20 Plant and Animal Species That No Longer Exist

In Mauritius, the dodo has become a symbol of how quickly the island’s wildlife can disappear once new predators and hunters arrive. Unable to fly, it nested on the ground and was unprepared for the arrival of animals brought by humans, who plundered its eggs and competed with it for food. Within a few decades of sustained contact, the species unfortunately disappeared forever.

At its peak, this bird filled the North American sky with flocks so numerous that they resembled weather phenomena. This abundance became a trap, as commercial hunting and habitat loss dealt a severe and rapid blow to the species. The last known individual, Martha, died in captivity in 1914.

The thylacine, often called the Tasmanian tiger, was driven to extinction by bounties, habitat changes, and relentless persecution. Attempts were made to protect the animal, but it was already too late. The last thylacine died at the Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart on September 7, 1936.

If you’ve ever thought that penguins seemed strangely out of place in the North Atlantic, the great auk helps explain why. This flightless seabird bred in colonies on rocky islands, which made it easy for humans to capture them in large numbers, along with their eggs. The species was declared extinct worldwide in 1854.

The quagga was a relative of the zebra and was much loved. Intensive hunting in southern Africa led to its extinction in the wild, and, unfortunately, it did not survive long in captivity either. The last known quagga died at the Artis Zoo in Amsterdam on August 12, 1883.

This massive marine mammal lived near the Commander Islands in the Bering Sea, where it fed on kelp in shallow coastal waters. Because it was enormous, slow-moving, and stayed close to shore, it was easy prey for hunters.

You might be surprised to learn that North America once had its own native parrot. Unfortunately, habitat loss, hunting, and persecution as an agricultural pest contributed to the rapid decline of the Carolina parakeet. The last bird in captivity, Incas, died on February 21, 1918.

The baiji, or Yangtze River dolphin, was particularly well-adapted to life in a heavily trafficked river system. Bycatch, habitat degradation, and increasing industrial pressure led to its rapid decline in the late 20th century. A six-week visual and acoustic survey conducted in 2006 covered its historical range and found no trace of survivors, marking a devastating milestone for freshwater conservation.

This brightly colored amphibian from Costa Rica became famous not because it was widespread, but because it disappeared so suddenly. It was last seen in 1989, and after years of fruitless searches, it was considered lost.

The western black rhinoceros fell victim to poaching and the illegal wildlife trade. As populations plummeted, the chances of recovery dwindled until there was nothing left to protect. It was classified as globally extinct in 2011, but it is likely that the last rhinos were poached around 2003.

This small island tree has not only disappeared from the wild—it has vanished entirely. The St. Helena olive tree was last seen in the wild in the 1990s, and even the cultivated plants succumbed after being infected by fungi. By 2003, the species had disappeared, taking its entire genus with it.

Native to the Juan Fernández Islands, this tree was prized for its fragrant wood. Intensive logging led to the usual consequences of overexploitation: it caused the species to disappear more quickly than anyone could have managed it responsibly. It was last seen in 1908.

This climbing shrub was highly prized for its magnificent pink flowers. After it was discovered and became popular among the European nobility, the plant was threatened with extinction due to overgrazing by sheep, pigs, and rabbits that had been introduced to the island.

Hawaii boasts an unparalleled heritage of unique plants, but also a history that is just as painful when it comes to the extinction of these species. The Maui hau kuahiwi was a small tree native to eastern Maui that went extinct around 1912. The small area where this plant grew was cleared by cattle ranchers, and it has not been seen since.

The toromiro is a small tree native to Rapa Nui (Easter Island). It no longer exists in its natural habitat, but it survives thanks to cultivation and conservation collections. If you’re looking for proof that botanical rescue can work, this is one of the rare cases where intervention has prevented the species from becoming completely extinct.

Wood’s cycad is a strange, ghostly botanical tale, as only male plants have ever been found. Since it could not reproduce naturally, it is understandable that it is listed as extinct in the wild. While humans are the reason this tree no longer grows naturally, we have been able to keep it alive through cloning technology. 

The Franklin tree once grew wild in a limited area near the Altamaha River in Georgia. It has not been observed in the wild since the early 19th century, but it continues to exist thanks to the cultivation of seeds harvested long ago. In other words, it is extinct in the wild, and the only chance to see it is in gardens and landscaped areas.

Lepidodendron was an imposing tree-like plant that helped shape the Carboniferous swamp forests. It lived approximately 359 to 299 million years ago, long before humans had a chance to interfere. Scientists have been able to use its fossils to trace the major ecological changes that transformed these ancient wetlands.

Glossopteris is an extinct plant genus known from Gondwana, the southern supercontinent that formed about 600 million years ago. Its fossils date from the Permian and Triassic periods, about 300 to 200 million years ago. It even played a role in providing the earliest evidence of continental drift.

Archaeopteryx is often described as one of the first “true trees” and formed forests during the late Devonian period, approximately 385 to 359 million years ago. Based on the fossils found, we can see that this tree had leaves similar to those of ferns and wood similar to that of conifers.