3 bird species, 2 frogs, 1 shark, 1 famous snail, 1 of world’s largest freshwater fish were declared extinct in 2019…
About 2 dozen species were declared extinct in 2019. Scientists wait decades before declaring species truly extinct. These animals lived in extremely narrow habitats vulnerable to human destruction, pollution, extreme weather, invasive species.
Achatinella Apexfulva – last Hawaiian tree snail called ‘lonesome George‘ died in captivity. Disease, invasive predators drove it to extinction.
Alagoas Foliage-Gleaner (Philydor novaesi) – Brazilian bird extinct due to destruction of habitat by logging, charcoal production, land conversion to agriculture.
Boulenger’s Speckled Skink (Oligosoma infrapunctatum) – a ‘complete enigma’, lizard unseen in New Zealand for 130 years.
Bramble Cay Melomys (Melomys rubicola) – rising oceans lapped out tiny islet habitat in Australia.
Catarina Pupfish (Megupsilon aporus) – Mexican freshwater fish destroyed by ground-water extraction.
Chinese Paddlefish (Psephurus gladius) — One of the world’s largest freshwater fish native to Yangtze River, paddlefish died due to overfishing, habitat fragmentation.
Corquin Robber Frog (Craugastor anciano) — native to Honduras, killed by habitat loss, fungus.
Cryptic Treehunter (Cichlocolaptes mazarbarnetti) – Brazilian bird, lost due to changes in forest habitat, extensive logging, land conversion to agriculture.
Cunning Silverside (Atherinella callida) – Mexican freshwater fish, now unseen.
Indochinese Tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) – Laos extinction, major loss of a big cat.
Lake Oku Puddle Frog (Phrynobatrachus njiomock) – Unseen in Cameroon.
Lost Shark (Carcharhinus obsolerus) – wiped out by overfishing in the Pacific.
Miss Waldron’s Red Colobus (Piliocolobus waldronae) – loss of rare African monkey.
Sierra de Omoa Streamside Frog (Craugastor omoaensis) – Honduras frog, victim of habitat loss, fungus.
Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) – lost despite conservation efforts in Indonesia.
Victorian Grasslands Earless Dragon (Tympanocryptis pinguicolla) – unseen in Australia.
Villa Lopez Pupfish (Cyprinodon ceciliae) – Mexican fish, now unseen.
Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) – last female died in China during an artificial insemination procedure.
In addition, IUCN declared several species extinct in the wild – Spix’s Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii), Ameca Shiner (Notropis amecae), Banded Allotoca (Allotoca goslinei), Marbled Sword-tail (Xiphophorus meyeri), Charo Palma Pupfish (Cyprinodon veronicae), Kunimasu (Oncorhynchus kawamurae), Monterrey Platyfish (Xiphophorus couchianus).
A stark reminder of what we’re losing around us each day, a clarion call to save what’s left…