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About This Quiz
Over the history of humankind, animals have been going extinct-mostly due to the way we live and treat the earth. Can you correctly identify the animals that are completely gone from this planet?
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Which extinct animal is this?
Dragon
The American Cheetah
Generically known as genus Miracinonyx, the American cheetah is identified by its slender, muscular frame and swift movements. Before the last Ice age approximately ten thousand years ago, the American Cheetah went into extinction- most likely due to humans killing them off to use their skin as fur. The American Cheetah actually shares a closer relation to other big cats like the jaguar, rather than the cheetahs we know today.
Dog
Unicorn
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Which extinct animal is this?
The black bear
The Spanish lynx
The red fox
The Dodo
According to most descriptions, this stout bird had stout legs and a large beak, with brownish or grayish feathers and a cluster of curly feathers high on its behind. Before it went extinct 500 years ago, it occupied the land of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean before it was killed off for food by the Dutch. The dodo bird is from the family of pigeons and doves and the Nicobar pigeon is its closest relative.
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Which extinct animal is this?
Golden toad
This animal has been declared extinct by default, since it has not been seen since 1989- twenty-five years after its initial sighting in 1964 in the Elfin Cloud Forest in Costa Rica. It is unclear what caused its disappearance, many citing climate change as the culprit or even Chytridiomycosis- a fatal skin disorder affecting amphibians.
Black-backed Jackal
American badger
Raccoon dog
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Which extinct animal is this?
Atlas bear
Golden toad
Desert-rat kangaroo
This small animal which measured only a foot long and looked like a rat and a kangaroo in one. This desert rat kangaroo has a unique history: first discovered in 1840, disappeared for 100 years, reappeared in the 1930; s in Australia and declared extinct once and for all in 1994. The marsupial has not been seen since.
Boa constrictor
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Which extinct animal is this?
Black-footed ferret
Golden jackal
Ethiopian wolf
Blackfin Cisco
This fish of the Great Lakes endured a gradual extinction: it was seen in Lake Huron in 1960 and in Lake Michigan in 1969, but it was last seen in Thunder Bay, Ontario in 2006-11 years ago. Its close relatives, salmon and trout, remain in our waters today.
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Which extinct animal is this?
North American otter
Old English black
Way back in 1066 during the time of Norma Conquest, European and English horses produced this unique type of horse. Despite the name, this horse was not black but usually brown, and it became extinct due to interbreeding that eventually eradicated its species. Breeds such as Clydesdales and Shires are share many features of the Old English black.
Chinese mountain cat
Cape buffalo
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Which extinct animal is this?
Caracal
Black bear
Carolina parakeet
This colorful bird was popular for many reasons before it became extinct in the early 1900s, after the last of its kind died at Cincinnati Zoo. It was used commercially to adorn women’s hats, hunted down to prevent it from pecking crops or even kept as a pet. The Carolina was the only parakeet native to the United States.
Short-eared dog
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Which extinct animal is this?
Javan tiger
The Javan tiger became extinct after human beings invaded its homeland in Indonesia and began to settle there. This was unlike other animals that became extinct after continuously being hunted to protect farms and crops. Unfortunately, the last Java has not been seen in a few decades.
German shepherd
Orangutan
Bullfrog
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Which extinct animal is this?
Cape Verde giant skink
In the earth 20th century, this versatile reptile disappeared, unable to be found in its usual habitats such as icy climates, mountainous terrains and even deserts. This lizard, generically known as Macroscincus, inhabited the Cape Verde islands but may have become extinct for two reasons: constantly being killed to produce a potent "skink oil" and as a result of drastic changes occurring in its habitat.
Red fox
Black-backed jackal
Leopard seal
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Which extinct animal is this?
European wildcat
White-footed rabbit-rat
This rather large rodent was actually the size of a kitten and it found its home in the Eucalyptus trees in Australia. It appears that this was actually a delicacy for the Europeans who settled there, as they refered to it as “rabbit biscuit.†However, it became extinct in the mid-19th century due to cats and other animals that fed on it.
Spanish lynx
Black-footed ferret
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Which extinct animal is this?
Feral hog
Chinese mountain cat
Eastern elk
In 1880, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service deemed this species to be extinct, after the last known Eastern Elk was shot Pennsylvania in 1877. The elk was a sight to behold, with huge bulls and long horns that measured up to 6 feet long. The descendants of The Eastern Elk include the Roosevelt and Rocky Mountain Elk.
Black-backed jackal
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Which extinct animal is this?
Cape buffalo
Raccoon dog
Ethiopian wolf
Harlequin toad
This refers to a group of species which are either surviving, endangered or extinct. These toads, which live in Central and South America, face many threats to their survival, such as the deadly Batrachochytrium fungus and the destruction of their habitats due to human development.
