vegas Dace is a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family.It was found only in the Las Vegas Valley in the United States. It was declared extinct in 1986 by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996. . ...
, - Grass Valley Speckled DaceGrass Valley speckled daceThe Grass Valley speckled dace occurred in a single spring-fed creek in a grassy meadow in eastern Lander County, Nevada. Specimens were collected only once, in 1938. The species had a distinctive speckled lower lip and silver sided body. The introduction of brook and rainbow trout to the creek is...
, - Clear Lake SplittailClear Lake splittailThe Clear Lake splittail was endemic to California's Clear Lake and its tributaries until its numbers severely declined due to competition from the introduced bluegill and alterations to the flow of inlet streams...
, - Snake River SuckerSnake River SuckerThe Snake River Sucker is a species of ray-finned fish in the Catostomidae family.It is found only in the United States. It is presumed extinct.-References:...
, - Harelip SuckerHarelip Sucker-Intoduction:The Harelip Sucker was a species of ray-finned fish in the Catostomidae family.It was found only in the United States. It is extinct and hasn't been seen alive since 1893. A monitoring plan for the Harelip Sucker has been made because little is known about this species...
, - Tecopa PupfishTecopa pupfishThe Tecopa pupfish is an extinct subspecies of the Amargosa pupfish . The small, heat-tolerant pupfish was endemic to the outflows of a pair of hot springs in the Mojave Desert of California...
, - Shoshone PupfishShoshone pupfishThe Shoshone pupfish, Cyprinodon nevadensis shoshone, is characterized by large scales and a "slab-sided," narrow, slender body, with the arch of the ventral contour much less pronounced than the dorsal...
, - Raycraft Ranch KillifishRaycraft Ranch killifishThe Raycraft Ranch killifish or Raycraft poolfish, Empetrichthys latos concavus, was first described in 1948. It is extinct....
, - Pahrump Ranch Killifish,
- Ash Meadows KillifishAsh Meadows killifishThe Ash Meadows killifish was first documented by Gilbert and historically occupied numerous springs near Ash Meadows, Nye County, Nevada...
, - Amistad GambusiaAmistad gambusiaThe Amistad gambusia was a small fish known only to occur in Goodenough Spring, Val Verde County, Texas, a tributary of the Rio Grande. This species was eliminated in the wild when construction of the Amistad Reservoir in 1968 submerged Goodenough Spring under approximately 70 feet of water...
, - San Marcos GambusiaSan Marcos gambusiaThe San Marcos gambusia is an endangered species of fish, found only in the San Marcos Springs of Central Texas. The fish has not been seen since 1983, so it may be extinct.- Description :...
, - Blue Walleye,
- Maryland darterMaryland darterThe Maryland darter is freshwater fish species that has been found only in Deer Creek, Maryland. It is now a thought to be extinct. It was long known only by two specimens until it was rediscovered in 1962. From 1965 to the 1980s, it was only confined to a single riffle in Deer Creek. The species...
, - Utah Lake SculpinUtah Lake sculpinThe Utah Lake sculpin, Cottus echinatus, was a species of freshwater sculpin endemic to Utah Lake, located in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Utah. The last collected specimen was taken in 1928, and the species is believed to have disappeared during the 1930s, when a severe drought led...
- Banff Longnose DaceBanff longnose daceThe Banff longnose dace, Rhinichthys cataractae smithi, was a diminutive version of the eastern longnose dace, its range restricted to a small marsh fed by two hot springs on Sulphur Mountain in Banff National Park in Banff, Alberta....
Crustaceans
- Pasadena freshwater shrimp, Syncaris pasadenaeSyncaris pasadenaeSyncaris pasadenae was a species of shrimp in the family Atyidae, which is believed to be extinct.It lived in the drainage basin of the Los Angeles River, near Pasadena, San Gabriel and Warm Creek, and was originally described from material collected on the site where the Rose Bowl now stands...
- Hemigrapsus estellinensisHemigrapsus estellinensisHemigrapsus estellinensis is a extinct species of crab, formerly endemic to the Texas Panhandle. It was discovered by Gordon C. Creel in 1962 and was probably already extinct before his description was published in 1964, after the Estelline Salt Springs where it lived were contained by the United...
