Africa, a continent renowned for its remarkable biodiversity, has unfortunately witnessed the extinction of numerous species over time. These animals, once integral to the continent's ecosystems, have vanished due to various factors, primarily human-related activities. Their stories serve as poignant reminders of the fragility of our natural world and the urgent need for conservation efforts.
A collage of some extinct animals.
The Dodo
One of the most well-known extinct animals, the dodo, was a large, flightless bird endemic to the island of Mauritius. The last of these birds perished in the 1700s shortly after Dutch sailors landed on its shores. The dodo’s flightlessness made it incredibly easy to catch and eat.
Human don’t take all blame for disappearance of this bird, natural selection also played a vital role in its disappearance. It is one of the famous extinct animal in the world of for example poems and sayings. It was featured in the original illustrations of Alice in Wonderland.
Atlas Bear
The Last African Bear | Atlas Bear
Africa had a bear known as the Atlas Bear, which was the only native bear to have survived in Africa. These bears lived in the Atlas Mountains as the name suggests. They were said to be around 9 feet tall and weighed approximately 450 kg.
Read also: The Extinct Dodo
Roman empire contributed much to their disappearance when they hunted them extensively. The extinctions was achieved once modern firearms find their ways in Africa.
Elephant Bird (Aepyornis)
The elephant bird, or aepyornis, was a flightless bird that was endemic to Madagascar. It weighed up to 400 kg and measured up to 9.8 ft( 3m) in height. Standing in a very similar manner to an ostrich, the elephant bird stood at an impressive 3 m in height and weighed up to 400 kg.
Its egg was 160 times larger than that of chicken, this was the reason why people relied on them for food.
Cape Lion
The majestic Cape lion once roamed the plains of South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal and Cape provinces. This animal was made to disappear by human through hunting. The King is forever gone unfortunately.
These extinct animals of Africa lived in the southernmost part of Africa, along the Cape of Africa. Records show that these lions were common near Cape Town until the turn of the 17th century. Cape Lion was subspecies of lion characterized by black mane. The advent of weapons made it simpler to kill these incredible animals, increasing the frequency of hunting.
Read also: Extinct Wildlife of Mauritius
Only known photo of a live Cape Lion, in Jardin des Plantes, Paris.
Decades ago people believed that there was some descendants of these lions left, but no one ever set an eye on them. Cape lions were famously large, with very dark manes; they grew to around 600 pounds. Cape lions were apex predators, like tigers and sharks, and mainly ate antelope. When Europeans arrived in southern Africa, their hunting severely depleted antelope populations, which in turn caused Cape lion populations to drop.
Last individual was killed in KwaZulu-Natal in 1865. Though widely recognized as a subspecies since being named in 1842, modern molecular studies indicate that there is not enough difference with extant lions of southern and eastern Africa to warrant separate subspecies status, and as a result the taxon P. l.
Western Black Rhino
The Western Black Rhino was a subspecies of the black rhino which was mainly endemic to West Africa, with them disappearing due to hunting, poaching and human encroachments the last population was living in Cameroon. Officially declared extinct in 2011, the western black rhinoceros, also known as the West Africa black rhinoceros, once lived across sub-Saharan Africa.
These extinct animals of Africa stood 4 - 6 feet tall and weighed up to 3,000 pounds. The reason behind the disappearance of this creature with no known natural hunter, is of course human being, who hunted them for their horns with false beliefs that they posses healing powers. Western black rhinos had a double horn, which, unfortunately, was one of the main causes of the species demise.
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An investigation into the last known location in Cameroon in 2006 found abundant evidence of wildlife poaching and no sign of rhinoceroses except that faked by local rhinoceros monitors. The last four wild animals were sighted in 2006 and the last indirect sign of their presence was detected in 2007, both under an uptick of poaching in the region. In 2018, the final known male individual, Sudan was euthanised due to his deteriorating health, making the subspecies functionally extinct.