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Which extinct animal is this?
Short-eared dog
American badger
North American otter
Giant short-faced kangaroo
This kangaroo had an alarming appearance, as it stood at ten feet tall and weighed over 400 pounds. It was among the other large animals that were common during that epoch. Just like the American cheetah, it disappeared shortly after the last Ice Age.
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Which extinct animal is this?
Leopard seal
Levuana moth
This small insect had an unfortunate liking of coconuts, which resulted in its rapid extinction in the early 20th century. The Levuana Moth lived in Fiji- a beautiful island that has quickly become a tourist hotspot. The coconut eating moth was bad for business and, though it tried to relocate, its preferred food led to its extinction.
Caracal
Golden jackal
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Which extinct animal is this?
Blue walleye
This animal, which was last seen in the early 1980s, was in high demand by consumers and was constantly fished out of Great Lakes. Overfishing, industrial pollution and it being preyed upon by other mammals such as the rainbow smelt led to its extinction.
Cape buffalo
Black bear
Clouded leopard
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Which extinct animal is this?
Meerkat
Fennec fox
Saber-tooth tiger
Despite its name it was not a tiger but was in fact, one of the deadliest canines of the Pleistocene era, that was capable of killing just about any animal it set its eyes on. The saber-tooth tiger had long curved teeth that protruded from the mouth even when it was closed and it had an intimidating snarl to match. Like most other extinct animals in this quiz, it became extinct soon after the last Ice Age.
Black-backed jackal
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Which extinct animal is this?
Giraffe
Hyena
Rodrigues giant tortoise
At the beginning of the 18th century, both types of this tortoise became extinct. The saddle-backed tortoise, which was quite large in size, and the domed tortoise which weighed only 25 pounds. Humans preyed on these slow animals and their species eventually died out on the island of Rodrigues that they were endemic to.
Lion
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Which extinct animal is this?
Eskimo curlew
This small, unassuming bird, which was known as the Prairie Pigeon to some Europeans, was shot down by hunters when migrating from Alaska to Canada. Though many of this species were killed in that manner because they traveled in large flocks and frequently lingered around their injured counterparts when they were shot. In 1967, it was listed as an endangered species and was last sighted in 1987.
Black-footed erret
Ethiopian wolf
Raccoon dog
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Which extinct animal is this?
European wildcat
American badger
Gastric-brooding frog
This frog, endemic to Australia, had unusual practices that caused it to be easily recognized and also missed, when it became extinct in the 1980s. The females were known to swallow their eggs and deny themselves food to prevent their tadpoles from burning to death from their scalding stomach acid. It was one of the only two species with this unusual method of protecting its offspring.
Feral hog
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Which extinct animal is this?
Spanish lynx
Xerces blue
This dazzling butterfly belonged to the city of San Francisco and was last seen in the Golden Gate Recreational Area in the 1940s. It is believed it fell prey to a species of ants that existed at the time and so efforts are being made to introduce similar butterflies: Silvery Blue and Palos Verdes Blue.
Chinese mountain cat
Short-eared dog
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Which extinct animal is this?
Atlas bear
At one point in time, this subspecies was Africa’s only native bear. After the Romans occupied North Africa, the atlas bear was either killed by them or used to execute convicts. The Atlas suffered terribly at the hands of humans but still managed to exist from the 2nd to the nineteenth century before becoming extinct.
Leopard seal
North American otter
Raccoon dog
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Which extinct animal is this?
Giant vampire bat
Though this bat was only about 2-3 ounces bigger than the Common Vampire Bat, the sight of it was definitely not for the faint hearted, as it was still a fairly big animal. The vampire bat existed during the Pleistocene era and they inhabited the continent of South America. While climate change is suspected to be the cause of the extinction of this species, the precise cause is unknown.
Clouded leopard
Cape buffalo
American badger
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Which extinct animal is this?
Fennec fox
Meerkat
Black-footed ferret
Tasmanian tiger
Before becoming extinct in the 20th century, this tiger was hunted in Australia, subsequently disappeared and then it was killed off in Tasmania to protect farmers' animals. It also lived in New Zealand during the Pleistocene Epoch and it currently stands as the largest known marsupial.
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Which extinct animal is this?
Giraffe
Gorilla
Goat
Gravenche
This foot-long fish was usually found in the waters of Lake Geneva before becoming extinct in the 19th century due to over-fishing. The Gravenche, also known as little fera, is hard to describe because there are actually no specimens in any museums. It was last seen as far back as 1950.
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Which extinct animal is this?