Insects
- Pecatonica River Mayfly,
- Robert's StoneflyAlloperla robertiAlloperla roberti was a species of insect in family Chloroperlidae. It was endemic to the United States.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996. . Downloaded on 9 August 2007....
, - Fort Ross Weevil,
- Mono Lake Diving Beetle,
- Xerces BlueXerces BlueThe Xerces Blue is an extinct species of butterfly in the gossamer-winged butterfly family, Lycaenidae. The species lived in coastal sand dunes of the Sunset District of San Francisco. The Xerces Blue is believed to be the first American butterfly species to become extinct as a result of loss of...
, - Chestnut Ermine MothChestnut Ermine MothThe Chestnut Ermine Moth was a species of moth in the Argyresthiidae family. It was endemic to the United States.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996. . Downloaded on 31 July 2007....
, - American Chestnut MothAmerican Chestnut MothThe American Chestnut Moth was a species of moth in the Nepticulidae family. It was endemic to the United States, including Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.The wingspan is 7.5-8 mm....
, - Phleophaga Chestnut Moth,
- Central Valley Grasshopper,
- Rocky Mountain LocustRocky Mountain locustThe Rocky Mountain locust was the locust species that ranged through almost the entire western half of the United States until the end of the 19th century...
, - Antioch Dunes Shieldback Katydid,
Arachnids
- Caribbean Monk Seal Nasal Mite,
- Nevada Water Mite,
- Passenger Pigeon Mite,
Mollusks
- Coosa elktoeCoosa elktoeThe Coosa elktoe, scientific name Alasmidonta mccordi, was a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels.This species was endemic to the United States.-Source:...
, - Carolina elktoeCarolina elktoeThe Carolina elktoe, Alasmidonta robusta, was a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels.This species is now extinct.-References:* Bogan, A.E 2000. . Downloaded on 6 August 2007....
, - Ochlockonee arcmusselOchlockonee arcmusselThe Ochlockonee arcmussel, Alasmidonta wrightiana, was a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels.This river mussel is now extinct.-References:...
, - Recovery pearly musselRecovery pearly musselThe recovery pearly mussel or winged spike, scientific name Elliptio nigella, was a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels....
, - Arc-form pearly musselArc-form pearly musselThe arc-form pearly mussel or sugarspoon, scientific name Epioblasma arcaeformis, was a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels....
, - Acorn pearly musselAcorn pearly musselThe acorn pearly mussel or acornshell, Epioblasma haysiana, was a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the pearly mussels, Naiads or unionids....
, - Lewis pearly mussel,
- Nearby pearly musselNearby pearly musselThe nearby pearly mussel or Tennessee riffleshell, Epioblasma propinqua, was a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels....
, - Sampson's pearly mussel,
- Steward's pearly mussel,
- Turgid-blossom pearly mussel,
- Shoal spriteShoal spriteThe shoal sprite, scientific name Amphigyra alabamensis, was a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails.This species was endemic to the United States...
, - Cahaba pebblesnailCahaba pebblesnailThe Cahaba pebblesnail, scinetific name Clappia cahabensis, is a species of very small freshwater snail, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Lithoglyphidae....
, - Umbilicate pebblesnailUmbilicate pebblesnailThe umbilicate pebblesnail, scientific name Clappia umbilicata, is an extinct species of a small freshwater snails that had an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Lithoglyphidae.- Distribution :...
, - Mount matafao different snailMount matafao different snailThe Mount Matafao different snail, scientific name Diastole matafaoi, was a species of air-breathing land snails or semi-slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Helicarionidae....
, - Short-spired elimiaShort-spired elimiaThe short-spired elimia, scientific name †Elimia brevis, was a species of freshwater snails with an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Pleuroceridae. This species was endemic to the United States. It is now extinct.- References :...
, - Closed elimiaClosed elimiaThe closed elimia, scientific name †Elimia clausa, was a species of gastropod in the Pleuroceridae family. It was endemic to the United States. It is now extinct.-References:* Bogan, A.E. 2000. . Downloaded on 7 August 2007....
, - Fusiform elimiaFusiform elimiaThe fusiform elimia, scientific name Elimia fusiformis, was a species of freshwater snail with an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Pleuroceridae. This species was endemic to the United States. It is now extinct.- References :...
