Extinct
A species is extinct when there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died and no surviving population remains anywhere.
Timeline Archive
Extinct Animals by Century
Browse famous extinct animals by century and learn where they lived, when they disappeared, and why they vanished.
This first version focuses on well-documented historical extinctions from the 1600s to the 2000s. You can scan the full timeline now and add species images later without changing the structure.
Quick Navigation
Jump straight to a century
Start with early colonial-era extinctions, or skip to the most recent losses to see how quickly species have continued to disappear.
Timeline
Notable extinct animals from the 1600s to today
Key Terms
What does extinct mean?
Conservation labels matter. These definitions help explain why "extinct," "extinct in the wild," and "endangered" are not interchangeable.
Extinct in the Wild
The species survives only in captivity, cultivation, or managed reintroduction settings and no longer lives freely in its natural range.
Endangered
The species still survives in the wild but faces a very high risk of extinction without stronger protection and recovery work.
Common Questions
FAQ
These answers keep the page grounded in modern extinction history instead of blending it with prehistory or general endangered-species coverage.
What animals went extinct in the 1800s?
Well-known nineteenth-century examples include the great auk, quagga, bluebuck, Falkland Islands wolf, and sea mink. The page groups them in the 1800s section with short context for each extinction.
Which animals went extinct recently?
Recent examples include the Po'ouli, Christmas Island pipistrelle, Bramble Cay melomys, and the Pinta Island tortoise lineage. Some entries were declared extinct after years without a confirmed sighting.
Why do animals go extinct?
The most common drivers on this page are overhunting, habitat loss, invasive species, disease, and climate-linked environmental change. Many extinctions involve several pressures at once.
Are dinosaurs included?
No. This page focuses on historically documented extinctions from the 1600s onward, so prehistoric animals are excluded from the first version.
What is the difference between extinct and endangered?
Extinct means a species is gone entirely. Endangered means it still survives in the wild but faces a very high risk of extinction if conditions do not improve.