This is a list of Antillian and Bermudan animals extinct in the Holocene that covers extinctions from the Holocene epoch, a geologic epoch that began about 11,650 years before present (about 9700 BCE) [lower-alpha 1] and continues to the present day. [1] This list includes the Antilles archipelago and the Bermuda Islands, collectively known as the West Indies.
The indigenous fauna of the West Indies collapsed in the Late Quaternary, with the rate of extinction for terrestrial mammals approaching 79-84%, one of the highest in the world. However, in stark contrast to the American continent, radiocarbon dating indicates that mammals survived the end of the Pleistocene with no apparent, or minimal losses despite localized sea level rise and climate change. [2] The same actually caused some bird extirpations and extinctions on the Bahamas, however. [3]
The indigenous peoples of the Caribbean arrived in the middle Holocene [4] and introduced guinea pigs, agoutis, and Native American dogs. While they accelerated the process, it was still not to the extent predicted by the "blitzkrieg" model of Pleistocene extinctions. For example, Caribbean sloths coexisted with humans for up to 400 years, even the largest species, which might indicate that they weren't commonly hunted. Some rodents, like the Puerto Rican hutia and Desmarest's hutia, and even flightless birds like the Antillean cave rail adapted well to human predation and were introduced to new islands by humans. [2] [5] European colonization, beginning with the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, brought in Old World rats, mice, domestic animals, and large-scale deforestation that erradicated many of the native animals and those introduced by indigenous peoples alike. The most recent extinctions happened after the late 19th century, following the introduction of the small Indian mongoose for rat control. [2]
Many extinction dates are unknown due to a lack of relevant information.
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cuban sloth [6] | Acratocnus antillensis | Cuba | Most recent remains dated to 5050-4050 BCE. [4] | |
Puerto Rican sloth [6] | Acratocnus odontrigonus | Puerto Rico [6] | Most recent remains dated to 1738–1500 BCE. However this date was not obtained directly from bones, nor calibrated, and the remains could be older. [7] | |
Haitian Macaya sloth [6] | Acratocnus ye | Hispaniola | Most recent remains dated to 8540–1590 BCE (uncalibrated age). [2] | |
Cuban giant sloth [6] | Megalocnus rodens | Cuba | Most recent remains dated to 2280-2200 BCE. [2] | |
Lesser Haitian ground sloth [6] | Neocnus comes | Hispaniola | Most recent remains dated to 2480–2400 BCE. [2] | |
Haitian pine forest sloth [6] | Neocnus dousman | Most recent remains dated to 5226-5156 BCE. [8] | ||
Cuban rodent-like sloth [6] | Neocnus gliriformis | Cuba | Most recent remains dated to 5050-4050 BCE. [4] | |
Neocnus major | Known from remains dating to either the late Pleistocene or early Holocene. [2] Possibly a synonym of N. gliriformis, with differences owing to sexual dimorphism, but this is rejected by other researchers. [6] | |||
Haitian rak bwa sloth [6] | Neocnus toupiti | Massif de la Hotte, Haiti [6] | Most recent remains dated to 8540–1590 BCE (uncalibrated age). [2] | |
Matthew's ground sloth [6] | Parocnus brownii | Cuba | Most recent remains dated to 3290-2730 BCE. [2] | |
Parocnus dominicanus | Southeastern Dominican Republic | Known from remains dating to either the late Pleistocene or early Holocene. [9] | ||
Greater Haitian ground sloth [6] | Parocnus serus | Hispaniola, Tortuga, and Gonâve Island [6] | Most recent remains dated to 8540–1590 BCE (uncalibrated age). [2] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Oriente cave rat | Boromys offella | Cuba | Extinct after European contact. [2] | |
Torre's cave rat | Boromys torrei | Possibly extinct after European contact. [2] | ||
Brotomys contractus | Hispaniola | |||
Hispaniolan edible rat | Brotomys voratus | Most recent remains dated to 1550-1670 CE. [2] | ||
Capromys latus | Cuba | Extinct in the late Pleistocene or early Holocene. [2] | ||
Capromys pilorides lewisi | Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, Cayman Islands | Most recently dated in Grand Cayman to 1439-1643 and in Cayman Brac to 1440-1624. A 1585 reference by Francis Drake to "coneys" and cat-sized "little beasts" on the islands could refer to this animal. [10] | ||
Geocapromys caymanensis | Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands | Most recently dated at Cayman Brac to 666-857 CE. [10] | ||
