Toolache Wallaby (1943)

The Toolache Wallaby (Macropus greyi) could be found in Australia and New Zealand. They were considered by many to be the most elegant and graceful species of kangaroo. Their hops consisted of two short hops, followed by a long one. Females were generally taller than the males.

Tasmanian Tiger (1936)

The Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacine) was the largest carnivorous marsupial of the modern era, evolving around 4 million years ago. It became extinct in the 1930s due to excessive hunting by farmers who blamed it for killing sheep and poultry. Other factors were a loss of habitat to agriculture, disease, and the introduction of dogs. This […]

Japanese Honshu Wolf (1905)

The Honshu wolf (Canis lupus hodophilax) lived on the Japanese islands of Shikoku, Kyushu, and Honshu. It was the smallest species of wolf in the Canis lupus family, growing to about three feet in length, and 12 inches at the shoulder. In the Shinto belief (the traditional religion of Japan), the ōkami (“wolf”) is regarded […]

Quagga (1883)

The Quagga (Equus quagga quagga), a striking half zebra, half horse creature is actually a subspecies of zebra that diverged around 200,000 years ago and became extinct in the 19th century. Quagga lived in South Africa and got their name from the sound they make (onomatopoeic)

Great Auk (1852)

The Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis) was aflightless bird that resembled a present-day penguin. Like the penguin, it was a powerful swimmer, stored fat for warmth, nested in dense colonies, and mated for life; however, it also had a heavy hooked beak. It could grow to almost three feet in height and lived in the north […]

Steller’s Sea Cow (1768)

Steller’s Sea Cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) was a huge, plant-eating, sea mammal similar to the manatee in appearance. However, it could grow up to nine meters long (30 feet). It was discovered by Georg Wilhelm Steller, and within three decades was hunted to extinction by Europeans, who followed Steller’s route.

Moa (1400)

The Moa (Dinornithiformes) was a huge species of flightless bird native to New Zealand. They could grow to almost four meters in height (12 feet) and weigh 230 kg. Despite their incredible height, the bird’s vertebrae suggest they spent much of their time with their necks pointed forward. These long necks likely produced low-pitched, resonant […]

Woolly Mammoth (2,000 B.C.)

The Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) inhabited much of the arctic tundra regions of the northern hemisphere in the early Holocene period. These massive creatures could reach 11 feet in height and weigh six tonnes, which is about the same size as African elephants, though their closest relative is the Asian elephant. However, unlike the elephant, […]

Irish Elk (5,200 B.C.)

From Ireland to Siberia, Irish Elk (Megaloceros giganteus) populated much of northern Europe at the end of the last glacial period. Since they have little in common with extant elk species, they are more precisely known as “giant deer.” They could grow up to seven feet tall at the shoulder and weigh up to 700kg. […]

Smilodon (10,000 B.C.)

The Smilodon (saber-toothed cat) lived in North and South America at the end of the last glacial period, though it evolved as a separate species around 2.5 million years ago. The largest subspecies, Smilodon populator, could reach 400 kg in weight, three meters in length, and 1.4 meters tall at the shoulder. Despite being called […]