Every Animal That Was Declared Extinct In 2018 (And Those Likely To Go In 2019)
Humans have accomplished many wonderful things, but that doesn't mitigate the extinctions we cause.
Believe it or not, animals go extinct all the time. Sadly, the rate of extinction has increased so much since humans spread across the planet, many scientists believe we are living in a major extinction level event... and we are likely responsible.
Every year, more and more species are added to the list of endangered and extinct animals with 2018 being no exception. It is currently estimated that animals are going extinct at a rate 1,000 to 10,000 times the natural rate. In 2018, the world lost some remarkable animals including several bird and mammal species.
Though 2019 has only just begun, one species has already been declared extinct while several others have been added to the list of those likely to disappear sometime this year.
With so many species threatened by deforestation, habitat loss, pollution, climate change, poaching, and every other horror humans have wrought upon the planet, it's a wonder more haven't disappeared at a faster rate. These are the major species that disappeared in 2018 and the ones likely to blink out of existence in 2019.
6. Poʻo-uli - Extinct
The poʻo-uli, Melamprosops phaeosoma, was a species of passerine bird found on the island of Maui in Hawaii until it was declared extinct in 2018. The poʻo-uli was discovered only recently when students from the University of Hawaii described it for the first time in 1973.
The poʻo-uli were a unique form of Hawaiian honeycreeper bird in that they were the last surviving member of its lineage and had no closely-related relatives. It was truly the last of its kind.
Nobody had seen a poʻo-uli since 2004, which suggests they went extinct sometime that year or shortly afterwards. It was classified as extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2018 following a study, which determined no populations of the poʻo-uli remained anywhere on the island.
The last known individual was captured and taken to the Maui Bird Conservation Center in Olinda with the hopes of breeding it, but no mate could be found. Samples were taken at the time and preserved with the hope of one day cloning the animal and potentially returning it to the wild.
The poʻo-uli succumbed to a number of factors including habitat loss, predation by invasive species (rats, pigs, cats, and Asian mongooses), and a decline in tree snails, their preferred food.