Human activities often have disastrous consequences for fauna and flora, which see their habitat and food resources dwindle over the years. Among these animal species, five are definitively extinct, and this is only just beginning…
Every year, we push nearly 1,500 animal species to extinction. According to the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), more than 28,3300 species are currently threatened with extinction because of humans. Not to mention the animals that have already disappeared due to human activities. Do you know what species these are?
These animals are extinct because of humans
Dodo, thylacine, Chinese dolphin or Libyan oryx, so manyextinct animal species due to human activities. Let us dare to hope that History will not repeat itself in the future, although the estimates are very pessimistic despite the implementation of large-scale protection programs.
1/ Sleep (Dronte de Maurice)
Sleep, national emblem of Mauritiusdid not survive colonization for very long. The Dronte of Maurice (The hooded raphus), of his true identity, was quickly chased away by the sailors landing on the island, easy to flush out due to his inability to fly and its docility (the animal would not have developed any fear of humans).
Its eggs, for their part, were devoured by the animals servants taken on board (including dogs, cats, pigs, certain species of monkeys and even rats). The bird went missing a hundred years later.
2/ The Tasmanian tiger (thylacine)
The thylacine, also called Tasmanian tigeris a carnivorous marsupial the size of a wolf with tabby furbelonging to the order of Dasyuromorphia. Since 1936, the species has been considered extinct. The last specimen was apparently killed in Tasmania six years earlier by a farmer fearing for his animals. Its extinction would also be due almost exclusively to the hunting to which he was subjected by sheep breeders.
The deforestation and the concurrence along with dingoes, these stray dogs, also participated in its disappearance.
3/ The Chinese dolphin
The Chinese dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer) would have lived mainly in the Chinese Yangtze River. This cetacean critically endangered a few years ago would be extinct today. Among the supposed causes of his disappearance:
- Pollution river
- Fishing intensive in river waters (boats preventing echolocation or hitting dolphins with their propellers)
- Fishing nets accidentally capturing dolphins
- Habitat destruction of the animal due to the construction of dams.
4/ The Chicken
The chicken, you Dinornis in botany, is a bird fossil belonging to the family of Dinornithidset extinct since the 16th century. Originally from New Zealand, the animal was incapable of flight, a peculiarity which certainly facilitated its hunting by the first Maoriresponsible for their extinction.
5/ The California Grizzly
The California Grizzly (California bear) is a extinct subspecies of brown bear. The last specimen was reportedly seen in Sequoia National Park in 1924. Among the main causes of its extinctionits hunting for sport or for fear of attacks on men and livestock.
Unfortunately, this list is not exhaustive and other animal species are extinct due to human activities which intensify from year to year…
A word from the editor:
The ecosystems in which these animals lived have also undergone irreversible transformations. The disappearance of each species disrupts entire food chains, changing the dynamics of many natural habitats. The consequences reverberate well beyond these direct extinctions, often leading to the degradation and impoverishment of ecosystems, which become less resilient in the face of climate change. Without increased awareness and concerted action to reduce our ecological footprint, we risk seeing many more natural treasures disappear in the near future.
