Extinct Mammals

To the list of recently extinct mammals

Mammals that went extinct after 1500 are often marsupials

A glance at the list of extinct mammals and their distribution reveals that a large number of marsupials (Marsupiala) that lived on the continent of Australia have gone extinct. The most famous among them: the thylacine. The hunting of Australia’s largest predatory marsupial led to its systematic extermination. The last Tasmanian Tiger, as the Thylacine was also known, died in 1936 at the Hobart Zoo.

Since the arrival of Europeans in Australia, many marsupials have become critically endangered or already gone extinct. This includes kangaroos (Macropodidae)—the marsupials for which the Australian continent is famous—such as the eastern hare-wallaby around 1890 or the toolache wallaby, which may not have gone extinct until the 1970s. Then various rat-kangaroos (Potoroidae) disappeared: the broad-faced potoroo around 1875 and the desert rat-kangaroo in the first half of the 20th century. And a large number of bandicoots (Peramelemorphia) no longer exist either, for example the lesser bilby, the desert bandicoot, and the butterfly bandicoot, which was only scientifically described in 2018 and went extinct between 1930 and 1960. In addition to introduced predators (red foxes or cats), food competitors (rabbits), and diseases, habitat loss also often plays a major role in the disappearance of marsupial species.

Extinct mammals in Germany?

Mammal species that have gone extinct in Germany in most cases still survive in other parts of Europe or Asia, meaning they have at most disappeared from Germany; these include, for example, brown bears, ground squirrels, moose, or European bison, some of which have been or are being reintroduced, or occasionally wander back on their own. Truly extinct, however, is the famous aurochs (Ur), which was found in Germany, the Middle East, and Central Asia. The wild bovine, considered the largest herbivore since the Ice Age, went extinct in 1627 after intensive hunting and the destruction of its habitat. Today, efforts are being made to breed at least visually similar cattle through selective back-breeding.

The Bavarian pine vole (Microtus bavaricus), which is endemic to the Northern Limestone Alps and Eastern Alps as well as Tyrol (Austria), was also considered extinct in Germany. After intensive searches in 2009 failed to find any specimens of this species, the Bavarian pine vole is listed as “extinct” on Germany’s Red List; the world conservation organization IUCN still lists it as “critically endangered” due to the destruction of its habitat. In the summer of 2023, the rediscovery of the Bavarian Pine Vole was achieved in Germany after all.

Mammal species that went extinct on islands

While many extinct birds of the modern era were often found on islands—and only there—extinct mammals were primarily native to the mainland. But not all of them: For example, a whole range of animals from the group of New World mice lived on islands—and went extinct. On the Galápagos Islands, among others, Darwin’s Galápagos mouse and the Galápagos giant rat disappeared at the beginning of the 20th century. The cause was introduced house rats that brought pathogens against which the island rats had no immunity. But other invasive species, such as cats, feral dogs, goats, or pigs, certainly also contributed to the disappearance of the endemic rodents.

Something similar happened on Australia’s Christmas Island: The Maclear’s rat and the bulldog rat that lived there disappeared in 1903 or 1904, when house rats arrived at the end of the 19th century as ship rats in a load of hay. These brought fleas and endoparasites that ultimately led to the extinction of the native rats within a very short time. Incidentally, of the five mammal species originally living on Christmas Island, only one still exists and it is critically endangered—the Christmas Island flying fox (Pteropus melanotus natalis). The Christmas Island shrew (Crocidura trichura) presumably disappeared in the 1990s and the Christmas Island pipistrelle in 2009.

The first mammal considered to have gone extinct due to climate change is another island-dwelling rat: the Bramble Cay melomys. It lived on the small Australian coral island of Bramble Cay alongside seabirds and sea turtles. Beginning in the 1990s, human-caused climate change led to a rise in sea levels, causing the island area permanently above water to steadily shrink while cyclones and flooding became increasingly frequent. During an expedition to the island in 2014, there was no longer any trace of the Bramble Cay melomys, and only two of the eleven native plant species remained.

