7 animals that lived along with your grandparents but not with you
Mon, Apr 14, 2008
Post filled in: Biology, Environmental Issues
More and more animals are becoming extinct each day, due to hunting, destruction of habitat, pollution, and so on. In the past 100 years, a significant number of animals have become extinct and you will never get the chance of seeing one, no matter what you do. Take a moment and think about what animals your grandchildren will have the chance to see, and what is the legacy you give them.
The animals aren’t presented in a certain order, it’s quite random.
7. Japanese Sea Lion
Believed to be extinct since 1950, the Japanese Sea Lion lived in the coastal areas of the Japanese Archipelago and the Korean Peninsula. Weighing up to 450 to 560 kg and reaching lengths of 2.3 to 2.5 meters (the males; females were smalled), they preferred sandy open beaches, but they sometimes used rocky areas for breeding too. Harvest records from Japanese commercial fishermen in the early 1900s show that as many as 3,200 sea lions were harvested, and in total about 17.000 specimens were killed, enough to cause their extinction.
6. Desert Rat Kangaroo
It lived in the driest, hottest and most desolate environments in Central Australia, relying on its fantastic resistance and independance of water; in fact, it was so prepared that it even shunned the succulent plants of the sandhills. It was first sighted by Europeans in 1841 and was not seen again for 90 years. The last sighting was in 1935, which makes it quite a mysterious creature. They were able to travel enormous distances and high speeds, and they ‘paused only to die’.
5. Phantom shiner
This elusive species of fish was once endemic to the Rio Grande basin and ranged from central New Mexico to southernmost Texas. Not too much information is available about them, and they were only spotted irregularly and only several times. The last known specimen was recorded in Mexico in 1975.
4. Labrador duck
The labrador duck was never common; it’s believed that this species of duck has been extinct since 1875. It’s also believed that it was the first bird to be extinct in North America sincer 1500. It was also called the Pied Duck and it fed on small molluscs. Its extinctions is quite a mystery, because it was not sought much by hunters. Still, humans are still probably responsable for its extinction as they caused the decline in mussels and other shellfish on which they are believed to have fed in their winter quarters, due to growth of population and industry on the Eastern Seaboard; this meant that the duck had no food left.
3. Quagga
The Quagga is a subspecies of the plains zebra which lived in great numbers in South Africa’s Cape Province and the southern part of the Orange Free State. It got this name as an onomatopoeia, being said to resemble its call. The quagga was the first extinct creature to have its DNA studied although the only live photographed member was the Regent’s Park Zoo mare in London.
2. Tasmanian Wolf
It’s believed that the Tasmanian Wolf has been extinct for about 65 years. Despite its appearance and its popular name, this animal was not in fact a species of wolf, nor was it a dog, which it also resembled. It was actually a marsupial — the largest carnivorous marsupial in recent times — and was closely related to the kangaroo and the wombat. It’s extinction is attributed solely to human activities.
1. Caspian Tiger
Caspian Tigers lived in China, Tajikistan, Iran, Afghanistan and Turkey, being the westernmost subspecies of tiger. It’s believed that they became extinct in the late 1950s, though there have been several alleged sightings of the tiger. Being the third largest species of tiger ever to walk the face of the Earth, it still couldn’t resist the massive hunting parties which killed them down, mostly for fur. The Russian government have worked heavily to eradicate the Caspian tiger during planning a huge land reclamation programme in the beginning of the 20th century. They considered there was no room for the tiger in their plans and so instructed the Russian army to exterminate all tigers found around the area of the Caspian Sea, a project that was carried out very efficiently. Three cheers for the Russian government.
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Andrei is no scientist, but from an early age, he has been fascinated by science; that's why he went to college, and signed up for Geophysics. Feeling that there's a huge gap between science and average people, he rallied TP, started ZME Science, and gave it a green twist too.
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April 15th, 2008 at 12:00 am
There never was such a thing as a Tasmanian Wolf. It was called a Tasmanian Tiger, as nearly every Australian was taught in school. You should check your facts before you publish articles of this nature.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:15 am
2. It’s called a Tasmanian Tiger, not a Tasmanian Wolf. I think the more scientific name is Thylacine, or something like that.
April 15th, 2008 at 1:01 am
while it is important to check your facts, the comments on the Tasmanian “Wolf” or “Tiger” de-emphasize the importance of the article here, which is that due to human activity many animals have become and are becoming extinct. I like this page!
April 15th, 2008 at 1:01 am
Tasmanian Tiger could be called Tasmanian Wolf. Scientific name: Thylacinus cynocephalus (check URL above for pic/info)
April 15th, 2008 at 1:29 am
Well, I want to call it a Tasmanian Duck!
What about that, huuuh???
It’s all arbitrary anyway, so what’s the point of quibbling over common names when everyone’s pretty clear as to what animal it’s talking about?
April 15th, 2008 at 1:38 am
The Tasmanian Tiger was also widely known as a Tasmanian Wolf, it was just a less common name for it. So perhaps some people need to check their facts before telling others to do so. For scientific accuracy common or colloquial naming doesn’t matter, since we can all agree on the scientific name of the animal.
