This timeline of extinctions is a chronological list of biological species, subspecies, and other evolutionary significant units recorded to have disappeared during the course of the 20th century.
Following the parent timeline of extinctions in the Holocene, the entries included range from 1900 to 1999, even though the 20th century is properly established to have lasted from 1 January 1901 to 31 December 2000. For extinctions in 2000, see timeline of extinctions in the Holocene#21st century.
The list is incomplete by necessity, since the majority of extinctions are thought to be undocumented, and for many others there isn't a definitive, widely accepted last, or most recent record. According to the species-area theory, the present rate of extinction may be up to 140,000 species per year.S.L. Pimm, G.J. Russell, J.L. Gittleman and T.M. Brooks, The Future of Biodiversity, Science 269: 347–350 (1995)
Timeline
1900s
Last recordCommon nameBinomial nameFormer rangeDeclared extinctCausesPicturec. 1900Caucasian mooseAlces alces caucasicusNorthern Caucasus and Transcaucasian shore of the Black SeaBoeskorov, G.G. (2003) The genetics of the modern moose and a review of its taxonomy. Cranium 20, Vol. 2: 31–45.Hunting. The subspecies' validity is questioned because moose from Russia recolonized the Caucasian moose's former range naturally over the 20th century.Sipko, T.P. & Kholodova, M.V. (2009) Fragmentation of Eurasian moose populations during periods of population depression. Alces, Vol. 45: 25–34 Saint Croix racerBorikenophis sanctaecrucisSaint Croix, United States Virgin IslandsUndetermined.GravencheCoregonus hiemalisLake Geneva, Swiss-French border2008 Eutrophication and overfishing.Northeastern black rhinocerosDiceros bicornis bruciiHorn of Africa to eastern Sudan and Bahr el GhazalHunting and habitat loss.Genophantis leahiMaui, Oahu, Molokai and Hawaii (island), Hawaii, United States1994 Undetermined.c. 1900-1950Lord Howe long-eared batNyctophilus howensisLord Howe Island, Australia2020 Possibly predation by introduced owls and rats.1900Light-loving noctuid mothAgrotis photophilaOahu, Hawaii, United States1986 Undetermined.Koʻolau spurwing long-legged flyCampsicnemus mirabilisMount Tantalus, Hawaii, United States1986 Predation by the introduced ant Pheidole megacephala.Coloceras hemiphagaeNorfolk Island, AustraliaExtinction of their host, the Norfolk pigeon.Rózsa, L., & Vas, Z. (2015). Co-extinct and critically co-endangered species of parasitic lice, and conservation-induced extinction: should lice be reintroduced to their hosts?. Oryx, 49(1), 107–110Coloceras restinctusLeafshellEpioblasma flexuosaTennessee, Cumberland, and Ohio River systems, United States1983 Undetermined.NatureServe ExplorerEugenia scheffleriUsambara Mountains, TanzaniaPossibly deforestation for agriculture.https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/179356/1576050Norfolk pigeonHemiphaga novaeseelandiae spadiceaNorfolk Island, AustraliaHunting.Oʻahu ʻākepaLoxops wolstenholmeiOahu mountains, Hawaii, United StatesProbably habitat destruction, introduced predators and avian diseases.1900-1905Oahu treesnailsAchatinella buddiiKoolau Mountains and Niu Valley, Hawaii, United Stateshttps://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.116945/Achatinella_buddii1990 Undetermined.Achatinella caesiaPalolo, Hawaii, United Stateshttps://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.110408/Achatinella_caesiaAchatinella decoraKoolau Mountains, Hawaiihttps://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.121194/Achatinella_decoraKona giant looper moth Scotorythra megalophyllaHawaii, United States1996 Undetermined.Koʻolau giant looper mothScotorythra nesiotes1900–1909Oahu treesnailAchatinella thaanumiWaiʻanae, Hawaii, United Stateshttps://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.108066/Achatinella_thaanumi1990 