The long story of Sudan was that he was living in Dvůr Králové Zoo in Czech Republic from 1975 to 2009 when he spent the rest of his life in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia, Kenya. He was the only known male Northern white Rhino that existed at the time of his death. Sudan left behind his daughter Najin and granddaughter Fatu who also lives in Ol Pejeta. These are officially the only left northern white rhinoceroses.
Nearly 9000 rhinos have been lost to poaching over the past decade, an average of 3 a day. Despite awareness campaigns and a massive effort globally to clamp down on rhino horn trade, Africa’s rhinos continue to be plundered by poachers at an excessive rate. Asian countries, particularly Vietnam, regard the horn - which is made of keratin, the same as human fingernails - as a status symbol.
Five species of Rhino exist, three Asian and two African, all of which are gravely dangered.
Quagga
The Quagga was a sub-species of Zebra that roamed freely in southern Africa. The quagga (Equus quagga quagga), extinct since 1883, was stripped in the front but with a plain brown coat in the rear.
The Quagga was a sub-species of Zebra that roamed freely in southern Africa. The quagga was similar to the zebras of today. Instead of stripes covering the entirety of its body, these quadrupeds only had stripes along their heads and necks. With Dutch arriving in South Africa for settlements, the quagga was heavily hunted, some of their specimens were taken to European zoos to breed them which was unsuccessful. Quaggas, like many of the extinct animals of Africa, were hunted to extinction in the 19th century.
Like other herbivores, such as cattle and horses, the quagga ate grass. They stood 4 to 5 feet tall, with short legs and stocky bodies, similar to those of donkeys. The last quagga died in 1883 in a zoo in Amsterdam.
Following the European settlement of South Africa, the quagga was extensively hunted as it competed with other domestic animals for forage. All is not lost, however, as certain initiatives like The Quagga Project have attempted to selectively breed Burchell’s zebras with similar striping patterns to the quagga. In their own words, the project is “…aimed at rectifying a tragic mistake made over a hundred years ago through greed and shortsightedness.
Quagga (Equus quagga quagga) an extinct sub-species of zebra. in Mare, London, Regent’s Park ZOO.
Bluebuck
Bluebuck, also known as blue antelope, lived in Africa until about 1800. These relatives of the sable antelope were one of the first large animals to go extinct in Africa in modern times. The bluebuck was one of the first large mammals to face extinction in historical times.
Like its relative, the sable antelope, the bluebuck had a slender body with long, narrow legs and small hooves. Bluebuck had slender, graceful bodies with long, narrow legs and small hooves. They stood around four feet tall; their name comes from the gray-blue color of their fur. Perhaps the most striking feature of these extinct antelope was their horns. Bluebuck had two long, black, curved horns that stretched up from the top of their head towards their back.
Zanzibar Leopard
The Zanzibar leopard was a smallish leopard native to Unguja Island in Zanzibar. The Zanzibar leopard was once an apex predator native to the Zanzibar archipelago in Tanzania. This big cat is thought to have evolved in isolation from mainland African leopards, with it eventually turning out smaller than its continental relatives. Despite their small size, these extinct animals of Africa were once the largest carnivores and apex predators on the island.
Unfortunately, it is now considered extirpated (locally extinct) due to persecution by local hunters. Leopard and human conflict increased in the 20th century, partly due to local beliefs associating them with witchcraft. They were officially declared extinct in the latter half of the twentieth century, with only one potential sighting recorded in 2018.
All is not lost! In 2018, American biologist and TV personality Forrest Galante claimed to have spotted a leopard on the island on a camera trap. However, experts remain sceptical.
North African Elephant
The North African elephant was a distinct population of African elephants that once traversed the regions north of the Sahara Desert. Renowned for their relatively smaller size compared to their sub-Saharan counterparts, these elephants played a significant role in the ecosystems of ancient North Africa.
Historically, the North African elephant gained prominence as the war elephant of Carthage during the Punic Wars against Rome. The decline of the North African elephant began with its overexploitation for military purposes and intensified with excessive hunting by the Romans, who sought them for entertainment in arenas and for their ivory. Loxodonta africana has been called into question, including the purported North African subspecies L. a.