Cuban coney | Geocapromys columbianus | Cuba | Extinct after European contact. [2] | |
Little Swan Island hutia | Geocapromys thoracatus | Little Swan Island, Honduras | Last recorded in the early 1950s. It disappeared due to predation by cats introduced around the same time, though a hurricane in 1955 may have speeded up the process. [11] | |
Geocapromys pleistocenicus | Cuba | Extinct after European contact. [2] | ||
Antillean cave rat | Heteropsomys antillensis | Puerto Rico | Possibly extinct after European contact. [2] | |
Insular cave rat | Heteropsomys insulans | Most recent remains dated to 772–870 CE. [12] | ||
Imposter hutia | Hexolobodon phenax | Hispaniola | Extinct after European contact. [2] | |
Hexolobodon sp. | Southern Hispaniola | Possibly extinct after European contact. [2] | ||
Montane hutia | Isolobodon montanus | Hispaniola | Extinct after European contact. [2] | |
Puerto Rican hutia | Isolobodon portoricensis | Hispaniola and Gonâve | Remains most recently dated to 1270-1390 CE, but likely disappeared after European contact. It was domesticated to some extent by Native Americans and introduced to Puerto Rico, Mona Island, Vieques, and the Virgin Islands. Likely one of the animals mentioned by Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés in 1535. [2] | |
Macrocapromys acevedo | Cuba | Most recent remains dated to around 450 BCE. [4] | ||
Mesocapromys barbouri | Extinct in the late Pleistocene or early Holocene. [2] | |||
Mesocapromys beatrizae | ||||
Mesocapromys gracilis | ||||
Mesocapromys kraglievichi | Most recent remains dated after around 450 BCE. [4] | |||
Mesocapromys minimus | Extinct in the late Pleistocene or early Holocene. [2] | |||
Plagiodontia araeum | Hispaniola | Extinct in the Holocene. [2] | ||
Samana hutia | Plagiodontia ipnaeum | Extinct after European contact. [2] | ||
Lemke's hutia | Rhizoplagiodontia lemkei | Massif de la Hotte, Haiti [6] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dwarf hutia | Mesocapromys nanus | Ciénaga de Zapata, Cuba | Last collected in 1951; a nest and pellets were found in 1978. The species is threatened by introduced predators (black rat, feral dog, feral cat, mongoose), fires (sometimes set for mosquito control), and deforestation for charcoal production. [13] | |
San Felipe hutia | Mesocapromys sanfelipensis | Key Juan García, Cuba | Last collected in 1978. It likely declined due to hunting after a military base was built on the island, fires set up by fishermen (both accidentally and for mosquito control), and predation by introduced black rats, cats, and dogs. [14] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Plate-toothed giant hutia | Elasmodontomys obliquus | Puerto Rico | Most recent remains dated to 511–407 BCE. [12] |
Twisted-toothed mouse | Quemisia gravis | Hispaniola | Extinct after European contact. Although not dated, remains were found along with introduced Rattus and there are probable references to it in early colonial literature. [2] |
Tainotherium valei | Puerto Rico | Known from an undated femur from either the late Pleistocene or early Holocene. Its morphology suggests arboreality, making unlikely that it became extinct when forests expanded in the Holocene. It might have become extinct due to human-induced habitat loss instead. [15] | |
Diminute Jamaican hutia [6] | Xaymaca fulvopulvis | Jamaica | Most recent remains dated to 9390–8220 BCE. [2] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Barbuda giant rice rat | Megalomys audreyae | Barbuda | Most recent remains dated to 1173–1385 CE. [7] | |
Martinique giant rice rat | Megalomys desmarestii | Martinique | Last recorded in 1897. Presumed to have become extinct as a result of mongoose predation, or the 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée. [16] | |
Saint Lucia giant rice rat | Megalomys luciae | Saint Lucia | Last recorded before 1881. Likely extinct because of predation by introduced mongooses. [17] | |
Megalomys sp. | Anguilla | Extinct after European contact. [2] | ||
Megalomys sp. | Antigua | |||
Saint Vincent pygmy rice rat | Oligoryzomys victus | Saint Vincent | Last recorded before 1892. Probably extinct due to predation by introduced black rats, brown rats, or mongooses. [18] | |
Jamaican rice rat | Oryzomys antillarum | Jamaica | Last recorded in 1877, five years after the introduction of mongooses. [19] | |
Oryzomys curasoae | Curaçao | Extinct after European contact. [2] | ||