Undetermined.Skadar naseChondrostoma scodrenseLake Skadar, Albania-Montenegro borderUndetermined.Leucocharis loyaltiensisNew Caledonia1994 Undetermined.https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/11896/3313425Leucocharis porphyrocheila1901Car Nicobar sparrowhawkAccipiter butleri butleriCar Nicobar, Nicobar Islands, India1995Habitat destruction.Pig-footed bandicootChaeropus ecaudatus or C. yirratjiInterior Australia1982 Predation by feral cats and red foxes.Delonix tomentosaAnkara plateau, western MadagascarHabitat fragmentation and slash and burn agriculture.https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/36270/2864543 Tennessee riffleshellEpioblasma propinquaTennessee, Cumberland, Wabash, and Ohio River systems, United States1983 Undetermined.NatureServeEulophia grandidieriMahatsara, Toamasina, MadagascarUndetermined.https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/65611976/66172553Esperance dog weedOpercularia acolytanthaNorth of Esperance, Western AustraliaUndetermined.Greater ʻamakihiViridonia sagittirostrisWailuku river, Hawaiʻi Island, United States1988 Habitat destruction for sugarcane agriculture.1901-1902Long-tailed hopping mouseNotomys longicaudatusNorthwestern New South Wales, Australia2016 Predation by cats, foxes, hawks, and owls.1902Pied ravenCorvus corax varius morpha leucophaeusFaroe Islands, DenmarkHunting.Hunteria hexalobaLibreville, GabonHabitat destruction.https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/203776/2771321Rocky Mountain locustMelanoplus spretusRocky Mountains and North American Prairie2014 Breeding habitat loss due to irrigation and cattle ranching.Auckland merganserMergus australisSouth, Stewart, and Auckland Island, New Zealand19101988 Hunting and predation by introduced animals.Oeceoclades seychellarumCascade Estate, Mahé, Seychelles 1997 Habitat degradation caused by human settlement and invasive plants.https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/193438/8860728North Island piopioTurnagra tanagraNorth Island, New Zealand1988 Possibly habitat destruction, hunting, and predation by introduced cats and rats.1903Agelanthus rondensisEastern Rondo Plateau, TanzaniaUndetermined.Guadalupe caracaraCaracara lutosaGuadalupe Island, Mexico1988 Extermination campaign.Cynorkis rolfeiVatomandry, Toamasina, MadagascarUndetermined.https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/65611923/66173007Stumptooth minnowStypodon signiferSouthern Coahuila, Mexico1983 Habitat degradation and pollution.1903–1906Maiden's bush-peaPultenaea maideniiSouth-western side of the Victoria Range in the Grampians, Victoria, Australia2000Undetermined.1904Madeiran wood pigeonColumba palumbus maderensisMadeira, Portugal1924Undetermined.Choiseul pigeonMicrogoura meekiChoiseul, Solomon Islands1994 Predation by feral dogs and cats.Ixodes nitensChristmas Island, AustraliaExtinction of its host, the Maclear's rat.Maclear's ratRattus macleari2016 Possibly disease spread by introduced black rats.Neuchâtel charrSalvelinus neocomensisLake Neuchâtel, Switzerland2008 Eutrophication caused by pollution and agriculture.Xenopsylla nesiotesChristmas Island, AustraliaExtinction of its host, the Maclear's rat.1905Japanese wolfIshiguro, Naotaka; Inoshima, Yasuo; Shigehara, Nobuo (2009). "Mitochondrial DNA Analysis of the Japanese Wolf (Canis Lupus Hodophilax Temminck, 1839) and Comparison with Representative Wolf and Domestic Dog Haplotypes". Zoological Science. 