Animals Extinct Because of Habitat Loss

When a natural habitat is disturbed, some animals are not just left without a home -- they are left without a quality of life. Some of these lives ended as a direct involvement of human activity. These animals have been wiped off the face of the planet because something has caused a dramatic loss in their habitat.

  1. Golden Toad

    • The golden toad used to live on the high altitude ridge in Costa Rica. The International Union for Conservation of Nature states that the species of toad used to be common but none have been seen since 1989. The extinction went quickly, as the toad last bred in normal numbers in 1987. Many of the toads breeding sites were well known to ecologists and residents alike. The golden toad lost its habitat to a combination of outside factors, including airborne pollution and global warming.

    West African Black Rhino

    • Several expert surveys were conducted in 2006 to locate surviving West African black rhinos in their last known refuge, but according to National Geographic, the search could not find any members. The West African black rhino was one of two rhino species native to Africa. Surveyors also identified signs of poaching, meaning human hunters invaded the habitat and ultimately caused their demise.

    Spix's Macaw or World's Rarest Parrot

    • Native to Brazil, the Spix's Macaw disappeared in 2000. It was once thought to be the world's rarest parrot but that title diminished after researchers could not find a trace of the species. The IUCN believes that the extinction was due to trapping for trade as well as loss of habitat (also contributed to human involvement). Before it became extinct, only one male was known to have existed in the world. The lone survivor lived in northeastern Brazil and was thought to have been 19 years old when he died. It is speculated that the bird either died of age-related illness or hunting.

    Pyrenean Ibex

    • Pyrenean Ibex died off in 2000, and it was one of four subspecies of Spanish Ibex. Much of their extinction can be attributed to over-hunting. Generations of hunters tracked down these animals during the 18th and 19th centuries. Less than a hundred were left. The population could never recover from the mass encroaching on the species' habitat and home. Landslides and environmental changes to the habitat also prevented the Pyrenean Ibex from sustaining itself.