Oryzomys hypenemus | Antigua and Barbuda | |||
Oryzomys sp. | Barbados | Last recorded before 1890. [2] | ||
Oryzomys spp. | Grenada | Two different species extinct after European contact. [2] | ||
Nevis rice rat | Pennatomys nivalis | Saint Kitts and Nevis and Sint Eustatius | Described from subfossil remains. Historical references to an "unusual-looking", edible rat from the colonial period to the 1930s may refer to this species. It likely disappeared due to predation by introduced black rats or mongooses. [20] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Hispaniola monkey | Antillothrix bernensis | Hispaniola | Most recent remains dated to 2035–1735 BCE. Possible monkey depictions in petroglyphs, indigenous pottery and other artifacts of Cuba and Hispaniola may indicate later survival. [2] |
La Hotte monkey | Insulacebus toussaintiana | Massif de la Hotte, Haiti [6] | Described from undated remains, but presumed to be late Holocene because of its state of conservation similar to the other species. [21] |
Jamaican monkey | Xenothrix mcgregori | Jamaica | Most recent remains dated to 439–473 CE. [22] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Puerto Rican nesophontes | Nesophontes edithae | Puerto Rico | Most recently dated to 1015–1147 CE [12] but believed extinct after European contact. No nesophontes species was hunted as they were too small. [2] | |
Cayman nesophontes | Nesophontes hemicingulus | Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands | Most recently dated at Cayman Brac to 666–857 CE [10] but believed extinct after European contact. [2] | |
Atalaye nesophontes | Nesophontes hypomicrus | Hispaniola | Most recently dated to 1175–1295 CE [23] but believed extinct after European contact. [2] | |
Greater Cuban nesophontes | Nesophontes major | Cuba | Most recent remains dated to around 10 BCE at Cueva de los Nesofontes, [24] but believed extinct after European contact. [2] | |
Western Cuban nesophontes | Nesophontes micrus | Most recently dated to 1310–1410 CE but believed extinct after European contact. [2] | ||
St. Michel nesophontes | Nesophontes paramicrus | Hispaniola | Most recently dated to 1265–1400 CE [23] but believed extinct after European contact. [2] | |
Haitian nesophontes | Nesophontes zamicrus | Most recently dated to 1295–1430 CE [7] but believed extinct after European contact. [2] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Giant solenodon | Solenodon arredondoi | Cuba | Extinct in the late Pleistocene or early Holocene. [2] |
Marcano's solenodon | Solenodon marcanoi | Hispaniola | Extinct after European contact. [2] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Giant ghost-faced bat | Mormoops magna | Cuba | Most recent remains dated to 7043–6503 BCE. [7] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ghost-faced bat | Mormoops megalophylla | Mexico to Trinidad and the Ecuadorian Andes | Most recent remains in Cuba dated near European arrival. [4] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Anthony's fruit-eating bat | Artibeus anthonyi | Cuba | Most recent remains dated to 1957–1993 CE. [25] | |
Puerto Rican long-nosed bat | Monophyllus plethodon frater | Puerto Rico | Possibly extinct between 1851 and 1900 as a result of extensive clearing for agriculture. [26] | |
Puerto Rican flower bat | Phyllonycteris major | Puerto Rico and Antigua | Most recent remains dated to around 1500 BCE at Burma Quarry, Antigua. [27] | |
Lesser falcate-winged bat | Phyllops vetus | Cuba and Juventud | Most recent remains dated to around 10 BCE at Cueva de los Nesofontes, Cuba. [24] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Common vampire bat | Desmodus rotundus | From Mexico and Cuba to Uruguay | Most recent remains in Cuba dated to 1957–1993 CE. [25] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Caribbean monk seal | Neomonachus tropicalis | Caribbean Sea, Bahamas, and Gulf of Mexico | Last recorded at Serranilla Bank in 1952. It was hunted for its skin, oil, and to remove competition for fishermen. [28] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Cuban pauraque | Siphonorhis daiquiri | Cuba | Most recent remains dated to 7043–6507 BCE. [7] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jamaican poorwill | Siphonorhis americana | Jamaica | Last recorded in 1860. Probably extinct due to habitat destruction, predation by introduced mongooses and rats. [29] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Brace's emerald | Riccordia bracei | New Providence, Bahamas | Only known from the holotype collected in 1877, though subfossil bones of hummingbirds found in the island probably belong to the same species. The causes of extinction are unknown but presumably human-induced. [30] | |
