12 Animals The Human Race Tragically Killed Off

4. Atlas Bear (Extinct 1870s)

Africa's only native bear that survived through into modern times, the Atlas bear (Ursus arctos crowtheri) lived right across the north of the continent, anywhere between Morocco and Libya.

Poor at climbing trees, unlike other brown bears, this breed was brownish-black in colour and 9-feet long, weighing 71-stone.

An inhabitant of the Atlas Mountains, as its name suggests, the numbers of this bear dwindled as the Roman Empire expanded into North Africa and they were hunted, captured and used for gladiatorial sports. A sport of bear hunting also became popular over the centuries, and the arrival on the scene of firearms in the middle of the millennium meant Atlas bears could be killed far more easily.

However, the loss of their natural habitat due to the expansion of the deserts did also contribute to their decline, but humans certainly played a part.