In the IUCN Red List update published on October 28, 2024, the status of several animal species deteriorated: their category changed between the IUCN Red List 2023 (version 2023-1) and the IUCN Red List 2024 (version 2024-2), so that they are now listed as “extinct.” A species’ IUCN category on the Red List can change as a result of real population shifts, new knowledge about existing populations, or earlier misclassifications.
The IUCN Red List is a global tool for assessing species’ extinction risk and monitoring biodiversity trends. It assigns species to nine categories, ranging from “not evaluated” to “extinct,” with “vulnerable,” “endangered,” and “critically endangered” considered particularly serious.
For the first time, two species in Germany have gone extinct
In the current IUCN Red List 2024, five bird species, nine fish species, and five snail species were officially declared extinct. For the first time, two species from Germany are listed as globally extinct: the Chiemsee whitefish and the Starnberg whitefish, two fish species in the genus Coregonus, also known as whitefish. These species, which occurred only in Germany, are irretrievably lost. This marks a turning point, because previous extinction cases in Germany involved only local losses, while the species concerned still existed in other parts of Europe or worldwide—such as the aurochs, which went extinct in the early 17th century.
The IUCN declared these animals extinct in 2024
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) already declared the Maui Nukupuʻu extinct in 2023. After more than 60 years without a sighting, the species was rediscovered in 1967; this was followed by around 30 alleged sightings, the last in 1996. The Maui Nukupuʻu, now declared extinct by the IUCN, died out due to massive human impacts on Hawaii’s forests since the arrival of Polynesians, including deforestation and the introduction of invasive animals and diseases such as avian malaria and avian pox.
(© Wmpearl, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Although there have been at least 30 sightings since 1960, most recently in 2007, the IUCN has declared the bird species extinct. The reason: none of the sightings provides sufficient evidence to reliably rule out confusion with the Kauai ʻamakihi (Chlorodrepanis stejnegeri). The Kauai Nukupuʻu declined due to habitat loss and destruction for agriculture, as well as introduced species that preyed on it and transmitted diseases.
(© Evans, A. H.; Frohawk, Frederick William; Gadow, Hans; Wilson, Scott B., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
The Maui ʻakepa, once endemic to the Hawaiian island of Maui, is now listed by the IUCN as “Extinct” because it has not been sighted since 1988. The USFWS already removed the species in 2023 from the list of threatened species due to its presumed extinction. Scientists distinguish around 24 genera and 59 species within the Hawaiian honeycreepers, of which at least 38 are now considered extinct. Habitat loss, introduced diseases, and competition from invasive species are regarded as the main causes of extinction.
(© Hiart, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Once widespread across many Hawaiian islands, the ʻŌʻō disappeared between 1899 and 1931 from Oahu, Maui, Molokai, and Lanai. It was last documented in 1989 on Kauai, which is why the IUCN now classifies it as extinct. Two hurricanes in 1982 and 1992 that struck the Alakai Swamp on Kauai, the species’ last known range, likely sealed the fate of the ʻŌʻō for good.
(© Nicolas Huet, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
The Norfolk Island grey-headed white-eye was still common around 1908, but by 1962 the population had declined to fewer than 50 individuals. Intensive searches, most recently in 2020, were unsuccessful, and the species is now listed as extinct on the IUCN Red List. The main cause of extinction was the introduction of black rats in the 1940s; habitat loss and competition from invasive plants and the silvereye (Z. lateralis) further accelerated the decline.
(© Rawpixel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
The May trout, which is listed by the IUCN in the category “Extinct,” presumably disappeared due to severe alterations to its habitat, including riverbank straightening, weirs, and water pollution, which greatly restricted migration and spawning. Overfishing also played a role, as May trout meat was highly valued and expensive. In addition, introduced species may have contributed to the final extinction.
(© Bloch, Marcus Elieser, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
The nocturnal, live-bearing tree snail from the Polynesian island of Raiatea was last recorded in 1972; shells found in 1991 were empty. The IUCN has now officially assessed Partula dentifera as extinct. The main cause of extinction for this and other Partula species was predation by the carnivorous rosy wolfsnail (Euglandina rosea), which was introduced to control the invasive giant African snail (Achatina fulica) on the island.