Gould's emerald | Riccordia elegans | unknown; possibly Jamaica or the northern Bahamas | Only known from the holotype collected in 1860. The reasons of extinction are unknown. [31] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Puerto Rican quail-dove | Geotrygon larva | Puerto Rico | Known from subfossil remains, extinct after human settlement. [32] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jamaican wood rail | Amaurolimnas concolor concolor | Jamaica | Last collected in 1881. Mongoose predation has been suggested as the cause of extinction, but the species coexisted with mongooses, cats, and rats for a prolonged time. [32] | |
Antillean cave rail | Nesotrochis debooyi | Puerto Rico | Described from subfossil remains in Pre-Columbian kitchen middens, though a 1943 report of a "flightless hen" in Virgin Gorda could have been this species. [33] It was introduced to Mona and the Virgin Islands by indigenous peoples. [5] | |
Cuban cave rail | Nesotrochis picapicensis | Cuba | Most recent remains dated to near European arrival. [4] | |
Haitian cave rail | Nesotrochis steganinos | Hispaniola | Most recent remains dated to 5474-5339 BCE. [34] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cuban flightless crane | Antigone cubensis | Cuba | Known from Late Quaternary remains. [35] [lower-alpha 2] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Dwarf thick-knee | Burhinus nanus | Bahamas | Most recent remains in the Middle Caicos dated to 1460-1660 CE. Sometimes considered a subspecies of the double-striped thick-knee. [3] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Double-striped thick-knee | Burhinus bistriatus | Central America, northern South America and the Caribbean | Extirpated from Cuba, where it is known from Late Quaternary remains. [35] Survives in parts of Hispaniola, Trinidad and Tobago. May occur as vagrant in Barbados. [36] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Bahama snipe [3] | Gallinago kakuki | Greater Antilles, Bahamas, and Caymans | Known from Late Quaternary remains. [35] |
Hispaniola woodcock | Scolopax brachycarpa | Hispaniola | Most recent remains at Trouing Jean Paul, Haiti dated to 1270–1380 CE. [37] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Eskimo curlew | Numenius borealis | Americas | Last collected in Barbados in 1963. Declined due to hunting, conversion of prairies for agriculture, and the suppression of the fire regime. [38] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jamaican petrel | Pterodroma caribbaea | Jamaica; possibly Dominica, Guadeloupe, and Bahamas | Last recorded with certainty in 1880. An unconfirmed sighting was made west of Bimini, Bahamas in 1936. It was hunted with dogs in its only known breeding site, the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. [32] The extinct status is hard to ascertain as it is a nocturnal and dark-colored sea bird. [39] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Asphalt stork | Ciconia lydekkeri | Contiguous United States to Argentina | Known from Late Quaternary remains in Cienfuegos, Cuba. [35] | |
Ciconia sp. | Las Breas de San Felipe, Matanzas, Cuba | Remains not dated directly; the site is dated to 10350-2730 BCE. [35] | ||
Wetmore's stork | Mycteria wetmorei | Southern United States and Cuba | Remains found in San Felipe along with Ciconia sp. [35] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jamaican ibis | Xenicibis xympithecus | Jamaica | Most recent remains at Long Mile Cave dated to 787 BCE – 320 CE. [7] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bermuda night heron | Nyctanassa carcinocatactes | Bermuda | Last recorded in 1610. Likely extinct due to introduced cats, hunting, and perhaps shortage of prey. [40] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bare-throated tiger heron | Tigrisoma mexicanum | Coastal Central America and Cuba | Extirpated from Cuba, where Late Quaternary remains are known (possibly representing an endemic subspecies). [35] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Emslie's vulture | Cathartes emsliei | Cuba | Most recent remains at Las Breas de San Felipe dated to 10350-2730 BCE. The island was colonized by the turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) and the black vulture (Coragyps atratus) after its extinction. [41] |
