12 Animals The Human Race Tragically Killed Off

3. Japanese Sea Lion (Extinct 1970s)

Another water mammal to make this list, the Japanese sea lion (Zalophus japonicus) inhabited the Sea of Japan around the costal areas of the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese Archipelago.

Dark grey in colour, this species tended to be far larger than California sea lions - and it was hunted by the Japanese in order for its oil to be used to fuel lamps, while its internal organs could be used to make oriental medicine and its whiskers used for pipe cleaners.

At the beginning of the 20th Century, some 3,200 Japanese sea lions were captured in a short space of time - and this led to a drastic decline, before it was declared as extinct during the 1970s.