Extinct animals (selected notable examples with approximate or known extinction years)
Years are approximate for most prehistoric or poorly documented species; “recently extinct” often means after about 1500 CE per IUCN criteria. Many more species went extinct than are listed here.
Prehistoric / Pleistocene–early Holocene megafauna (roughly 50,000–4,000 years ago)
- Woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) — mainland populations about 10,000–4,000 BCE (relict island populations later)
- American mastodon (Mammut americanum) — about 11,000–8,000 BCE\
- Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi) — about 8,000–7,700 BCE
- Dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus) — about 9,700–6,200 BCE
- American lion (Panthera atrox) — about 9,400 BCE
- Eurasian cave lion (Panthera spelaea) — about 9,350 BCE
- Saber-toothed cats (Smilodon fatalis, S. populator) — about 7,600–6,200 BCE
- Giant ground sloths (e.g., Megatherium americanum, Megalonyx jeffersonii) — about 9,500–5,000 BCE range
- Giant beaver (Castoroides ohioensis) — about 10,050–9,550 BCE
- Stag-moose (Cervalces scotti) — about 9,230–8,930 BCE
- Woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) — about 8,050–7,650 BCE
- Steppe bison (Bison priscus) — about 3,600–3,300 BCE
Holocene / historical (after about 1500 CE, selected)
– Steller’s sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) — 1768
– Aurochs (Bos primigenius) — 1627
– Dodo (Raphus cucullatus) — about 1662–1680s
– Bluebuck (Hippotragus leucophaeus) — about 1800
– Quagga (Equus quagga quagga, subspecies) — 1883
– Passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) — 1914 (last individual, Martha)
– Carolina parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis) — 1918
– Thylacine / Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus) — 1936
– Caribbean monk seal (Neomonachus tropicalis) — 1952
– Schomburgk’s deer (Rucervus schomburgki) — 1932
– Toolache wallaby (Macropus greyi) — 1939
– Desert rat-kangaroo (Caloprymnus campestris) — 1935
– Eastern hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes leporides) — 1889
– Broad-faced potoroo (Potorous platyops) — 1875
– Crescent nail-tail wallaby (Onychogalea lunata) — 1956
– Lesser bilby (Macrotis leucura) — 1960s
– Bramble Cay melomys (Melomys rubicola) — declared 2016 (last seen earlier)
– Pinta Island tortoise (Chelonoidis abingdonii) — 2012 (Lonesome George; declared later)
– Golden toad (Incilius periglenes) — last seen 1989; declared extinct 2004
Many Australian marsupials (bandicoots, wallabies, potoroos) and island endemics (birds, rodents, bats) also went extinct in the 19th–20th centuries due to hunting, habitat loss, and introduced predators.
Endangered / Critically Endangered animals (selected notable examples)
Exact “date they became endangered” is rarely a single day. IUCN Red List assessments are periodic; status (Endangered = EN; Critically Endangered = CR) can change with new data. Listing years below refer to recent major assessments or well-documented status changes where available. Populations and statuses can shift; check iucnredlist.org for the latest.
Critically Endangered (CR) examples
- Vaquita (Phocoena sinus) — CR (severe decline noted from 1990s onward; very few remain)
- Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) — CR
- Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) — CR
- Black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) — CR (some subspecies especially dire)
- Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) — CR
- Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli) — CR
- Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) — CR
- Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) — CR
- Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) — CR
- Yangtze giant softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) — CR (possibly functionally extinct in wild)
- Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) — CR
- Kakapo (Strigops habroptilus) — CR
- California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) — CR (recovered from near-extinction via captive breeding)
- Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) — CR
- Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) — CR
- Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) — CR
- Great Indian bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) — CR
Endangered (EN) examples
- African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) — EN (uplisted in recent assessments)
- Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) — EN
- Tiger (Panthera tigris) — EN (some subspecies CR)
- Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) — EN (some populations CR)
- Snow leopard (Panthera uncia) — EN / VU depending on assessment
- Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) — previously EN; downlisted to VU with recovery
- Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) — EN
- Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) — EN / VU depending on population
- Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) — recently assessed EN (climate-driven)
- African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) — EN
Notes
- Prehistoric extinctions often involve climate change + human hunting
- Most post-1500 extinctions are human-driven (hunting, habitat destruction, invasive species, disease).
- IUCN currently lists thousands of species as threatened (CR + EN + Vulnerable). Mammals alone have hundreds in EN/CR categories.
- Statuses change; the lists above are illustrative selections of well-known species, not exhaustive. For official, up-to-date data use the IUCN Red List (iucnredlist.org).