7Caribbean Monk Seal – Extinction in 1952
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Known as the West Indian Seal and native to the Caribbean, they were first sighted in 1494 by Columbus who called them sea wolves. It was Spanish explorers who threatened their extinction by killing them for fur, meat oil and hide. A solitary Caribbean monk seal was last spotted in 1952 at Serranilla Bank between Jamaica and Nicaragua.
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8Tecopa Pupfish – Extinction in 1979
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The Tecopa pupfish were once found in the outflows of water in the South and North Tecopa Hot Springs. These are small fish that eat mostly larva and were first noticed by Robert Miller in 1848. It was human encroachment that ultimately led to the extinction of the pupfish. The popularity of the hot springs drove the fish downstream where cold waters and swift currents did not provide them ideal living conditions. The last a pupfish was seen was on February 2, 1970.
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9Javan Tiger – Extinction between 1980 – 1990
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The now extinct Java Tiger lived on the Java Islands of Indonesia and were common in the early 19th century. Considered pests, they were hunted and poisoned in large numbers. Ultimately they were driven to extinction due to shortage of their natural habitat. In 1972 only seven to twelve of the species remained. That too disappeared with no indication of any sighting ever since. It now remains among the list of extinct animals that once roamed the earth.
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10Western Black Rhinoceros – Extinction in 2006
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As a sub species of the black rhino, the western black rhino roamed the southeast region of Africa in large numbers. Heavy hunting in the early 20th century reduced their population but in the thirties, preservation efforts helped their numbers rise, however, the efforts lost steam resulting in the total decline of the western black rhino where only 5 remained in the eighties. The IUCN declared the animal extinct in 2006.
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