6 Extinct Animals, 5 Extinct Due to Human Consumption, 1 Killed in the Arena – A Fight to Extinction
On Earth, if a species is abundant and tastes delicious, its probability of extinction by humans is very high. Many species' extinctions can be directly linked to modern human's greed. Let’s review 6 famous extinct animals, 5 of which were extinct due to human consumption, and one was killed in the arena to fight with humans until extinction.
6Wandering Albatross
The Wandering Albatross once lived in the Indian Ocean's Mauritius Island, they were numerous, weighing about 23 kilograms, and had blue-gray feathers and a large head. Because there were no enemies, when Portuguese sailors discovered them in 1507, these cute big birds didn't know how to avoid. Because they were easy to catch, Wandering Albatrosses became the main source of meat for sailors. The last Wandering Albatross was killed in 1681.
5Steller's Sea Cow
In 1741, German biologist Steller discovered the Steller's Sea Cow in the White Sea. The Steller’s Sea Cow was much larger than the current sea cow and dugong, reaching 9-10 meters long and weighing about 10 tons. These huge and docile animals floated on the surface of coastal waters but were not good at diving. This made them the target of Russian seal hunters, who regarded Steller's Sea Cow as a source of meat for long-distance travel. The Steller’s Sea Cow was extinct in 1768. Today there are no preserved specimens.
4Passenger Pigeon
Passenger Pigeons were once famous for their large-scale migration, which was very impressive when they took off, blocking the sun and the sky. Billions of Passenger Pigeons once lived in the eastern United States. As the United States moved west, they migrated to the western United States. Hunters often swarmed the nesting sites of Passenger Pigeons and searched the entire nest site during the breeding season. Since 1870, Passenger Pigeons have become increasingly rare, and only a few were taken into zoos for breeding. On September 1, 1914, the last Passenger Pigeon died in the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio.
3European Bison
The ancestor of modern cattle. The European Bison was once distributed widely, across Europe, Siberia and Central Asian grasslands. They were 1.8 meters tall and had huge forward horns and a very irritable temper. Because they were fierce, they were captured and killed as animals for performance in the Roman arenas. By the 13th century, the number of European Bison decreased sharply, and only a few remained as hunting opponents for Eastern European nobles. The last European Bison died in Poland in 1627.
2Okapi
Okapi lives in the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Newfoundland in the north Atlantic. They are about 75cm long and good at swimming. Because they are slow on land, they became the killing object of human hunters. In the early 19th century, a large number of Okapi were killed by long-distance sailors. The last Okapi was known to die in Iceland in June 1844.
1Mammoth
Because Siberia is very cold, many mammoth bodies frozen in ice have been preserved. These giant animals went extinct about 7500 years after the end of the Ice Age. Although climate change played a role in its extinction, recent research suggests that humans may have also been the driving force or at least the final cause. Extensive hunting and the pressure of climate warming were a fatal combination that sent the Mammoth on a one-way trip.
