Top 20 Extinct Animals

top 20 extinct animals

Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 20 extinct animals.

For this list, we’ll be going over the most interesting animals which have either died out entirely, or which have so few members that they’re functionally extinct. We won’t be including dinosaurs or primitive species of humans, like the Flores Man.

If there’s an extinct animal that went extinct from our list, please tell us about it in the comments!

#20: Dire Wolf

No, not direwolves! Dire wolf! Two words, not one. When it’s one word, it’s a fictional fantasy race that can grow to a massive size. But we’re talking about the other, which although bigger than grey wolves or another extinct subspecies, the Newfoundland wolf, wasn’t quite that huge. Dire wolves inhabited China and North America as recently as 9500 years ago. Of particular note is their bite force, which was the strongest of any known canis species. Because of this, it’s believed that they specialized in hunting large prey, such as the once abundant megafauna that lived in North America. However, with the death of their prey, it’s theorized that the dire wolf followed its food sources into extinction.

#19: Quagga

Despite its adorable name, this subspecies of zebra is no more. Native to South Africa, the quagga became victim to the hunting of early Dutch settlers and later by Afrikaners to provide meat and skins. Disappearing mostly in the 1850s, the wild Quagga became officially extinct a few decades later, though some captured ones could be found in zoos. On August 12th, 1883, the very last captive specimen died, writing the final entry into the lifespan of this impressive species.

#18: Elephant Bird

Native to Madagascar, these ostrich look-alikes are believed to have come to an end in the 17th or 18th century. While it is not fully known how the birds died out, it’s believed that human activity is the number one suspect. Initially widespread across all areas of the island, there’s evidence of their homes being demolished, while the birds themselves were hunted, which led to their untimely demise. Fossilised eggs of the species have remained and have become an increasingly priceless commodity across museums to this day.

#17: Bear Dog

Look, charging right at us with huge teeth! It’s a bear! It’s a dog! It’s…amphicyon. Popularly known as a bear dog, amphicyon had features like both carnivorous mammals. Although it had a tail and teeth like a wolf or dog, its huge body, which could way over half a ton, was more comparable to a bear’s. Thought to have originated in North America, bear dogs spread out over Asia, Europe, and Africa too. Although they lived between 16 and 2 million years ago, the rise of other, swifter mammal carnivores is theorized to have forced them into decline.

#16: Great Auk

A flightless water bird, the great auk once roamed the waters of the Northern Atlantic Ocean, ranging from Europe to North America. Generally a little under 3 feet tall and featuring a hooked beak and webbed feet, great auks were strong swimmers, but “auk-ward” on land. Tragically, the great auk was hunted to extinction by humans, with cultures all over the Atlantic killing it for its meat and especially its down, which was in high demand. The last two confirmed great auks were killed on an island near Iceland in 1844. Still, its legacy would live on in other ways, such as its scientific name Pinguinus impennis, which inspired the naming of penguins, given their resemblance.

#15: Short-Faced Bear

Although we considered discussing another extinct bear species, the Atlas bear of Africa, we’re electing to discuss a less recent extinct bear. Short-faced bears were native to North America and came in two species – the lesser short-faced bear and the greater short-faced bear. True to their name, both species had shorter snouts than most bears. However, while the lesser species was comparable in size to modern bears, the greater short-faced bear was a massive 6 feet tall at the shoulder! It could look a tall human in the eye! It was possibly the largest terrestrial mammalian predator to ever live, and some weighed more than a ton! They became extinct around 11,000 years ago, possibly due to global cooling.

#14: Aurochs

The aurochs was a type of wild cattle and is the ancestor of the domestic cattle common today. Compared to modern cattle, they had longer legs and larger heads, no doubt to support the weight of their larger horns. Once found throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa, the aurochs gradually died out due to excessive hunting, encroachment by humans, as well as diseases spread from regular cattle. Although they went extinct in 1627, their genes survive in domesticated cattle, and a number of attempts have been made to breed the aurochs, or something like it, back into existence.

#13: Baiji

Commonly referred to as the Chinese river dolphin, the majestic creature could only be found in the Yangtze River in the Asian country where it got its name. Affectionately nicknamed the Goddess of the Yangtze, the Baiji became victim to the growing advances and industrialisation of modern China that led to massive water pollution. Repeated efforts were made to conserve the species, but an expedition in 2006 failed to discover any remaining Baiji in the river. The last living Baiji, known as ‘Qiqi,’ died in 2002.

#12: Caspian Tiger

While we considered discussing the also extinct subspecies of tiger from Bali and Java, we’re focusing on the Caspian tiger. As its name implies, they were native to areas near the Caspian Sea and beyond, being found as far west as Turkey and as far east as west China. Of the tiger subspecies, the Caspian tiger was most closely related to the Siberian tiger, although its coats tended to be brighter colored. The cause of its extinction was naturally humans hunting it, although our killing of their food supply, like wild boar, didn’t make it any easier for them to survive. The Caspian tiger was declared extinct in 2003.

#11: Ground Sloth

What once was a unique beast that thrived during the Ice age periods is now known for associating with a dim-witted animated film character. Upon their extinction over 10 000 years ago, it’s believed to be no coincidence that the deaths of the ground sloth are linked to humanity’s entry into the North American regions – though climate change was also a factor. With large and dangerous looking claws, speculation remains to this day about whether this variation of sloth only used them to collect bark from trees, though it’s most likely that these mammals were herbivores.

#10: Western Black Rhino

Several subspecies of black rhinos have gone extinct in recent history, and the most recent is the western black rhinoceros. Once found in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and the Central African Republic, the western black rhinos were hunted to extinction, both in defense of human population centers and for sport and folk medicine remedies. Despite conservation efforts, the western black rhino was declared extinct in 2011, with the final known specimen dying in 2006. Tragically, the western black was part of an overall decline of black rhinos in general, with a staggering 96% of all subspecies being killed between 1970 and 1992, a mere 22 years.

