Numerous plants, animals, and other species that existed millions of years ago gradually became extinct primarily due to natural causes many years before human existence. Dinosaur is one of the extinct animals. As civilization progressed, humans contributed to the extinction of many species caused by overhunting. During modern times, the most dramatic example of extinction is the passenger pigeon. Hordes of passenger pigeons that darkened the skies across the US during the 1800s were easy prey for humans as domestic birds. The pigeons were easy to shoot and trap, and people consumed these as cheap food. The extensive killing of passenger pigeons reached such proportions that these are now extinct.
Extinct Animals – The Human Factor
Since the time humans started hunting animals for food or sport, a new cause of extinction of species was added to the other natural causes that wiped out species from the earth. Overhunting and over-harvesting by introducing non-native species have been major causes for some animals going extinct. In addition, the spread of civilization and the march of progress led to the loss of habitat of various species that gradually became extinct. Natural causes were most prevalent during the pre-historic period, but the human factor endangering species has been the major cause of extinction in modern times. More precisely, humans’ insatiable appetite has driven animals towards their peril and erased them forever from the earth.
The extreme exploitation wiped out several animal species during modern times, and you can learn about some of those animals going extinct.
Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes Migratorius)
Until the nineteenth century, the flight of hordes of migratory passenger pigeons used to create a blanket across the skies in the US for days. The pigeons were famous not only for their flights but were also popular for cheap food, as people used to hunt the birds extensively. The birds were similar to the mourning dove, and billions crowded eastern parts of North America. As the American settlers started moving westward, they did not hesitate to slaughter millions of pigeons yearly to-do goods business with the meat by shipping consignments to the city markets. Hunters raided the nesting grounds and eliminated entire colonies in a single breeding season. The pigeon population dwindled fast with little or no scope of any addition, never to be seen again after September 1, 1914, when Martha, the last pigeon, died.
Steller’s Sea Cow (Hydrodamalis gigas)
George W. Stellar, a German Naturalist, discovered the aquatic animal near the shores of the Komandor Islands on the Bering Sea in 1741. The gigantic species found in plenty in that area had an average length of 30 feet (9-10 meters) and weighed about 22,000 pounds (10 MT). Despite the massive size, the animals were quite docile and always floated on the water’s surface as they could not stay submerged. The sea cows became easy targets for Russian seal hunters who used their harpoons to kill them for food during their long voyages. However, the animal was too large, and the killing was often wasteful as the hunters could rarely consume the entire quantity. However, the killing continued unabated as the hunters looked for fresh food, and within just 30 years of discovery, the animal became extinct in 1768.
Dodo (Raphus cucullatus)
Mauritius, the small island on the Indian Ocean, had been home to the Dodo. The ground-nesting birds, larger than turkeys, roamed the island in large numbers. Dodos had a large head and bluish-grey plumage and weighed about 50 pounds (23 kg). The Portuguese sailors who discovered the bird in 1507 and other sailors landing on the island became predators and started extensive poaching of Dodos. Since Dodos did not have natural predators, they became easy targets of sailors who hunted the birds for meat. Soon, the population of Dodos declined fast, and the introduction of pigs, monkeys, and rats to the island ensured the bird’s extinction, which was last seen in 1681.
Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis)
The flightless sea bird inhabited Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Funk Island, and St. Kilda in the North Atlantic, as well as in the Funk Island off the coast of Newfoundland. The Great Auk had short wings, was 30 inches (75 cm) long, and could swim underwater. Hunters killed the birds for food and bait, and the defenseless birds were soon on the way to extinction during the 1800s when the killing peaked. The bird exited in June 1844 at Eldey Island, Iceland. Had humans not exploited them, the list of extinct animals would have been much shorter.