cf. Cathartes sp. | A different Late Quaternary species, likely belonging to another genus. [35] | ||
Cuban condor | Gymnogyps varonai | Known from Late Quaternary remains. [35] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Cuban teratorn | Oscaravis olsoni | Cuba | Known from Late Quaternary remains. [35] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Woodward's eagle | Amplibuteo woodwardi | California to Florida and the Caribbean | Known from Late Quaternary remains. [35] | |
Bermuda hawk | Bermuteo avivorus | Bermuda | Last recorded in 1603. Possibly extinct due to hunting and predation by introduced mammals including feral pigs. [42] | |
Cuban titan-hawk | Buteogallus borrasi | Cuba | Most recent remains dated to 5050-4050 BCE. [4] | |
Suarez's giant eagle | Gigantohierax suarezi | Known from Late Quaternary remains. [35] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Images |
---|---|---|---|---|
Red-shouldered hawk | Buteo lineatus | Northeastern Mexico, eastern United States and Canada, Cuba, and Bahamas | Extirpated from the Caribbean, where they are known from Late Quaternary remains. [35] | |
Black-chested buzzard-eagle | Geranoaetus melanoleucus | South America and Cuba |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bermuda saw-whet owl | Aegolius gradyi | Bermuda | Last recorded in 1609–1610. Likely extinct due to habitat destruction and introduced predatory mammals. [32] | |
Antiguan burrowing owl | Athene cunicularia amaura | Antigua and Barbuda | Extinct in the late 19th century. [43] | |
Guadeloupe burrowing owl | Athene cunicularia guadeloupensis | Guadeloupe | ||
Cuban horned owl | Bubo osvaldoi | Cuba | Known from Late Quaternary remains. [35] | |
Cuban cursorial owl | Ornimegalonyx oteroi | Most recent remains dated to 5050-4050 BCE. [4] The species O. acevedoi, O. minor, and O. gigas are likely the same and represent only size differences due to sexual dimorphism, chrono-temporal or individual variation. [35] | ||
Cuban spectacled owl | Pulsatrix arredondoi | Most recent remains dated to 530–590 CE. [35] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Virgin Islands screech owl | Gymnasio nudipes newtoni | Virgin Islands | Last confirmed record in 1936 in Saint Croix, with an unconfirmed one on Guana Island in 1985. Likely extinct due to forest clearance for agriculture. [32] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Puerto Rican barn owl | Tyto cavatica | Puerto Rico | Described from subfossil remains. 1912 reports of cave-nesting owls may refer to this species. [32] | |
Noel's barn owl | Tyto noeli | Cuba, Jamaica, and Barbuda | Most recent remains at Drum Cave, Jamaica dated to 1900–1600 BCE. [35] Extinct due to deforestation, invasive animals, and loss of prey. [32] | |
Hispaniolan giant barn owl | Tyto ostologa | Haiti and southern Dominican Republic | A 1788 description of a call and feathers at Pic la Selle may refer to this species. There was also an unconfirmed sighting in the 1970s. [32] | |
Bahaman giant barn owl | Tyto pollens | Cuba and Bahamas | Described from subfossil remains but may have survived until the 16th century. [32] | |
Tyto sp. | Pinar del Río, Cuba | A small, undescribed species known from Late Quaternary remains. [35] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bahaman caracara | Caracara creightoni | Cuba and Bahamas | Most recent remains dated in Bahamas to 470-410 BCE, and in Cuba to 290-430 CE. [35] | |
Cuban kestrel | Falco kurochkini | Cuba | Known from Late Quaternary remains. [35] | |
Milvago carbo | Known from Late Quaternary remains at the San Felipe tar pits. [35] | |||
Milvago sp. | Similar to the Yellow-headed caracara. Known from fragmentary Late Quaternary remains at the San Felipe tar pits. [35] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Aplomado falcon | Falco femoralis | New Mexico to Patagonia | Extirpated from Cuba, where it is known from Late Quaternary remains. [35] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Bermuda flicker | Colaptes oceanicus | Bermuda | Last recorded in 1623; the decimation of local birds by feral cats was also noted. [44] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cuban ivory-billed woodpecker | Campephilus principalis bairdii | Cuba | Last confirmed record in 1987. Possible calls were heard on the Sierra Maestra in 1998, but the area is considered too high and outside the historical range of this species. [45] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Aruba amazon | Amazona barbadensis canifrons | Aruba | Presumed extinct between 1944 and 1947 due to poisoning by fruit farmers and capture for the exotic pet trade, though it might have survived after this date. There are also doubts about the validity of this subspecies due to variability within the yellow-shouldered amazon species. [32] | |