26 (11): 765–70Morita M., Yagi H., 2015, Size estimation of so-called "Chichibu wild dog" from photographs: comparison with known structures and application of super-impose method., ISSN 1345-1987, Animate (12), pp. 1–10 (pdf)Canis lupus hodophilaxHonshū, Shikoku and Kyūshū, JapanHunting and a rabies-like epidemic.Knight, J. (1997) "On the extinction of the Japanese wolf." Asian Folklore Studies, Vol. 56, Nº1.Gibbus lyonetianusMauritius1994 Undetermined.South Island piopioTurnagra capensis capensisSouth Island, New Zealand1988 Possibly habitat destruction and predation by introduced rats.1906Chatham bellbirdAnthornis melanocephalaChatham Islands, New Zealand19381988 Possibly habitat destruction, predation by rats and cats, and overhunting by collectionists.Guadalupe flickerColaptes auratus rufipileusGuadalupe Island, Mexico1922Habitat destruction and predation by introduced goats and cats.Cebu blackish cuckooshrikeCoracina coerulescens alteraCebu, PhilippinesDeforestation.Cebu bar-bellied cuckooshrikeCoracina striata cebuensisCebu dark-throated orioleOriolus steerii assimilisSouth-western barred bandicootPerameles myosurosSouthern Western Australia, Australia2022 Predation by introduced cats and foxes.1907Argocoffeopsis lembliniiAgnieby Valley, Ivory CoastUndetermined.https://plants.jstor.org/stable/10.5555/al.ap.specimen.p00136957Black mamoDrepanis funereaMolokai and Maui, Hawaii, United States1988 Habitat destruction by introduced cattle and deer, and predation by introduced rats and mongooses.HuiaHeteralocha acutirostrisNorth Island, New ZealandHunting and deforestation of old growth forests to make pastures for livestock.Barrie, Heather; Robertson, Hugh (2005). The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand (Revised ed.). Viking.Poecilobothrus majesticusWalton-on-the-Naze, Essex, England2022 Undetermined.Huia louseRallicola extinctusNorth Island, New Zealand1990Extinction of its host.Mey, Eberhard (1990): Eine neue ausgestorbene Vogel-Ischnozere von Neuseeland, Huiacola extinctus (Insecta, Phthiraptera). Zoologischer Anzeiger 224(1/2): 49–731908Assumption railDryolimnas cuvieri abbottiAssumption Island, Seychelles1937Hunting, habitat destruction, and predation by introduced rats.Siquijor hanging parrotLoriculus philippensis siquijorensisSiquijor, PhilippinesPossibly deforestation and capture for the pet trade.Persoonia laxaSydney's Northern Beaches, Australia2020 Probably habitat destruction.Dawson's caribouRangifer tarandus dawsoniGraham Island, British Columbia, Canada2016 Hunting, habitat loss via clearcutting, and competition with black-tailed deer. mtDNA studies suggest it is not different enough to warrant separate subspecies status.Byun, S. A., Koop, B. F., & Reimchen, T. E. (2002). "Evolution of the Dawson caribou (Rangifer tarandus dawsoni)". Canadian Journal of Zoology, 80 (5): 956–960.Rhynchosia ledermanniiBamenda Highlands, Babju, CameroonDeforestation caused by agriculture and firewood collection.https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/202768/2752129Alejandro Selkirk firecrownSephanoides fernandensis leyboldiAlejandro Selkirk Island?, Juan Fernández Archipelago, ChileProbably deforestation, predation and erosion caused by introduced cats, rats, goats, and rabbits, and competition of introduced plants with the nesting tree Luma apiculata.Hume, J.P. (2017) Extinct Birds. Bloomsbury Publishing, 560 pages.Sloane's uraniaVinciguerra, R. (2009). Osservazioni su Urania sloanus (Cramer, 1779)(Lepidoptera: Uraniidae). SHILAP Revista de Lepidopterología, 37(147), 307–311.Urania sloanusJamaica1908Habitat loss and natural disasters.Lees, D.C. & Smith, N.G. (1991). "Foodplants of the Uraniinae (Uraniinae) and their Systematic, Evolutionary and Ecological Significance". Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society. 45: 297–347. Retrieved 3 August 2015.Robust white-eyeZosterops strenuusLord Howe Island, Australia19281988 (IUCN)1909Cumberland leafshellEpioblasma stewardsoniiTennessee and Coosa River systems, United States1983 Undetermined.NatureServeBogotá sunangelHeliantelus zusiiNorthern Andes?Possibly deforestation.
1910s