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Pinta Island tortoise - The death of Lonesome George in 2012, the last known Pinta Island tortoise, means this particular Galapagos species is now most likely extinct. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)

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Western black rhinoceros - A subspecies of the black rhinoceros, this noble creature once roamed sub-Saharan Africa in plentiful numbers. But from an already depleted population of several hundred in the 1980s to just 10 by 2000, further poaching meant that in 2011 the animal was declared extinct.

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Golden toad - Once found in abundance in restricted territory in Costa Rica, the last sighting of this attractive amphibian was in 1989. It has since been classified as extinct.

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Tecopa pupfish - The tiny, heat-tolerant pupfish was endemic to the outflows of a pair of hot springs in the Mojave Desert of California. However, habitat modification through human intervention led to its decline and eventual extinction, around 1970.

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Passenger pigeon - This swift, sleek bird was once a common sight across North America, from the Great Plains to the Atlantic Coast. Incredibly, at one point the species numbered up to five billion. Merciless hunting by European settlers quickly wiped them out. The last wild passenger pigeon was seen in 1901.

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Passenger pigeon - One of the last photographs taken of a live passenger pigeon, pictured in captivity in 1898.

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Heath hen - Another North American bird hunted to extinction was the heath hen. Its range extended from southernmost New Hampshire to northern Virginia. 

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Heath hen - By 1890, about 120 were still alive, and by 1927, only around a dozen. The last sighting of this once thriving species was in 1932, the year it was declared extinct. The photograph was taken in 1900.

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Carolina parakeet - Blessed with strikingly colorful plumage, this small parrot was native to the eastern, midwest, and plains states of the United States. Deforestation and hunting caused its rapid decline, and by 1939, the species had disappeared for good.

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Thylacinus - Known also as the Tasmanian tiger or the Tasmanian wolf, this shy, nocturnal marsupial was found in large number across continental Australia, Tasmania, and throughout New Guinea.

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Thylacinus - Intensive hunting, however, decimated the species. A few black and white photographs and grainy newsreel footage documented the thylacinus's final years. The last one died in a zoo in 1936. The species was declared extinct in 1982.

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Bubal hartebeest - Ranging originally across Africa north of the Sahara,  Bubal hartebeest numbers fell sharply in the 19th century, a result of unrestricted French colonial hunting.

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Bubal hartebeest - One of the last surviving Bubal hartebeests was shot in Morocco in 1925, the year the species was declared extinct. Pictured is one that lived in London Zoo from October 1883 until April 1897. 

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Quagga - A plains zebra native to South Africa and distinguished from other zebras by its limited pattern of primarily brown and white stripes, the quagga was yet another victim of relentless hunting, killed for their meat and skins.

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Quagga - A number were captured and shipped to zoos in Europe, including this mare, photographed in London Zoo in 1870. By 1883 no wild or captive animals were left alive, and the quagga was declared extinct in 1900.

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Caspian tiger - Once found roaming across eastern Turkey, Mesopotamia, the Caucasus, Iran, and western China, this beautiful big cat was slaughtered to extinction by poachers and big game hunters. Loss of habitat was also blamed for its demise. The Caspian tiger is now believed to be extinct. Pictured is one from the Caucasus in Berlin Zoo, 1899.

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Pyrenean ibex - A subspecies of the Iberian ibex and once found in Spain's Cantabrian Mountains, southern France, and the Pyrenees, the demise of this agile and nimble beast remains somewhat of a mystery. Overgrazing, disease, and infection are some reasons cited. The last Pyrenean ibex died in 2000.

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Steller's sea cow - The waters around the remote Aleutian Islands provided the feeding grounds for this enormous aquatic mammal. The species was swiftly wiped out by fur traders and seal hunters in the 18th century. By 1768, none were left alive. 
Pictured is a skull of a Steller's sea cow displayed in London's Natural History Museum. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)

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Caribbean monk seal - Sharks, humans, and overfishing effectively killed off this gentle and docile mammal. Their fate was sealed as early as the 18th century, and the last confirmed sighting was in 1952. Pictured is a Caribbean monk seal at the New York Aquarium in 1910.

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Formosan clouded leopard - Endemic to the island of Taiwan, the last recorded sighting of this species was in the Tawu Mountain area in 1983. Sadly, the elusive feline is now thought to be extinct.

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Javan tiger - Smaller and in possession of narrower stripes than its relatives, the Javan tiger held out on the island of Java until 1970. Hunted remorselessly and its habitat cleared for urbanization, the species succumbed to the inevitable in 1994.

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Gravenche - It's presumed the gravenche is now extinct, since no sightings of this freshwater fish, endemic solely to Lake Geneva, have been recorded sine the early 1900s. Overfishing and eutrophication (excessive growth of plants and algae) have been blamed.

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Baiji dolphin - The Baiji or Chinese river dolphin is the first dolphin to be declared extinct in modern times. According to uk.whales.org, its demise is directly attributable to mankind. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)

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Japanese sea lion - Commercial fishing, the effects of Second World War mine warfare, and capture for use in circuses are just some of the causes cited for the disappearance of this aquatic mammal, which became extinct in the 1970s.

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Toolache wallaby - It took just 85 years after European colonization of South Australia and southwestern Victoria in the mid-19th century to kill off this slender and graceful animal, with habitat destruction and the introduction of predators chiefly to blame. The last toolache wallaby died in 1939.

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Great auk - Once a familiar sight foraging in the cold waters of the North Atlantic, the great auk numbered a population in the millions. Hunted for food, eggs, and its soft down feathers, the flightless bird was an easy target. The last two birds were killed in 1844.

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Dodo - "As dead as a dodo" is the oft-quoted term used to define something that no longer exists. This odd-looking, flightless, and heavyset bird was endemic to the island of Mauritius, and like the great auk, was easy prey for sailors. The dodo disappeared as early as 1662 and is perhaps the most famous extinct species. See also imminent risk: the animals closest to extinction.

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