Martinique amazon | Amazona martinicana | Martinique | Last recorded in 1779. They were intensely hunted for their meat. [32] | |
Guadeloupe amazon | Amazona violacea | Guadeloupe | ||
Culebra Island amazon | Amazona vittata gracilipes | Culebra Island of Puerto Rico | Last collected in 1899. Likely extinct due to persecution as a crop pest and increased mortality by hurricanes as a consequence of deforestation. Another extinct population on Vieques may be a different, undescribed subspecies. [32] | |
Amazona sp. | Antigua | Most recent remains dated to around 1500 BCE at Burma Quarry. [27] | ||
St. Croix macaw | Ara autocthones | Puerto Rico and Saint Croix | Known from pre-Columbian subfossil remains. [5] | |
Lesser Antillean macaw | Ara guadeloupensis | Guadeloupe | Last recorded in Guadeloupe in 1742. Known mostly from written accounts, illustrations, and possible subfossil remains. A 1779 plate possibly represents a captive animal in Europe. [32] | |
Martinique macaw | Ara martinicus | Martinique | Hypothetical species only known from a short 1630s description by Jesuit Jacques Bouton, though another short 1658 description of "Ara erythrura" is likely the same animal. Some authors consider these introduced blue-and-yellow macaws from South America, while others identify a slightly different macaw painted by Roelant Savery in 1626 as a representation of this species and thus evidence that it actually existed. However, there is no information about the origin of the bird depicted by Savery. [32] | |
Cuban macaw | Ara tricolor | Cuba and Juventud | Last animals were shot (with reservations) in central Cuba in 1889. Probably extinct due to hunting (though it was recorded as foul-tasting), capture as pets, and habitat destruction. The Jamaican red macaw ("Ara gossei"), named from a single 18th century description and illustration, was likely an introduced Cuban macaw. [32] | |
Guadeloupe parakeet | Psittacara labati | Guadeloupe | Last recorded in 1742. The causes of extinction are unknown. [32] | |
Puerto Rican parakeet | Psittacara maugei | Puerto Rico, Vieques, and Mona Island | Last collected on Mona in 1892. [32] | |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Gonâve eastern chat-tanager | Calyptophilus frugivorus abbotti | Gonâve Island, Haiti | Last recorded in 1977. Likely extinct due to deforestation. [32] |
Samaná eastern chat-tanager | Calyptophilus frugivorus frugivorus | Samaná Peninsula, Dominican Republic | Last recorded in 1982. Likely extinct due to deforestation. [32] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
St. Kitts bullfinch | Melopyrrha grandis | Saint Kitts | Last collected in 1929. There was an unconfirmed sighting in 1994 and a possible song recorded in 2021. The species could have suffered from hurricanes devastating its mountain forest refugia in 1899, 1924, and 1929, and inability to recover in the lowlands due to deforestation for agriculture, competition with the Lesser Antillean bullfinch, and predation by introduced rats, cats, small Indian mongooses, and green monkeys. [46] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jamaican golden swallow | Tachycineta euchrysea euchrysea | Jamaica | Last recorded with certainty in 1989, two years after its last major roosting site was destroyed. Likely declined due to deforestation for agriculture. [32] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Dolichonyx kruegeri | Cuba | Known from now lost Late Quaternary remains. Possibly the same as the bobolink (D. oryzivorus), which flies over Cuba during migration but doesn't reside on it. [35] | |
Grand Cayman oriole | Icterus leucopteryx bairdi | Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands | Last recorded in 1967. [32] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Bermuda towhee | Pipilio naufragus | Bermuda | Last recorded in 1609–1610. [32] |
Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|
Scytalopus sp. | Cuba | Known from Late Quaternary remains. [35] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Guadeloupe house wren | Troglodytes aedon guadeloupensis | Guadeloupe | Last recorded in 1973. Extinct due to deforestation. [32] |
