Extinct! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Dodo

The Dodo is well known for its extinction having been one of the earliest to be caused by human interaction with its ecosystem (solely on the island of Mauritius). Although Dodos have been gone for centuries their appearances in the media have been quite common.

For example, Lewis Carroll's story "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and the 2002 film "Ice Age" have shown Dodos in different capacities. Nonetheless, Dodos have gone the way of the...er, Dodo...to become one of the most popular creatures to no longer walk the Earth. Coincidentally, the Poʻouli, once native to the island of Hawaii, has been supposedly extinct since 2004 due to several environmental factors.

The Paradise Parrot of Australia has also been extinct since the 1920s. Nicobar Pigeons can be found in the Southeastern Asia region and are quite the common specimen.

Answer: Passenger Pigeon

Known for flocks totaling in the millions, these birds flew in such large groups that their migratory patterns blanketed the skies. Although billions of these birds were in North America at one point in time, early settlers were key in the species' descent into extinction. With growing civilization, Passenger Pigeons were eventually wiped out by natural and man-made causes.

Although there were many attempts at preserving the Passenger Pigeon population, the last-known specimen (in captivity) passed away in 1914.

Answer: Quagga

Although closely related to the typical Plains Zebra of Africa, the Quagga went extinct in the nineteenth century, mainly through hunting and the expanding of civilization. Similar to both a horse and a zebra, the Quagga has vertical stripes down its front half but is, for the most part, a solid colour like a horse.

The Okapi, a creature found in Central Africa, has its stripes on its back half and like the Zebra and Zebu, is not extinct. The Afrocyon is much older and has not walked on this planet for the past three million years.

Answer: Tasmanian Tiger

The Tasmanian Tiger has been extinct on Australia itself for quite some time now (possibly since England's settling on the continent). It has, however, lived on the island of Tasmania though. The last Tasmanian Tiger passed away in 1936 in its zoo enclosure. Aside from human interaction, Tasmanian Tigers were also known to possess the susceptibility to fatal diseases.

This, in conjunction with other extinctions of their primary food sources, may have been what ultimately led to this species being removed from our planet.

Answer: Caspian Tiger

Although the Caspian Tiger is said to be nearly identical to many other cat species in Asia and Europe, this particular species died out in the late fifties (with unconfirmed sightings in the Middle East and Asia a bit later on). At the turn of the century, countries have attempted to introduce tigers from neighbouring countries (Russia, India, etc.) to fill the void and reintroduce said felines into the previously-inhabited areas.

Although a bit smaller in height and weight, the Caspian (or Persian) Tiger is similar to almost any other tiger out there.

The Saber-toothed Tiger, on the other hand...

Answer: Moa

Hunted clean out by the Maori in the sixteenth century, the Moa bird is only remembered through fossils found around the islands of New Zealand. With no wings, Moas could not fly. They were, however, quite huge and were only preyed upon by humans (mostly natives to the island) and the species known as Haast's Eagle. Ironically, when the Moas became extinct, so did Haast's Eagle, once the largest eagle on the planet. Large caves and pits of Moa bones can be found in New Zealand, and while this large ostrich-sized bird hasn't been seen in centuries, some believe that they may be out there somewhere...however unlikely.

Answer: Megalodon

Larger than both the Great White Shark and the Whale Shark, the Megalodon is revered as one of the largest creatures in our planet's waters. This mega-creature was certainly the macro-predator but as time went on, there were issues. Megalodons were wiped out before human civilization spread, so much of its extinction was caused by changing temperatures and climates, food issues (often leading to eating their own kind) and other small problems in the deep blue sea.

Many say that the Megalodon was a precursor to the sharks we have in our oceans to this day as proven through dental records. The Meganeura was an insect from prehistoric times (and one of its largest) while the Anomalocaris is a large shrimp from the same era.

Answer: Baiji River Dolphin

The Baiji River Dolphin became functionally extinct in 2006 after a lack of sightings in their original home waters, the Yangtze River. After the Great Leap Forward in China, the status of the Baiji River Dolphin as a symbol of prosperity was changed and locals were encouraged to hunt the animal.

By the time plans were made to preserve the creature nearly four decades after this event, it was too late. Too many had died, either trapped in fishing equipment and hunted or through the loss of their homes.

Answer: Steller's Sea Cow

While the Antillean Manatee (of the Caribbean and West Indies) and the Dugong (found north of Australia) have both had their populations threatened by hunting, Steller's Sea Cow was the first of the sirenian mammals listed to disappear entirely. Due to its slow movement in water, it was easy prey for sailors and fishermen.

As a result, it took merely a few decades before it disappeared from the globe. The creature has since appeared in many works of literature, always as a near-mythical creature expected to be unseen (and usually in fantasy works).

Answer: Pyrenean Ibex

The last remaining Pyrenean Ibex was found dead in 2000 and while its extinction was surprising to many, it is believed that the infringements of civilization on its European habitat and competition with other animals sealed its fate. Another subspecies of Ibex in the region, the Portuguese Ibex, is also extinct.

A first cloning attempt was held in 2003 (and it was unsuccessful) but in 2009, the attempt was a success. While the Pyrenean Ibex created (using goat DNA) was a success, it only survived for a total of seven minutes due to lung damage.