Frankly, I don’t think an extinct species cares a whole lot about what it’s being called, since it looks like it’s dead and gone forever one way or the other. In this particular case, all of the names came after the better part of the species had already been killed on the Australian mainland.
That’s interesting in itself, since it shows it’s the impact of humans and whatever means they bring to the cause that renders species extinct. These people didn’t need rifles, pollution, deforestation or vehicles to waste an entire species and it goes to show that the only thing that can really prevent our destructive impact on the environment is a conscious effort to control ourselves.
April 15th, 2008 at 3:26 am
And look at how much our world’s economy has suffered without them…. do you hear that? It’ the worlds smallest violin playing
April 15th, 2008 at 8:32 am
The Russian government should never have killed these majestic animals. If any Caspian Tigers are found alive, I’m sure you won’t mind if they are relocated to your neighborhood so they have a better chance of survival.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:11 am
I completely agree with Matt. There is no such creature as a Tasmanian Wolf. I bet even a quick Wikipedia check would have proved you wrong. It raises the question of just how accurate your “sources” are.
References please.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
I do not normally bother making comments but the trivial bantering above requires me too, Wolf/Tiger Who Cares the issue is extinction!
April 15th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
that is so horrible
April 15th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
People, please stop your unreferenced blabbering. The tasmanian tiger = the tasmanian wolf. Both names are correct and widely recognized as synonyms. Wiki people, wiki! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasmanian_wolf
April 15th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
amadeus is retarded, just because the death of these animals doesn’t effect the world economy doesn’t make it less important. No matter how much money you make your still going to die and your life is no more important than any of these extinct animals were.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Hi,
Just can’t let this go.
Google “tasmanian tiger” site:.au = 9840
Google “tasmanian wolf” site:.au = 274
So in Australia it’s overwhelming called the Tasmanian Tiger.
If a couple of thousand people outside America start calling the American Bald Eagle the Follically Challenged Eagle and someone updates a Wikapedia page to that effect - do you simply accept this digression or do you attempt to correct them and stop the spread of disinformation?
I’d be interested in knowing where the term Tasmanian Wolf came from - was it used a century ago and dropped in favour of tiger, or is it a recent addition when someone incorrectly referred to it as a wolf due to a poor memory. If the latter, then we should be attempting to correct the error - not support it as a valid alternative name.
April 16th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
It looks like Wikipedia included the name “Tasmanian Wolf” in the inception of the article, but there are no references, and no one has challenged it. I also wonder where it came from, as that name is certainly not in common usage in Australia. I like to think of them as more of a tiger, even though they’re a marsupial. That’s how I grew up referring to them.
Ahh, I miss the old Tasmanian tiger. They were delicious with soup, and their fur made the most divine ugg boots.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Gosh, and more and more species are being discovered all the time that we were not aware of.
April 21st, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Based on the information in this article it seems doubtful that the Desert Rat Kangaroo is actually extinct. It was only seen 2 times ever, 90 years apart?
Seems much more likely that it’s just doing what it seems to do so well; hiding.
September 15th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
i sadly to read such a thing, i suppose my next child will not be able to see orang utan, and Asean’s tiger again, cause its already begin to extinct in many areas, hope the policy makers more concern in our enviromental condition rather than their self arogance about it
September 18th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
You are all being ridiculous. The animal was not called Tasmanian anything. It lived in Brooklyn, and was called Fred. I know, I lived next door. Heres a link to prove that I’m right, and you are wrong! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU . Don’t follow that other link out to Wikipedia, it’s actually a child porn link!
October 7th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Tasmanian Wolf?
We have new extinct species before even this go to books.
Regards
JC
October 16th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
I’ve got to say, what made you Aussies think of this as a tiger? It clearly looks more like a wolf. Whats in a name though? I prefer the Tasmanian Dragonfish.
November 3rd, 2008 at 7:00 am
many species just on MT.Kilimanjaro live nowhere else on earth but on that glacier…..that is now no longer there……..thanks to us.
December 7th, 2008 at 4:53 am
It’s called a Tasmanian Tiger because they had Tiger like stripes on their back. Some Tassie folk still think they are out there….waiting. Beware the terror of Tassie.
December 9th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
God gave us animals to take care of, not to destroy….
December 10th, 2008 at 11:13 am
It doesn’t matter what you call it; it’s dead anyway.
And, yeah, it looks pretty canine to me, so I can see why some people would call it a wolf. But it doesn’t even exist anymore, kthx.
December 10th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
its sad to know that humans are responsible for such extinct in animals. It just shows how disruptive we can be. In many ways humans have destroyed the world and has ridden of many animals, we will soon get rid of each other if we don’t do something about this damn o zone problem. humans are selfish. >_<
December 11th, 2008 at 2:43 am
I really don’t care what most of these retarded people may think. Tahnks for the article, it was very good and very true. Thanks for taking some of your time to help us remember the horrible dissease that we represent to this planet and any wildlife.
