*Click to zoom in on pictures.*
Steller's Sea Cow (Hydrodamalis gigas)
This gentle sirenian was related to dugongs and manitees, except instead of living in warm tropical waters it inhabited the frigid coastlines of the North Pacific. It was also significantly larger than its extant cousins, with lengths of up to 30 ft. Within a few decades of its discovery by Europeans, however, the Sea Cow was hunted to extinction, its oily blubber proving too enticing and its peaceful disposition making it an easy target for hunters. R.I.P. Sea Cows.
Haast's Eagle and the Moa (Harpagornis moorei and Dinornis novaezelandiae)
Both of these birds are emblematic of the strange biological history of New Zealand. Being completely isolated from any of the major land masses, the only mammals that found their way to these remote islands, notwithstanding humans, were bats and some species of rats. Thus, in their conspicuous absence, birds filled many of the ecological niches normally inhabited by mammals in other parts of the world. The Moa, a group of large, flightless ratites, evolved to be the islands' primary foragers, filling the ecological roles that deers, pigs, and other herbivores fill throughout the world (think ostriches...but MUCH bigger). The largest species could grow to heights of 12 ft. and weight up to 500 pounds.
No ecosystem is complete without predators, and prehistoric New Zealand was not lacking. Feeding upon the massive Moas was an even more massive species of eagle dubbed the Haast's Eagle. With a 10 ft. wingspan, it was the largest eagle that has ever lived. This formidable aerial hunter helped keep the Moa population in check, but when the ancient Maoris first began to settle New Zealand more than 700 years ago, the Haast's Eagle followed the Moa to extinction, as the Maoris completely wiped out their primary food source (I can't really blame them - can you imagine how awesome chomping into a giant Moa leg would have been?!). Toodeloo, massive birds from Down Under.
Akialoas (Hemignathus sp.)
Gastric Brooding Frog (Rheobatrachus sp.)
The Gastric Brooding Frog sure was a weird animal. Native to a minute corner of the jungles of Queensland in Northeast Australia, these frogs were relatively ordinary looking. What made them so extraordinary, however, was their method of reproduction. After laying her eggs, the female Gastric Brooding Frog actually swallowed her clutch of eggs. The eggs would then hatch in her stomach, where the tadpoles lived for 6 weeks until they morphed into fully developed baby frogs. Only then would they leave their devoted mother's digestive system via her mouth. The eggs and tadpoles were coated in a special slime that shut off the harmful acids of their mother's stomach. Unfortunately, this unique reproduction technique coupled with the already tiny geographic range of this species meant that human pressures proved too overwhelming. They became lost to the world in the mid-1980's. Happy trails, you weird-ass frog.
Caribbean Monk Seal (Monachus tropicalis)
The Caribbean Monk Seal was a species of seal that, unlike most pinnipeds (seals, walruses, and sea lions), actually lived in tropical waters, similar to the extant Hawaiian and Mediterranean Monk Seals. However, its ideal tropical home proved to be its downfall; after hundreds of years of pirates, cruises, wars, and other intense human activity, the last Monk Seal in the Caribbean died in 1952. How cool would it have been to lay out for some sun in Cancun, with some playful seals waddling around nearby? Ciao, Monk Seals.
Koala Lemur (Megaladapis)
Similar to New Zealand, the island of Madagascar has developed an ecosystem unique from the influences of the major continents. Most famously, the major arboreal primate species on this island are not monkeys like on nearby Africa, but the charismatic lemurs. When Malagasy sailors became the first humans to set foot on Madagascar more than a thousand years ago after their trans-Indian Ocean trip from Borneo, they discovered an island that was much different than it is today. The lemurs made famous by DreamWorks© were there, but so were a whole host of other weird primates related to lemurs. Some of these lemur relatives had evolved to look like gorillas and orangutans, while others almost completely resembled sloths. But my favorite of these odd creatures was Megaladapis, the Koala Lemur. Somehow, convergent evolution had created a primate that looks like a slightly less cuddly koala bear. I think I can speak for the entire internet when I say that the world could use another koala-like creature. However, these same Malagasy sailors found Madagascar to be a mighty fine place to live, and they fetched their relatives from thousands of miles away back on Borneo. Sadly, they exterminated the Koala Lemur and the other mega-sized lemurs of Madagascar. Au Revoir, Koala Lemur.
Wake Island Rail (Gallirallus wakensis)
Finally, we come to one of the weirdest extinction stories in the history of this planet. The Wake Island Rail was a small, unassuming bird that lived in Wake Island, a tiny coral atoll smack-dab in the middle of nowhere in the Northern Pacific. (If you've noticed a trend of these animals living on islands, you're not crazy. Island species are often highly specialized and susceptible to human pressures). Millions of years of evolution dictated that this bird lose its ability to fly. Why spend the extra energy to grow flight-capable wings when there are literally no predators to worry about on this desert island? Unfortunately for the rail, evolution had not factored in the brutality of mankind. Wake Island was a strategic island in the Pacific and the American military had established a base there in the early 1900's as part of its general line of defense across its Pacific boundary with Japan. The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 ushered in 4 years of savage warfare for both countries. It also spelt doom for the Wake Island Rail. The next day, December 8th, the Japanese attacked and conquered the Wake Island base after a bloody battle. The Japanese would then garrison the island for the rest of the war. As part of the American campaign of 'Island Hopping,' certain Japanese-held islands were to be attacked, but others were left to 'rot on the vine.' Wake Island was one of the latter. The garrison of Japanese soldiers were eventually cutoff from their Army's supply routes and were forced to fend for themselves. After exhausting their own provisions, they soon took to the island's natural resources. Luckily for them, the Wake Island Rail had not only evolved to become flightless, it had also failed to develop a fear of humans due to its unfamiliarity with the concept of predation. Wake Island Rails would guilelessly walk straight up to Japanese soldiers, who simply had to bend down and pluck them up for dinner. By 1945, the starving soldiers had eaten the last Wake Island Rail. Konichiwa, Wake Island Rail.
Well, that turned out to not be a very 'quick post,' but I hope that wasn't too depressing and I hope you learned something. Hopefully, humanity will learn from its mistakes, but at the moment, things aren't looking too good....
