11 Extinct Animals That Have Been Photographed Alive
Syrian Wild Ass
The Syrian Wild Ass was likely extinct when the last known captive animal died at the Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria, in 1928. It once had a wide range throughout Mesopotamia, where reports were common of large herds which used to roam wildly in the mountains and desert steppes of the Middle East.
Although already threatened beforehand, it is said that the Syrian Wild Ass completely collapsed during World War I, when their habitat was overrun with heavily armed Turkish and British troops. One account remarked that ”it could not resist the power of the modern guns in the hands of the Anazeh and Shammar nomads, and its speed, great as it may have been, was not sufficient always to escape from the velocity of the modern motor car which more and more is replacing the Old Testament Camel-Caravan.”
Baiji River Dolphin
The inevitable appears to have arrived for the Baiji River Dolphin, a peaceful, majestic dolphin which had inhabited China’s Yangtze River for at least the last 20 million years. The dolphin was declared functionally extinct after an expedition late in 2006 failed to record a single individual after an extensive search of the animal’s entire range.
Although unconfirmed sightings have come out since then, it’s unlikely that any living individuals, should they still exist, would be able find each other and breed. This tragic demise makes the Baiji Dolphin the first recorded extinction of a cetacean in modern times.
The population had been declining rapidly in recent decades since the rise of Chinese industrialization, which has utilized the Yangtze River as one of its primary arteries. The river is now one of the worst polluted major waterways in the world, being heavily relied upon for transportation and hydroelectricity. Roughly 12% of the world’s human population lives and works within the river’s catchment zone.
Traditional Chinese tales refer to the Baiji as a symbol of peace and prosperity. However, that traditional veneration was denounced during China’s “Great Leap Forward”, which called for hunting the animal in the name of redefining Chinese prosperity.
Regrettably, the Chinese may have got what they called for. Now that the dolphin is extinct, it’s difficult to avoid drowning the kind of prosperity it once symbolized along with it.
Image Credits: Ibex photo by José M. Gómez under the GNU Free Documentation License; Baiji Dolphin photo copyright by the baiji.org foundation, Steven Leatherwood; All other images are public domain via Wiki Commons
Both species of gastric brooding frogs.
See article here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastric-brooding_Frog
And photo of frog with young in mouth, here: http://www.environment.gov.au/soe/2006/publications/emerging/frogs/images/fig1.jpg
This is absolutly horrible we do this to other creatures of our own world yet it so majestic to see pics of animals I’ve never even heard of. Every creature on this planet is here for a reason and contributes in their own little way. Maybe now that the world is becoming more eco-sensative we can better control these situations and stop the maddness! I can only hope and FYI I this cloning to recreate extinct animals is a great idea..
How terribly sad to be reminded of all that we have lost; and how important it is to remind us that we must all redouble our efforts in our everyday lives to change the impact on our planet on the creatures with which we share it. Thank you.
Sad, really sad,this is even sometimes insane !
Absolutely shocking!! Goes to re-enforce the fact that us humans are so self absorbed, greedy and ignorant that we have never (until now hopefully) even considered the repercussions of our pursuit to make our lives “better” and more prosperous. We all now need to do our bit, however small, to prevent our grandchildren having to look up animals that we know and love in history books rather than having the opportunity to see them first hand.
I was not aware that the Bubal Hartebeest was extinct. I believe I have seen recent photos of the antelope, although perhaps it is a different type of subspecies. Thank you for this post. It’s quite heartbreaking.
Wow that Tazmanian Tiger looks coool!
RT
http://www.anonymity.us.tc
Notice how for every instinct animal, the sole reason of their extinction is caused by humankind. It a disgusting truth that all people should know. Imagine if an entire breed of humans were to be extinct
Its sad yes, but it happens. It happens b/c people believe that governments and regulations are the way to stop animals from going extinct. If you look at history you would learn that governments sanctioned most of the mass killings of animals. Buffalo, Tasmanian Tiger, Passenger Pigeon, Wolves, Bear, and so on. All the greenies hate hunters but why? Hunters love animals. The animals i hunt on my private property have food plots i planted, they have small made ponds to drink from i dug. Most hunters spend more time in the woods learning how to live with nature and to make sure next year there will be more deer, bear, turkey, hogs to hunt. How many of you have spent hours in the woods clearing land for fruit trees or plant pine trees or doing anything for wild life? Private property will save endanger animals not more government intervention. Its a old sayin my dad said to me “son leave it better than you found it” So stop bithin and go buy land and protect it. Put your money and time where your mouth is and don’t rely on the government to do the work for you. FreeTalkLive.com to learn about freedom and why government is not the way.
Furthermore, due to the large size of their flocks, the birds were seen as a threat to farmers. In fact, in 1703 the Catholic bishop of Quebec actually excommunicated the entire species.
Vintage stupidity at its best.