(© Naturalis Biodiversity Center, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)
The IUCN Red List now also records the Polynesian tree snail Partula faba as extinct. Since 1991, zoos in the United Kingdom tried to save this snail species from extinction. At first, the conservation program was successful, but over time the population declined again. The last known colony was first transferred to Bristol Zoo and later entrusted to Edinburgh Zoo, but without lasting success – the last snail eventually died in February 2016.
(© Harry Taylor, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
The relatively large tree snail Partula guamensis once occurred in large numbers on the Micronesian island of Pohnpei, but no living individuals have been found since 1936. Field surveys in 2005, 2006, and 2008 found only four dead, weathered shells. As the species has not been recorded in more recent surveys in suitable habitats either, the IUCN Red List now lists it as extinct.
(© Naturalis Biodiversity Center, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Langford’s tree snail originally occurred at only five locations on the island of Aguiguan in the Mariana Islands and had been reduced to a single site by 1992. Since then, no living specimen has been found, which is why the species is now listed as extinct by the IUCN. Its habitats had been severely reduced by intensive logging from the 1940s onward, and the final extinction was triggered by the introduction of the predatory rosy wolfsnail (Euglandina rosea) in 1992.
(© Alexander M. Kerr, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Birds
- Maui Nukupuʻu (Hemignathus affinis) – Maui, Hawaii – last confirmed sighting in the late 1990s
- Kauai Nukupuʻu (Hemignathus hanapepe) – Kauai, Hawaii – last confirmed sighting in 1899
- Maui ʻakepa (Loxops ochraceus) – Maui, Hawaii – last confirmed sighting in 1988
- ʻŌʻō (Psittirostra psittacea) – Hawaii – last confirmed sighting in 1989
- Norfolk Island grey-headed white-eye (Zosterops albogularis) – Norfolk Island – last confirmed sighting in 2000
Fish
- Thracian shad (Alosa vistonica) – Lake Vistonida, Greece – last confirmed sighting in 1995
- Volga shad (Alosa volgensis) – Caspian Sea, Volga, Ural and Terek – last confirmed sighting possibly in 2016
- Chiemsee whitefish (Coregonus hoferi) – Lake Chiemsee, Germany – last confirmed sighting between the 1940s and 1980s
- Starnberg whitefish (Coregonus renke) – Lake Starnberg and the upper Danube system, Germany – last confirmed sighting in the late 19th century
- Coregonus trybomi – Lake Ören, Sweden – last confirmed sighting in the mid-20th century
- Lake Zug whitefish (Coregonus zugensis) – Lake Zug, Switzerland – last confirmed sighting in the early 20th century
- May trout (Salmo schiefermuelleri) – Danube catchment (Attersee, Traunsee, Fuschlsee), Austria – last confirmed sighting in the 19th century
- Orkney charr (Salvelinus inframundus) – Orkney archipelago, Scotland – last confirmed sighting in the 1950s
- Jándula chub (Squalius palaciosi) – Jándula and Rumblar, Spain – last confirmed sighting in 1999
Snails
- Partula dentifera – Raiatea, French Polynesia – last confirmed sighting in 1972
- Captain Cook’s bean snail (Partula faba) – Raiatea and Tahaa, French Polynesia – last confirmed sighting in 1992
- Partula guamensis – Pohnpei, Caroline Islands – last confirmed sighting in 1936
- Langford’s tree snail (Partula langfordi) – Aguiguan, Northern Mariana Islands – last confirmed sighting in 1992
- Partula tristis – Raiatea, French Polynesia – last confirmed sighting in 1934
In addition to the species assessed as extinct by the IUCN in 2024, the slender-billed curlew has also been considered lost since November. This migratory wader is the first continental bird species in Europe in modern times to be driven to extinction by human impacts.
About the author: Doreen Fräßdorf
Doreen Fräßdorf is the author and publisher of artensterben.de. She researches and writes about extinct and endangered species in the modern era, with a focus on red lists, scientific studies, historical sources, and current conservation efforts. The goal is a clear, evidence-based overview of biodiversity loss and species protection.
She is also the author of a non-fiction book about extinct modern-era mammals.
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