, - High-spired elimiaHigh-spired elimiaThe high-spired elimia, scientific name †Elimia hartmaniana, was a species of freshwater snails with an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Pleuroceridae. This species was endemic to the United States. It is now extinct....
, - Constricted elimiaConstricted elimiaThe constricted elimia, scientific name †Elimia impressa, was a species of freshwater snail with a gill and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Pleuroceridae. This species was endemic to the United States.-References:...
, - Hearty elimiaHearty elimiaThe hearty elimia, scientific name †Elimia jonesi, was a species of freshwater snails with an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Pleuroceridae. This species was endemic to the United States. It is now extinct.- References :...
, - Ribbed elimiaRibbed elimiaThe ribbed elimia, scientific name †Elimia laeta, was a species of freshwater snails with an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Pleuroceridae. This species was endemic to the United States. It is now extinct.- References :...
, - Rough-lined elimiaRough-lined elimiaThe rough-lined elimia, scientific name †Elimia pilsbryi, was a species of freshwater snails with an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Pleuroceridae. This species was endemic to the United States. It is now extinct.- References :...
, - Pupa elimiaPupa elimiaThe pupa elimia, scientific name †Elimia pupaeformis, was a species of freshwater snails with an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Pleuroceridae. This species was endemic to the United States. It is now extinct.- References :...
, - Pygmy elimiaPygmy elimiaThe pygmy elimia, scientific name †Elimia pygmaea, was a species of freshwater snail with a gill and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Pleuroceridae. This species was endemic to the United States. It is now extinct....
, - Cobble elimiaCobble elimiaThe cobble elimia, scientific name †Elimia vanuxemiana, was a species of freshwater snails, aquatic gilled gastropod mollusks with an operculum in the family Pleuroceridae. This species was endemic to the United States. It is now extinct....
, - Puzzle elimiaPuzzle elimiaThe puzzle elimia, scientific name †Elimia varians, was a species of freshwater snail with an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Pleuroceridae. This species was endemic to the United States. It is now extinct.- References :...
, - Excised slitshellExcised slitshellThe excised slitshell, scientific name †Gyrotoma excisa, was a species of freshwater snail, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Pleuroceridae. This species was endemic to the United States. It is now extinct....
, - Striate slitshellStriate slitshellThe striate slitshell was a species of gastropod in the Pleuroceridae family. It was endemic to the United States....
, - Pagoda slitshellPagoda slitshellThe pagoda slitshell, scientific name †Gyrotoma pagoda, was a species of freshwater snail, a gastropod in the Pleuroceridae family. This species was endemic to the United States. It is now extinct....
, - Ribbed slitshellRibbed slitshellThe ribbed slitshell was a species of freshwater snail, a gastropod in the Pleuroceridae family. It was endemic to the United States....
, - Pyramid slitshellPyramid slitshellThe pyramid slitshell, scientific name Gyrotoma pyramidata, was a species of freshwater snail, a gastropod in the Pleuroceridae family. It was endemic to the United States. It is now extinct....
, - Round slitshellRound slitshellThe round slitshell was a species of freshwater snail, a gastropod in the Pleuroceridae family. It was endemic to the United States....
, - Lined pocketbookLined pocketbookThe lined pocketbook, scientific name Lampsilis binominata, was a species of freshwater river mussel, an aquatic bivalve in the family Unionidae the river mussels.This species was endemic to the United States. It is now extinct.-Source:...
, - Eelgrass limpetEelgrass limpetThe eelgrass limpet, also known as the bowl limpet, scientific name †Lottia alveus, was a species of sea snail or small limpet, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Lottiidae, the Lottia limpets, a genus of true limpets...
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See also
- List of extinct animals
- List of extinct animals of Canada
- List of extinct animals of the Hawaiian Islands
- List of extinct animals of Asia
- List of extinct animals of Africa
- List of extinct animals of Europe
- List of extinct animals of South America
- Extinct birdsExtinct birdsSince 1500, over 190 species of birds have become extinct, and this rate of extinction seems to be increasing. The situation is exemplified by Hawaii, where 30% of all known recently extinct bird taxa originally lived...
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species