Major extinction events are nothing new for the planet, but species are now dying out at an alarming rate thanks to humans.
We are presently losing dozens of species every day, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. Nearly 20,000 species of plants and animals are at a high risk of extinction and if trends continue, Earth could see another mass extinction event within a few centuries.
“Unlike past mass extinctions, caused by events like asteroid strikes, volcanic eruptions and natural climate shifts, the current crisis is almost entirely caused by us — humans,” explains the Center for Biological Diversity. “In fact, 99 percent of currently threatened species are at risk from human activities, primarily those driving habitat loss, introduction of exotic species and global warming.”
While there is no single international body that declares a species or subspecies extinct, the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List is a widely-recognized authority for keeping track of threatened and endangered species.
The main focus of the Red List is to stop species from going extinct,” a Red List manager told the Washington Post in 2011. “But, by default, we became the standard international list for extinctions.”
Below, find 11 animals that have all gone extinct in the past two centuries thanks to humans.
The West African black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis longipes) was a subspecies of the black rhino that was declared extinct in 2011.
The subspecies last existed in Cameroon, but an extensive survey in 2006 did not find any signs of living West African black rhinos. According to the IUCN, “it is highly probable that this subspecies is now extinct” thanks to increased poaching and demand for rhino horn.