Caracal
Passenger pigeon
One of the most plentiful birds in the world became extinct in the late 19th century, when the last of its species died in 1914 at the Cincinnati Zoo. These birds often migrated all over North America in large flocks. Unfortunately, they became extinct after being constantly killed for their meat which was sold cheap and also due to other factors such as the destruction of their habitat.
Golden jackal
Ethiopian wolf
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Which extinct animal is this?
European wildcat
Black bear
Feral hog
Giant wombat
This huge animal, which was ten feet long and weighed a staggering two tons, was the largest marsupial ever documented. It existed over 40,000 years ago in Australia and many of these animals died via several means: through their unfruitful search for water during drought and being preyed upon by humans and by the "marsupial lion," Thylacoleo.
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Which extinct animal is this?
Sand cat
Horned turtle
Also known as Meiolania, this turtle was recognized by its spiky tail and the two horns just above its eyes. Due to the horns, the animal would have been unable to fully hide beneath its shell, and thus it developed its unique name. This bizarre turtle, which weighed about half a ton, mainly occupied Australia and Lord Howe Island.
Spanish lynx
North American otter
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Which extinct animal is this?
Black-backed jackal
American badger
Red fox
Galapagos damsel
This olive-gray fish of the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, is believed to be extinct because it has not been spotted in many years. Unlike many other animals, it didn’t fall victim to hunters but instead it may have never recovered from an increase in the temperature of the water, caused by the 1980 El Nino currents.
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Which extinct animal is this?
Cave lion
This subspecies of the modern lion was usually identified by its fluffy mane and stripes along its body. The cave lion did not live in caves but instead got its name because it frequently preyed on bears hibernating in caves. It became extinct over 1,200 years ago and was allegedly close to ten percent bigger than the lions we know today.
Chinese mountain cat
Leopard seal
Black-footed ferret
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Which extinct animal is this?
Raccoon dog
Dark flying fox
This bat enjoyed eating lots of fruits and spend most of its time sitting high in tree branches or far into caves. This however, made it an easy target and it was hunted for its meat. The dark flying fox was often found in the island of Mauritius and Reunion in the Indian Ocean.
Cape buffalo
Clouded leopard
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Which extinct animal is this?
Rocky Mountain locust
This locust shared similar habits to the passenger pigeon: They both traveled to North America by large numbers in the 19th century. The difference was that the locust did not die directly at the hands of humans but instead, their breeding homes were destroyed when farmers took over the Midwest. The last sighting of the Rocky Mountain locusts was in 1902.
Caracal
Short-eared dog
Black-footed ferret
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Which extinct animal is this?
Golden jackal
Red ox
Sri Lanka shrub frog
This species of frog found in Sri Lanka living in low-lying wet zones of the Kottawa and Beraliya Forest, such as in the shrubs where there is not much cover from the canopy of trees. Though it was declared extinct in 2004, there have been sightings of its species afterward. However, this species of frog is still very much at risk of complete extinction.
European wildcat
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Which extinct animal is this?
Spanish lynx
Feral hog
Lesser Bilby
This was quite an adorable-looking animal that had a pointed nose, a tail longer than its entire body and two long bionic ears that heard someone coming a mile away. It was not a fan of human beings though, and avoided us at all costs. This native Australia animal was soon wiped out in the mid-20th century when cats and foxes brought into the country preyed on it for food.
Sand cat
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Which extinct animal is this?
American zebra
This comprises one of the first known species of genus Equus, which consists of all modern day zebras, horses and donkeys. It is unclear whether this type of zebra had stripes like the gray zebra of East Africa, that we know today. It was also called the Hagerman horse, in reference to Hagerman, Idaho where it lived before disappeared over 2 million years ago.
Chinese mountain cat
American badger
Black bear
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Which extinct animal is this?
Cape buffalo
Ethiopian wolf
Black-backed jackal
Great auk
This ten-pound bird was usually found on the beaches of Canada, Greenland, Iceland and the North Atlantic. When humans began to inhabit these countries, the thick meat of the great auk served as a delicacy for them and it soon became extinct in the mid-19th century. The great auk was also hunted for other reasons: polar bears preyed on them and humans used their feathers to make pillows.
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Which extinct animal is this?
North American otter
Leopard seal
Silver trout
This species was not a plentiful one- even when it was discovered in the 18th century only three specimens were found in New Hampshire. These were believed to be part of a larger population of fish that existed years before. The silver trout soon became extinct and was last seen in 1930.
Short-eared dog
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Which extinct animal is this?
Black-footed ferret
Caracal
Polynesian tree snail
Scientifically known as partula nodosa, over 100 species of this snail lived in French Polynesia, Tahiti and other volcanic islands of the South Pacific. However, due to unfortunate circumstances, 70 percent of their species became extinct. This is because the Rosy Wolfsnail from Florida, which was introduced to their habitat in order to kill off African snails that were taking over, actually fed on the Polynesian snails instead.
