The Ultimate Endangered Animals Quiz | Miscellaneous Animal Trivia

Answer: Barbary Lion

The Barbary lion became extinct in the wild in 1922, when the last known lion was shot in the Atlas Mountains. Barbary lions do exist in captivity, however. There are roughly 200 Barbary lions in captivity, but the exact number is difficult to determine because some claim to have these lions, but it is hard to tell whether it truly is a Barbary lion or not.

Answer: Lonesome George

Lonesome George was first spotted on Pinta Island in 1971. He was determined to be the last known survivor of the Pinta Island subspecies of Galapagos tortoises. In 2008, two female tortoises of a species very similar to George were put in his pen. Reproduction attempts had been made many times, and every time one of the females would lay eggs, none of them would hatch. Even if they had hatched, Lonesome George would still technically be the only remaining Pinta Island tortoise because the babies would actually be hybrids, and not purebred Pinta Island tortoises. Even though a $10,000 reward was put in place for whoever could find a female Pinta Island tortoise, unfortunately for Lonesome George, even 40 years after George's discovery, no female had been found. Sadly, in 2012, Lonesome George passed, though the memory of this famed now-endangered species lives on.

Answer: Guam Rail

The Guam rail is a species that is classified as extinct in the wild. However, about 100 Guam rails were released in Rota in 1995. However, large predators have reduced the number of rails greatly, and, though it is possible that there are a few surviving birds on the island, the likelihood of them remaining is very slim.

Interestingly, of eleven species of birds in Guam, nine of them have become extirpated (locally extinct). The remaining two are being bred in captivity.

Answer: Snail

The Partula family contains over a hundred subspecies, but at least ten of these species are extinct in the wild. Quite a few different subspecies of these snails are still kept in captivity, however, and are thus not classified as "extinct".

Answer: Alagoas Curassow

The Alagoas curassow had become completely extinct in the wild when the last one was shot and killed in the mid- to late-80s. A few private aviaries still have a few of these extremely rare birds, however. Hybrids have been created by cross-breeding the Alagoas curassow and the razor-billed curassow, but these are not classified as a pure Mitu mitu.
The razor-billed, crestless, and Salvin's curassows are all extremely common, and have thriving populations.

Answer: Wyoming Toad

The Wyoming toad was believed to be extinct in 1980, but was rediscovered in 1987. However, it was critically endangered, and became extinct in the wild in 1991. In 1950, the population of these toads was booming, but it only took 30 years to drop to less than a few dozen. The toad is now only bred in captivity in the Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Wyoming, USA.

Answer: Socorro Dove

The Socorro dove is a species of dove that once flew freely on Socorro island near Mexico. However, the last known dove was seen on the island in 1972. Efforts have been made to keep the dove alive in captivity, and there are less than 100 of these birds left even in captivity.

Answer: Scimitar Oryx

The scimitar oryx was so named because it has enormous horns that curve in a scimitar-like way, and it is the only species of oryx with horns known to curve. It is also the only oryx not to have black markings somewhere on the legs. The scimitar oryx became extinct in the wild in 2000, though there is an estimated 5,000 or more oryx in captivity, 4,000 of which are privately owned in the United Arab Emirates.

Answer: Alala

The alala, or Hawaiian crow, became extinct in the wild. In 2010, 78 of these crows lived in breeding facilities in the San Diego Zoo. Attempts were made to release some of the crows back to their natural habitat in Hawaii, but there is one thing that hampers the attempt every time; the Hawaiian hawk.

Answer: Pere David's Deer

The Pere David's deer was first known to Westerners in 1865, when only one small herd remained in captivity in China. A few years later, a flood ripped through and the deers escaped captivity. Some were captured and eaten by starving peasants. During the Boxer Rebellion, the last known Pere David's deer was eaten by Western and Japanese troops.

However, a few had previously been illegally transported to Europe, so the species survived. In 1996, the IUCN assessed the deer as critically endangered, and in 2008, it was once again determined as being extinct in the wild.