6 Animals that became Extinct Due to Human Appetite
The last passenger pigeon died on September 1, 1914 at the Cincinnati, Ohio zoo. (Photo: Britannica)
JAKARTA - Extinction always occurs in various aspects, including in several animal species. Animal extinction is almost directly linked to humans' insatiable appetite.
The following are some of the animals that have disappeared due to thoughtless human exploitation as reported on the Brittanica page, Monday (6/11/2023).
1. Dodo bird
Dodo birds cannot fly and usually nest on land. Previously it was often found on the island of Mauritus, Indian Ocean. The dodo weighed around 23 kilograms and had blue-gray fur and a large head.
Portuguese sailors discovered it around 1507. These sailors quickly wiped out the Dodo population as an easy source of fresh meat for their voyages. The Dodo bird was last killed in 1681. Unfortunately, very few scientific descriptions or museum specimens exist.
2. Steller's Sea Cow
A species discovered by German naturalist George W. Steller in 1741. This sea cow once inhabited the area near the coast of the Commador Islands in the Bering Sea. Much larger than today's manatees and dugongs, these sea cows reached lengths of 9-10 meters and weighed around 20 metric tons.
This tame animal floats on the surface of coastal waters, but unfortunately does not have the ability to dive. This makes them easy targets for Russian seal hunters. This species became extinct in 1768, or less than 30 years after it was first discovered. No specimens are preserved at present.
3. Passenger Pigeon
Once famous for its migratory flocks so large they darkened the skies for days, the passenger pigeon was hunted to extinction in the 1900s.
Hunters often raid nesting sites and wipe out entire colonies in one breeding season. Since 1870, the species' decline has been drastic and several failed attempts have been made to breed the birds in captivity. The last known passenger pigeon, named Martha, died on September 1, 1914, at the Cincinnati, Ohio Zoo.
4. Eurasian aurochs
The Eurasian auroch was shaped like a large wild ox that once roamed the steppes of Europe, Siberia and Central Asia. Its height can reach 1.8 meters. As a game animal, the Eurasian Aurochs was overhunted and gradually became locally extinct throughout much of its range.
In 1564, gamekeepers recorded only 38 animals in a royal survey and the last known Eurasian Aurochs, a female, died in Poland in 1627 of natural causes.
5. Great Auk
The great auk is a flightless seabird that breeds in colonies on the rocky island of St. Kilda, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and the island of Funk off the coast of Newfoundland.
This great auk was killed by hunters for food and bait, especially in the early 1800s. A large number of birds were caught by sailors. They herded the birds onto planks and slaughtered them on their way into the ship's hold. This species was last killed in 1844 on Eldey Island.
6. Woolly Mammoth
The woolly mammoth became the most famous species. This large animal became extinct about 7,500 years ago, after the end of the last ice age. Massive hunting and the stress of a warming climate are a deadly combination, and it seems that not even the mighty mammoth can withstand humanity's appetite in a changing world.