Clouded leopard
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Which extinct animal is this?
Stag-moose
This 1,000-pound deer was initially discovered by William Clark in 1805. It existed during the time of the saber tooth cat, mammoth and sloths, but became extinct about 10,000 years ago after constantly being preyed upon by humans. The stag moose was replaced by the typical deer that we know today and these two share similar habits- they both lived in wetlands and fed on plants and other vegetation.
Golden jackal
Feral hog
Raccoon dog
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Which extinct animal is this?
Meerkat
Bali tiger
Also known as Panthera tigris balica, this tiger hailed from Bali in Indonesia for thousands of years. It actually only became extinct approximately 50 years ago when European settlers invaded Bali, but had been living with the natives before that. It was hunted for many reasons: for fun and also to protect the homes and livelihood that the Europeans created
Cape buffalo
Red fox
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Which extinct animal is this?
Ainsworth's salamander
Only two of this animal specimen have ever been discovered, both in Jasper City, Mississippi in 1964. This unique sea creature survived by inhaling oxygen through its mouth and skin since it did not have lungs. When climate change took precedence, this caused it to be at high risk and it soon became extinct.
European wildcat
Chinese mountain cat
North American otter
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Which extinct animal is this?
Black bear
Neapolitan
This equine, which has been described as a lofty animal with great strength and small legs, is often confused with the Napolitano breed. Due to interbreeding, some of its species does exist in the Lipizanner breed, but the Neapolitan has otherwise been extinct since the 1950s.
Spanish lynx
Short-eared dog
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Which extinct animal is this?
Golden jackal
Elephant bird
This large 500-pound bird occupied the island of Madagascar. This ten-foot-tall wonder was among the heaviest birds in the world and was similar to the ostrich in shape. It fell victim to rat disease and was hunted by humans before becoming extinct almost 300 years ago.
Raccoon dog
Leopard seal
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Which extinct animal is this?
Clouded leopard
Golden jackal
Pig-footed bandicoot
Yet another animal endemic to Australia is this marsupial that existed in the mid-nineteenth century. Its unusual appearance made it appear to be a mixture of several animals, as it had a small snout, thin legs, weirdly shaped toes and ears like a rabbit. Though the Europeans tried to keep the species alive, it still became extinct in the 20th century.
Ethiopian wolf
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Which extinct animal is this?
American badger
Red fox
Black-footed ferret
Giant monitor lizard
Also known as Megalania, the giant wanderer, this 25-foot-long lizard would have probably sent some humans running in the opposite direction. This huge predator was native to Asia and Africa and it had a powerful, well-built body that made it easy for it to hunt smaller reptiles. Surprisingly, this giant reptile vanished over 30,000 years ago for unknown reasons.
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Which extinct animal is this?
Bulldog rat
This rat was native to the small country known as Christmas Island, located close to Australia. While it was not as large as its name suggests, it did have a thick layer of skin that contributed to its bull-like appearance. They have been seen since 1903 and may have vanished after the introduction of the Black Rat to the island by the Europeans.
Cape buffalo
Feral hog
Spanish lynx
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Which extinct animal is this?
Black-backed jackal
North American otter
European wildcat
Harelip sucker
This freshwater fish was seven inches long and was usually found in the southeastern parts of the United States. Not much is known about it though, as it was only captured in 1859 and scanty descriptions of it were made only two decades later. It was nearly extinct at that time due to pollution of the waters it inhabited.
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Which extinct animal is this?
Caracal
Giant moa
This New Zealand bird was reddish brown in color and may have been one of the tallest birds known to mankind. As intimidating as this 12-foot-tall bird may have appeared, it was still relentlessly hunted by humans who roasted it for its meat and ate its huge eggs. It was last spotted about 200 years ago.
Chinese mountain cat
Golden jackal
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Which extinct animal is this?
Leopard seal
Short-eared dog
Bluebuck
This was the first animal in Africa used for sport and to became extinct in that manner. Its habitat had become significantly reduced due to changes in the climate when Europeans arrived and killed it in play. The struggling species did not survive much longer after that, and the last Bluebuck was killed in 1800.
Ethiopian wolf
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Which extinct animal is this?
Cape buffalo
Raccoon dog
American lion
This animal from the cat family existed during the time of the dire wolf, the saber-tooth tiger and other prehistoric mammals. Similar to the American cheetah, the American lion’s bloodline is not entirely clear, as it may not be as close to lions as we think, but instead closely related to jaguars and tigers. This lion subspecies is recognized as the largest member of this breed that became extinct during the Pleistocene epoch thousands of years ago.
American badger
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