#9: Moa

New Zealand is fairly isolated from the rest of the world, and this isolation led to the development of some truly strange birds. Moa were once 9 different species of wingless, flightless birds that inhabited the New Zealand archipelago. The smallest were still fairly large birds, around the size of a turkey. The biggest species though, could reach up to 12 feet tall! Naturally, when humans first discovered the islands, the moa were a readily available and large food source. Sadly, every species was hunted to extinction within 100 years of humanity’s arrival in New Zealand, although unconfirmed sightings persisted for several centuries afterwards.

#8: Eurasian Cave Lion [aka European Cave Lion]

People tend to associate the king of the jungle as a largely African species, but this extinct Eurasian subspecies may prove otherwise. Speculated to have become extinct around 10, 000 years ago, these beasts were huge; on average, over 7 feet long without the tail and could weigh seven hundred pounds. Massive in size and a massive tongue twister to say - as their official name is the ‘Panthera Leo Spelaea’, their fates were sealed when settlers made their way into their homes, and the rest is, as they say, history.

#7: Irish Elk

Despite its name, this species of deer was not exclusive to Ireland, making its way across Eurasia and Northern Africa for thousands of years. The Irish elk is known for being the largest species of deer ever found, as they could have stood at twelve feet with antler height included. Unable to survive subarctic conditions, which caused a lack of good food, it’s been suggested that the last of these deer may have died about eleven thousand years ago in Ireland, hence its given name. Others may have survived the ice age through Europe, but were probably hunted down.

#6: Gigantopithecus

Gigantopithecus is an extinct species of large ape. Estimating its exact appearance and size has proven difficult, because only their jaws and teeth have been discovered. From these remains, it’s believed they were herbivores and weighed somewhere between 400 pounds and over half a ton. Originally thought to have been an ancestor of humans, gigantopithecus is now thought to be more closely related to orangutans. Native to what is now southern China, gigantopithecus went extinct around 300 thousand years ago, with changing climate the likely culprit. Still, there are those who believe gigantopithecus may be the origin behind legends like the yeti or Bigfoot, so who knows if they’re all gone or not…

#5: Thylacine

The thylacoleo, or Australian Lion, was considered, but we’re discussing another marsupial predator. Best known as the Tasmanian tiger, the thylacine is a purely nocturnal creature. Evidence suggests that these native Australians were very retiring in nature and became extinct in the mainland around two thousand years ago, yet survived until the 1930s in Tasmania – there are even some people who think the thylacine still exists today. General sightings were reported across Western Australia and Tasmania until 1980, leading to a vested interest in the species once again. In 1983, Ted Turner offered a $100,000 reward for proof that these carnivorous marsupials are still alive. While the thylacine is still considered extinct, unconfirmed sightings continue to be reported in the 21st century - and the reward is still out there - so everyone keep looking!

#4: Dodo

Most of us have seen the animated movie “Ice Age”; you can recall a joke that implied this famous bird died out during that time period, but this is actually untrue. Due to their hunting by Dutch sailors that had arrived on the island of Mauritius, the flightless bird became extinct; however, their official extinction was only confirmed in the 19th century, despite their increasing rarity in the 17th century. Slow and unafraid of humans, the dodo was only a little over 3 feet tall and between 25-45 pounds but achieved contemporary fame by appearing in pop culture, like Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland.”

#3: Saber-Toothed Cat

Misleadingly known as a saber-toothed tiger, these predators were vastly known far and wide for their curved and massive canine teeth. Despite officially having the ‘cat’ in their name, they’re not closely related to the modern animals and were in fact more agile, choosing to pounce from trees and then attacking with their almost foot-long teeth. With the Smilodon being the most well-known, these mammals’ vicious nature proved to be their downfall at the end of the last Ice Age, as most of their chosen prey had either died out or had ironically been hunted by the cats themselves. Thus the saber-tooth cat became extinct through its own means of hunting.

#2: Megalodon

Sharks have long fascinated people and a giant shark? Well, that’s even more interesting for some…and more terrifying for others. Swimming the deep as recently as 3.6 million years ago, megalodon shares a common ancestor with the great white shark, and they’re generally reconstructed to appear similar to them. Still, while they may look like a great white, their size is even greater, with some estimates putting them at up to 52 feet long. Their extinction is believed to have been caused primarily by a cooling trend from one of the planet’s ice ages, which would have lowered sea levels and led to a loss of prey large enough to sustain them.

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

Dimetrodon
This Creature with a Back Sail Predates the Dinosaurs & Is Actually Closer to Mammals

Trilobites
These Marine Arthropods Swam & Crawled the Oceans for 300 Million Years Before Dying Out

Steller’s Sea Cow
An Aquatic, Herbivorous Mammal Whose Slowness Allowed It to be Easily Hunted

Passenger Pigeon [aka Wild Pigeon]
Its Meat Was a Cheap Source of Food & Its Habitat Was Destroyed by Deforestation

Golden Toad
Native to a Single Forest in Costa Rica, No Golden Toad Has Been Seen Since 1989

#1: Woolly Mammoth

Truly one of the animal giants, it remains the greatest shame that this mammoth species is no longer with us. Surviving through the Ice Age thanks to its obvious woolly exterior, the mammoths coexisted with human life for years in the new world, along with the similarly elephantine mastodon. Humanity found many uses for the bones of the prehistoric elephant, such as utilizing them for tools and using them in making homes. However, long-term shifts in climate seems to have affected the mammoths’ native lands and safety, leading them to migrate to other pastures. Finally, the creatures made their last stand on Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean, surviving until four thousand years ago, and finally concluding their existence.