Other Extinct African Animals
Besides the species mentioned above, several other animals have disappeared from Africa's landscapes, including:
- Bubal Hartebeest: These animals roamed freely north of Sahara, specifically from Morocco to Egypt. When French came during partition and scrambling of Africa this was put to a sudden stop as French claimed most of the North and West Africa, they massacred them. Bubal Hartebeest finally found their habitat in mountains.
- Large Sloth Lemur: These extinct animals of Africa lived on the island of Madagascar. These extinct animals of Africa are one of many Madagascan animals that are now extinct, including giant fossa, giant lemurs, and elephant birds.
- Cape Warthogs: These extinct animals of Africa were classified as megabats. Cape warthogs are a subspecies of the desert warthog. These extinct animals of Africa ate flowers, leaves, grasses, and tubers. As herbivores, they faced continuous threats from lions, hyenas, cheetahs, leopards, and humans.
- Small Mauritian Flying Foxes: Small Mauritian flying foxes lived on Mauritius Island and Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean until the 19th century. Unlike vampire bats, they fed on fruit and fruit nectar, and slept in hollow trees and caves at night.
The Broader Context of Extinction
For animals to be declared extinct as recently as 2018, with the technologies that exist and so called modern civilizations, it tells you the animals listed in the list of endangered animals might as well become a past tense in the coming near future and its tragic. Wild lion populations have dropped by 42% over the past 20 years, with just 20 000 left in Africa.
Among the threats to their survival are habitat loss and human conflict. As human sprawl encroaches on wild areas, lions turn to livestock for prey, fueling human-lion conflict and fueling lion killing. One of the worst threats to lions in South Africa is the captive lion breeding industry which has grown significantly in the country over the past decade. Conservationists say the industry has no conservation value to the species and is aiding the burgeoning lion bone trade.
Even though international trade in pangolins is illegal, this rare and elusive creature remains the most trafficked mammal in the world. Tens of thousands of pangolins are killed every year, approximately 300 a day in Asian countries. Also known as ‘scaly anteaters’, eight species of pangolin exist, four in Asia and four in Africa. For years only the Asian species were targeted by poachers. The harmless, solitary creature lives in burrows and is mainly active at night.
The tallest mammal on earth has not received as much press as elephants and Rhino’s, yet giraffe populations in Africa are quietly diminishing. Its estimated there has been a 40% decline since the 1980s, with only 68000 mature individuals left across the entire continent. Considered ‘easy prey’ with a vast bulk of meat, they are mainly targeted by poachers for the bushmeat trade. Trading giraffe’ products’ is rife and, in some countries, giraffe bone marrow and brains are considered a cure for HIV/AIDS.
Often mistakenly thought of as lowly scavengers, vultures play a vital role in keeping ecosystems healthy. These creatures have become critically endangered as several impacts threaten their survival. Energy structures like power lines and wind turbine farms cause most of the deaths of these large birds through mass electrocution and collisions. Farmers illegally poison carcasses to trap ‘problem’ scavengers like jackals, which has led to the deaths of 1000s of vultures every year. Vultures scavenging on carcasses left behind by unethical hunters using lead bullets often die from lead poisoning.
Africa is highly biodiverse; it is the continent with the largest number of megafauna species, as it was least affected by the extinction of the Pleistocene megafauna.
Table of Extinct African Animals
This table summarizes some of the extinct African animals discussed in this article:
| Animal | Region | Cause of Extinction | Last Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Black Rhino | West Africa | Hunting, poaching, habitat encroachment | 2011 (Declared Extinct) |
| Quagga | South Africa | Hunting, competition with domestic animals | 1883 |
| Cape Lion | South Africa | Hunting | 1865 |
| Zanzibar Leopard | Zanzibar | Human conflict, persecution | 20th Century |
| Atlas Bear | North Africa | Hunting | 17th Century |
| Dodo | Mauritius | Hunting | 17th Century |