The Caribbean is one of the few oceanic island groups inhabited by non-flying land mammals. The region has the highest number of extinct mammal species worldwide: Since 1500, at least 29 mammal species have disappeared, and since the colonization of the West Indies 4,500 years ago, the number is 37. All species of Caribbean shrews (Nesophontidae) went extinct by the early 20th century at the latest, and all giant hutias (Heptaxodontidae) have likewise vanished. Among the lost species are also the Jamaican monkey, which disappeared in the 18th century, as well as the Hispaniolan edible rat and the insular cave Rat, both of which went extinct in the early 16th century. The Swan Island hutia from Little Swan Island went extinct in the mid-20th century.

Why some mammals survive—and others go extinct

Not all mammals are equally threatened by extinction. While some species survive despite massive environmental changes, others disappear within just a few decades. But why is that? Scientific studies show that three main factors significantly influence how resilient a species is against threats such as habitat loss, hunting, or climate change: reproductive rate, habitat size, and adaptability.

Reproduction determines survival

The reproductive rate is crucial for a species’ survival. Fast-breeding mammals such as mice or rats often compensate for losses quickly and adapt better to environmental changes. Species with low reproductive rates, on the other hand, are particularly vulnerable to threats. These mammals produce only a few offspring at long intervals and invest a great deal of time in raising them. They are especially sensitive to threats because population losses cannot be compensated quickly. Steller’s Sea Cow probably gave birth to a calf only every few years and was hunted to extinction within 27 years.

Small and Large Habitats

A species’ space requirements significantly influence its survival. While small rodents can often make do with limited habitats, large predators and herbivores need vast territories to find enough food. Yet precisely this high demand for space becomes the downfall of many species: When their habitats are fragmented or reduced by human activities, they can no longer find sufficient resources to reproduce and survive in the long term. The aurochs, once found across Europe, Asia, and North Africa, disappeared in 1627 as its habitat was increasingly restricted and it was intensively hunted.

But it is not only wide-ranging species that are at risk. Island dwellers or animals with a narrowly restricted habitat have hardly any alternatives when their habitat is destroyed. Many Australian marsupials, such as the pig-footed bandicoot, disappeared after the introduction of foxes and cats, as they depended on specific ecosystems.

Adaptability as the key to survival

Another decisive factor for a species’ continued existence is its ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Generalists that can cope in various habitats and have a broad dietary range are more likely to survive than highly specialized species. A good example is the red fox, which can live in forests, cities, and even deserts. It feeds on anything available, from small mammals to fruits to carrion.

Specialized species, on the other hand, are heavily dependent on specific habitats or food sources. When these conditions change or disappear, their survival is at risk. This happened with the Bramble Cay melomys, which lived only on a tiny coral island off Australia. The Caribbean shrews, an entire family of insectivores, also went extinct after the arrival of introduced rats.

Extinct mammals: Data & facts (as of 10/2025)

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) currently lists 90 mammal species and 9 subspecies or varieties that have (most likely) gone extinct since 1500. Among the extinct subspecies or varieties are, for example, the bubal hartebeest, extinct since 1925, or the quagga, a form of zebra that disappeared at the end of the 19th century. In addition, 789 species are listed as “Data Deficient” and 238 as “Critically Endangered”. These are not infrequently species known only from a single specimen (holotype) or that have been missing for decades, so it can be assumed that certainly more than just 90 mammal species have gone extinct in modern times.

The largest share of extinct mammals, according to the IUCN, comes from the order of rodents (Rodentia) with 37 species and 3 subspecies. The second largest share consists of marsupials with 18 extinct species. Furthermore, 9 bat species (including the Sturdee’s pipistrelle), 11 even-toed ungulates (including bluebuck, Yemen gazelle, Algerian gazelle, or Lemerle’s hippopotamus), 8 species from the order of insectivores (Eulipotyphla), 6 carnivores (such as the Falklands wolf and giant fossa), 2 primates (a large sloth lemur and the Jamaican monkey), 3 subspecies from the order of odd-toed ungulates (e.g. Quagga or Syrian wild ass), 1 lagomorph (Sardinian pika), and 1 sea cow (Steller’s Sea Cow) have gone extinct.

Detail pages are available for the following mammals:

• Atlas bear
• Aurochs
• Barbary lion
• Chinese river dolphin: Is the baiji still alive?
• Hokkaidō Wolf
• Honshū Wolf
• Quagga
• Red gazelle
• Schomburgk’s deer — Could it still exist?
• The Kouprey: A Zoological Mystery
• Thylacine
• Yemen Gazelle