Martinique house wren | Troglodytes aedon martinicensis | Martinique | Last collected in 1886. The causes of extinction are unknown. [32] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Grand Cayman thrush | Turdus ravidus | Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands | Last recorded in 1938. [47] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
New Providence yellowthroat | Geothlypis rostrata rostrata | New Providence, Bahamas | Last recorded in the 1990s. [32] | |
Semper's warbler | Leucopeza semperi | Saint Lucia mountains | Last recorded in 1961. Likely extinct due to predation by the small Indian mongoose. [32] | |
Bachman's warbler | Vermivora bachmanii | Southeastern United States and Cuba | Last confirmed record in Cuba in 1984, though unconfirmed footage was taken in Guardalavaca in 2002. Declined due to habitat loss caused by deforestation and marshland draining, followed by intensive hunting by bird collectionists as it became rare. [32] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cuban crocodile | Crocodylus rhombifer | Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola, and the Cayman Islands; possibly also Jamaica | Most recent remains in Hispaniola dated to 5480-5370 BCE, [48] the Abaco Islands to 1730-830 BCE, [49] Crooked Island to 1300-1400 CE, [50] and the Caymans to 1030-1585 CE. Historical references to crocodiles on Grand Cayman in 1774 and "alligators" on Great Inagua, Bahamas in 1886 likely refer to this species. Only survives in the Zapata Swamp of western Cuba and the Lanier Swamp of Juventud. [49] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Guadeloupe ameiva | Pholidoscelis cineraceus | Guadeloupe | Last recorded in 1914. Likely extinct due to hunting and introduced predators. [51] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Martinique giant ameiva | Pholidoscelis major | Petite Terre Islands off Guadeloupe | Last collected before 1825. The causes of extinction are unknown. [52] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Leeward Islands curlytail | Leiocephalus cuneus | Antigua and Barbuda | Most recent remains dated to around 1500 BCE at Burma Quarry, Antigua. [27] | |
Navassa curly-tailed lizard | Leiocephalus eremitus | Navassa Island | Not recorded since its description in 1868. The causes of extinction are unknown. [53] | |
Martinique curlytail lizard | Leiocephalus herminieri | Martinique | Last collected in 1837. The causes of extinction are unknown. [54] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jamaica giant galliwasp | Celestus occiduus | Bluefields, Jamaica | Last recorded in 1851. Likely declined due to predation by the introduced small Indian mongoose, and destruction of its woody swamp habitat for logging, agriculture, and residential development. [55] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Navassa Island iguana | Cyclura cornuta onchiopsis | Navassa Island | Last recorded in 1878. Probably extinct due to hunting by miners, predation by introduced cats, and competition for vegetation with feral goats. [56] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Virgin Islands giant anole | Anolis roosevelti | Vieques, Culebra, Saint John, and Tortola | Last collected in 1932. The causes of extinction are unknown. [57] |
Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|
cf. Boidae | Antigua | Most recent remains dated to around 1500 BCE at Burma Quarry. [27] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Saint Croix racer | Borikenophis sanctaecrucis | Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands | Last recorded in the late 19th or early 20th century. Likely extinct due to deforestation and predation by introduced mongooses. [58] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Navassa Island dwarf boa | Tropidophis bucculentus | Navassa Island | Only known from four specimens collected in the 19th century. The causes of extinction are unknown but may include habitat modification for mining, persecution, and predation by introduced rats and cats. [59] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Abaco tortoise [60] | Chelonoidis alburyorum | Abaco Islands, Bahamas | Most recent remains dated to around 1170 AD. [61] |
Cuban giant tortoise [60] | Chelonoidis cubensis | Cuba | Most recent remains dated to 5050-4050 BCE. [4] |
Chelonoidis gersoni | Hispaniola | Known from remains from the late Pleistocene or early Holocene. [62] | |
Chelonoidis marcanoi | |||
Mona tortoise | Chelonoidis monensis | Mona Island of Puerto Rico | Most recent remains dated to around 1050 BCE. [60] |
