When the first Europeans arrived in North America, the landscape was vastly different from today. Animals we’ve never seen roamed the unspoiled plains, and there were certainly unique ones.
Those extinct species were mostly hunted for food, clothing, and even medicine. Some were used for housing or weapons.
Check out this list of the creatures settlers once laid eyes upon.
Eastern elk
These elk were once found in the eastern United States, but they were hunted to extinction in the early 1800s.
They were once found in North America and possibly throughout most of the continent.
As the numbers of human settlers grew, elk populations decreased because of over-hunting and the loss of dense woodland habitat.
Steller’s sea cow
These large marine mammals were once found in the North Pacific Ocean, but they were hunted to extinction.
Steller first encountered these animals on Vitus Bering’s Great Northern Expedition.
The crew became shipwrecked on Bering Island, so knowledge about the sea cow’s behavior comes from Steller’s observations on the island.
Within 27 years of their discovery, these slow-moving and easily-caught mammals were hunted into extinction for their meat, fat, and hide.
Great auk
These birds were once found along the coasts of North America and Europe, but they were hunted to extinction.
They bred on rocky, remote islands having access to the ocean for their food supply, a rarity in nature that provided a few breeding sites for the great auks.
Humans exploited and hunted these animals, causing them to disappear from Funk Island.
An account in 1794 by Aaron Thomas of HMS Boston described how they were slaughtered systematically:
“If you come for their Feathers you do not give yourself the trouble of killing them, but lay hold of one and pluck the best of the Feathers. You then turn the poor Penguin adrift, with his skin half naked and torn off, to perish at his leasure. This is not a very humane method but it is the common practize. While you abide on this island you are in the constant practice of horrid cruelties for you not only skin them Alive, but you burn them Alive also to cook their Bodies with. You take a kettle with you into which you put a Penguin or two, you kindle a fire under it, and this fire is absolutely made of the unfortunate Penguins themselves. Their bodies being oily soon produce a Flame; there is no wood on the island.”
Passenger pigeon
The Passenger Pigeon was once the most abundant bird species in North America, with such vast populations that they darkened the skies. Their absence in the skies left crops and forests without pollinators. The bird was a valuable food source for many indigenous peoples, and its feathers and meat were hunted. However, the introduction of pesticides and herbicides, as well as the industrialization of agriculture, led to a significant decline in the populations of the Passenger Pigeon and other birds of prey.
This species was a striking black bird that weighed up to 30 pounds and had an impressive wingspan of 6-8 feet. Its flying ability was outstanding, and it was often described as a “winged angel.” Despite its beauty and once widespread population, the Passenger Pigeon is now extinct, serving as a tragic reminder of the devastating effects of human activity on the environment.
Ivory-billed woodpecker
These woodpeckers were once found in the southeastern United States, but they are now believed to be extinct.
It was believed to be the largest woodpecker in the United States.
Audubon’s greater prairie chicken
These grouse were once found in the Great Plains of the United States, but they are now believed to be extinct.
Once abundant, they have become extremely rare and extirpated due to habitat loss.
Conservation measures are underway with small populations now strictly controlled to ensure their sustainability.
A threat to the prairie chickens comes in the form of spring rains, as these can wreak havoc on chicks. A drought can also destroy food and make it difficult for the chicks.
But human interactions are the greatest threat to these chickens.
Bachman’s warbler
These warblers were once found in the southeastern United States, but they are now believed to be extinct.
They bred in swampy blackberry and cane thickets of the Southeastern and Midwestern United States.
Habitat destruction was a major cause of the birds’ extinction.
Golden Toad
The golden toad, also known as the golden frog, was a vibrant and sizeable amphibian that originated from the Americas. This spade-footed species had gone extinct around 500 years ago, but was surprisingly rediscovered in 1983. Golden toads were notably colorful and sometimes congregated in large groups.
In contrast, small reptiles resembling toads were also recognized for their striking colors and musical bell-like vocalizations. Unfortunately, these reptiles disappeared first from the Carolinas around the 1700s.
Mexican Grizzly Bear
These bears were native to northern Mexico, and some areas of Arizona and New Mexico.
They were slightly smaller than other North American grizzlies and sported golden or silvery coats.
Cattle ranchers saw them as pests so they dispatched the grizzlies to maintain their land.
The bears were named a protected species, but researchers believe they went extinct by 1969.
Carolina Parakeet
These birds were considered to be America’s only native parrot species. The small, colorful birds were found in the Southeastern US.
They were abundant from Colorado to New York, but the parakeets were mainly concentrated in Florida, Georgia, including the coasts of North and South Carolina.
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