December 16th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
As an evolutionary biologist, I have heard both names used frequently when refering to this marsupial. What is in a name, does the Tasmanian Devil have horns and carry a pitchfork? Again the issue at hand is extinction. As more species become extinct, ecosystems will suffer and collapse, one never knows at what point this may happen, nor what keystone species may topple the balance. The health of ecosystems, and the species that they compromise, can be directly correlated to the health of the planet, as residents of this planet we depend on the earth, the economy as a cultural artifact depends wholly on us. Many violins playing for those among us who are unable to grasp the big picture and thereby unable to help themselves or others.
December 22nd, 2008 at 5:18 pm
It has never been known as a Wolf, only a foreign idiot, and most possibly an American would call the tiger a wolf, I have nothing against Americans they are lovely people but it is well know that they do not have much knowledge on other cultures and countries. why don’t you try and visit the beautiful state of Tasmania and find out for your self, I think that even and idiot would have noticed the stripes on the animal, hence, that is why its called a tiger, apart from the fact that it is more closely related to the cat family than a dog, your only offending an entire nation and not to mention the native people of Australia by calling it a wolf, there are no wolf’s in Australia, only in zoo’s there never has been, its just like the Americans call our Emu an “E moo”, its pronounced “eem you” not “e moo” gosh some people can be so annoying
January 5th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
thanks for the article, i know its just the tip of the iceberg as far as species we’ve managed to wipe out over the years….but thanks for reminding us what a waste of space we are.
sorry to see so much stupid warbling from a bunch of self important loosers about the tasmanian stripey dog…..talk about missing the point of the article…..WHO CARES! get a life!
January 11th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
There’s some very sensitive people on this rag, and I just hope too many feelings haven’t been hurt beyond repair. On behalf of all Americans I’d like to apologize to all the offended Tasmanian Tiger proponents. And this whole business of extinction is a shame too. Unfortunately I’m sure we’ll witness a lot more of the stuff.
I like what Matt said,”As more species become extinct, ecosystems will suffer and collapse, one never knows at what point this may happen, nor what keystone species may topple the balance. The health of ecosystems, and the species that they compromise, can be directly correlated to the health of the planet, as residents of this planet we depend on the earth”
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:32 pm
You know names….who cares…but what I have a problem with is this auther and I use the term loosly is blaming humans for the extinction of animals that he has no clue or proof about. Yes some were caused by people but you give a jaded opinion in this article.
January 27th, 2009 at 5:08 am
Okay, I’m actually from Tassie and this is the first time in my life I’ve ever heard it referred to as the “Tasmanian Wolf.”
Because it wasn’t a Wolf, it was a tiger, they’re two completely different species of animal.
And yes some people think they’re still out there somewhere, there was even something like a million dollar reward for photos at one point.
But no one ever collected obviously.
January 27th, 2009 at 8:59 am
I hear that they all were tasty if server correctly. I will miss that about them.
January 27th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Brilliant, you deserve a mushroom stamp.
January 27th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Are those extinct too?
February 3rd, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Actually, they pronounce emu “eem ya” or “eem thats not true” but not “ee moo”
February 3rd, 2009 at 6:40 pm
^^^…just thought I’d clarify that..I would know, I’m an American.
February 4th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
I pronounce it how I like. I don’t runaround telling Brits to pronounce r a certain way. Nor do I tell the Scotts anything. I don’t care if you call it “emm you” or “emma lemma loo” or “e menie miny moo” or “kuka puka puk po”
Who cares about the frackin animules when we have more impotent topsicles to get worked up about. I’m gonna go massacre a basket of fries, and have a beer. Does anyone wanna join me for a margarita?
February 4th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
well i will call it a Tasmanian Wiger…there you go, problem solved.
February 5th, 2009 at 10:58 am
Can I have a taco? Stopit asyoogtfjajfhhfjur iueeuri eia
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Im at your house because, well, I….I’m your Father Jinaveeve. ‘Karen’ is my cover up name so that you wouldnt have to wonder..
February 5th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Hey Carol
February 5th, 2009 at 11:06 am
Hey Jakey
February 5th, 2009 at 11:06 am
Hey
just curious…are you single?
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Yep! lets go out now
February 5th, 2009 at 11:07 am
ok
February 5th, 2009 at 11:08 am
nevermind
February 5th, 2009 at 11:08 am
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March 29th, 2009 at 9:34 am
I think a better comparison, for the naming issue, that might stamp its importance into the US American’s heads (I being one of them) is: What if someone had mistakenly called the Bald Eagle, the Bald Turkey Vulture? Then Wikipedia had been updated to say that the national bird of the US is the Bald Vulture. Do you think you’d share the same opinion? Do you think you’d say “Oh, who care’s what it’s called! It’s still a bird!” Why must people revel in their ignorance and stupidity? Why would truth be secondary to the good story? I could say that the sewer rats and mosquitoes were becoming extinct. Would the fact that it’s not true be less important that the idea that they were becoming extinct?
April 8th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
The Carrier Pigeon was around when my Grandfather was, but now is not. Kinda’ missed that one.
April 9th, 2009 at 9:46 am
I wish the ‘DoDo’ was still around!!! im gonna miss that bird! post a comment if you agree with me! I LOVE THE DODO!
April 9th, 2009 at 9:48 am
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