Caicos giant tortoise | Chelonoidis sp. | Middle Caicos | Most recent remains dated to around 1400 CE. [60] |
Turks tortoise | Chelonoidis sp. | Grand Turk Island | Most recent remains dated to around 1200 CE. [60] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Golden coquí | Eleutherodactylus jasperi | Sierra de Cayey, Puerto Rico | Last recorded in 1981. Probably declined due to chytridiomycosis and less likely to predation by introduced black rats. [63] | |
Web-footed coquí | Eleutherodactylus karlschmidti | Puerto Rican mountains | Last recorded in 1976. The causes of extinction are unknown, though most specimens collected and preserved in the 1960s were later found to have suffered from chytridiomycosis. Predation by small Indian mongooses and black rats is also possible. [64] |
Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|
Battus polydamas antiquus | Antigua | Only known from a painting made in 1770. [27] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sloane's Urania butterfly | Urania sloanus | Jamaica lowlands | Last collected in 1908. [65] |
Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|
Psittacobrosus bechsteini | Cuba | Parasite of the Cuban macaw, co-extinct with its host. [66] |
Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|
Austromenopon confine | Americas | Parasite of the slender-billed curlew. [67] |
Saemundssonia jamaicensis | Jamaica, Guadeloupe, and Bahamas | Parasite of the Jamaican petrel. [67] |
Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|
Cummingsiella breviclypeata | Americas | Parasite of the slender-billed curlew. [67] |
Common name | Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|---|
Caribbean monk seal nasal mite | Halarachne americana | Caribbean Sea | Extinct with its host. [68] |
Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|
Pterotrogus principalis | Southern United States and Cuba | Parasite of the ivory-billed woodpecker. [67] |
Scientific name | Range | Comments | Pictures |
---|---|---|---|
Tityus exstinctus | Northern range of Martinique | Only known from the holotype collected in 1884. Possibly disappeared due to human activity or the Mount Pelée eruption in 1902. [69] |
Scientific name | Range |
---|---|
Amphicyclotulus guadeloupensis | Guadeloupe [70] |
Incerticyclus cinereus | Martinique [71] |
Incerticyclus martinicensis | Martinique [72] |
Scientific name | Range |
---|---|
Oleacina guadeloupensis | Guadeloupe [73] |
Scientific name | Range | Comments |
---|---|---|
Pleurodonte desidens | Martinique | Not recorded since its description in 1834. [74] |
Desmodus is a genus of bats which—along with the genera Diaemus and Diphylla—are allied as the subfamily Desmodontinae, the carnivorous, blood-consuming vampire bats of the New World leaf-nosed bat family Phyllostomidae.
The tooth-billed pigeons are the only genus (Didunculus) of the subfamily Didunculinae, in the pigeon and dove family, (Columbidae). It has no close living relatives, but it has been shown to be genetically close to the dodo, and the genus name Didunculus means "little dodo". The jaw and tongue structure, and the superficially parrotlike bill have suggested a relationship to the parrots, but these features have arisen from its specialised diet rather than any real relationship.
This article is a list of biological species, subspecies, and evolutionary significant units that are known to have become extinct during the Holocene, the current geologic epoch, ordered by their known or approximate date of disappearance from oldest to most recent.
Akialoa is an extinct genus of Hawaiian honeycreeper in the subfamily Carduelinae of the family Fringillidae. The ʻakialoa species are all extinct, but they formerly occurred throughout Hawaii.
The Cuban coney is an extinct species of rodent in the subfamily Capromyinae. It was endemic to Cuba. Its natural habitats were lowlands moist forests, xeric shrublands and rocky areas. Some scientists indicate that this species may have survived and coexisted with introduced rat species from the Old World until approximately 1500, while others indicate that it became extinct earlier in the Holocene.
Cabrera's hutia is a small, critically endangered, rat-like mammal found only in Cuba. It lives in communal shelters in swamps and coastal mangrove forests, and is threatened by habitat loss. It is a member of the hutia subfamily (Capromyinae), a group of rodents native to the Caribbean that are mostly endangered or extinct.