15 Cute Extinct Animals We Wish Were Still Living 

Millions of years ago, the most fascinating animals walked the earth. Some looked like monsters; many have distant relatives around today, and a few were even cuddly. Sadly, these animals are extinct for various reasons and are nothing but a picture in a book now. Several cute extinct animals roamed the earth for centuries minding their own business while others were getting into trouble. 

Of course, not every extinct animal is from a million years ago. Some are much more recent, with many cute and exotic animals on the endangered list. Many species, such as the giant panda, polar bears, and the green sea turtle, are on the verge of extinction. Several cute animals that once lived have disappeared from the planet for various reasons. Some species went extinct due to a natural event, or climate change, causing a shift in the ecosystem and habitat loss. Humans are one of the biggest causes of animals going extinct by hunting or man-made climate change. Here’s a look at 15 cute extinct animals. 

1. Dodo

On the island of Mauritius, the flightless bird, the dodo, lived a peaceful and happy life eating fallen fruits, nuts, and crab. There were no predators on the island, so the dodo didn’t need to fly. The first sighting of the dodo was in 1598 by Dutch sailors. In most descriptions, they were about three feet tall with yellow feet, a grey head, tail feathers, and another layer of brownish-gray feathers. Regardless, there’s no concrete evidence about their lives or appearance. 

The last sighting of the dodo took place in 1662, but nobody noticed they’d gone extinct for decades. It wasn’t until the 19th century that scientists realized the dodo had gone extinct. It’s believed that humans hunting the dodo caused it to become endangered. Since the dodos didn’t fear humans, it was easy to hunt them. However, the more significant cause was the introduction of new animals to the island, including dogs, cats, and, most damaging, pigs. It caused a change to the ecosystem and the destruction of the dodo’s habitat. The disappearance of the dodo was the first time humans caused a species to go extinct. 

2. Wooly Mammoth

300,000 years ago, the wooly mammoth thrived and survived during the ice age. They were a type of elephant found in the frigid tundra of North America, Asia, and Europe. However, the wooly mammoth became extinct around 10,000 years ago. They were roughly 13 feet tall, about the same size as African elephants. With small ears to trap in body heat and two layers of thick fur, the wooly mammoth stayed warm in the coldest parts of the world. They were famous for their 15-foot-long tusks that could dig under snow. 

Like elephants, the wooly mammoth gave birth to one calf at a time and usually stayed in groups of 15. It’s unclear what exactly caused the extinction of the great animal. Some scientists believe climate change led to a loss of habitat, which caused mammoths to become extinct. Others propose that humans hunted the wooly mammoth for meat and used the bones as tools. 

3. Great Auk

At one point in history, a gorgeous bird known as the great auk roamed the earth looking for fish. It was easily recognizable with its white belly, black back, heavy beak, and white patch over each eye. They’re not related to penguins, although they share many similarities. The flightless bird was an expert swimmer that ruled the oceans but was uncoordinated on land. The auk enjoyed swimming in the water in places like Spain, Norway, Great Britain, and Canada. 

However, by the 16th century, this remarkable bird was already an endangered species. They started dying off as their feathers and down were used to make pillows. As they began to become extinct, wealthy Europeans would collect auk eggs, which caused them to decrease in significant numbers. In 1844, hunters killed the last two auks off the coast of Ireland. However, there was one last sighting in 1852. By the mid-19th century, the great auk was extinct.

4. Irish Elk

The Irish elk, or giant deer, lived roughly 400,000 years ago throughout Europe. They stood an incredible two meters, with the male antlers growing up to three and a half meters. In fact, males would grow their antlers as big as they could to impress their female counterparts. Therefore, they’d shed their antlers in the spring and spend all summer growing new antlers for the mating season in the fall. 

The enormous deer became extinct around 12,000 years ago, most likely due to climate change. It’s also possible that humans hunting the deer helped make it an endangered species. According to records, the last Irish Elk likely lived in Russia and died around 8,000 years ago. Despite the name, the giant deer lived all over Europe. However, paleontologists discovered most of the fossils and bones in Ireland, hence the name.

5. Bramble Cay Melomys

For some of the animals on this list, their extinction occurred millions of years ago. However, the reality is several animals are still at risk of extinction. For instance, the Bramble Cay melomys recently became extinct in 2015. The tiny little rats with small tails and red fur lived on Bramble Cay near the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. 

The Bramble Cay melomys hold the distinction of being the first extinct animal due to man-made climate change. In 1978, thousands of these furry little animals were running around the island. However, by 1998, there were a little over 100 and around a dozen in 2004. In 2014, scientists returned to the island to save the melomys but couldn’t find a single one. They believed the rising tides and global warming reduced their primary source of food. In 2015, the International Union of Conservation of Nature declared the Bramble Cay melomys extinct. 

6. Saber-Toothed Tiger

55 million years ago, one of the most ferocious animals ever to walk the earth lived in South America. The Saber Toothed tiger, or saber toothed cat, was an apex predator built like a bear, with the reflexes of a cat and long, knife-like teeth. Also known as a Smilodon, the monstrous beast isn’t related to the tiger despite the name.

They were the most feared hunter and often targeted camels and bison. It’s unclear what caused the saber toothed cat to disappear 10,000 years ago. Most researchers believe climate change, competition with other species, humans, and the dependence on larger animals caused the saber toothed tiger to become extinct. 

7. Sea Mink

There’s very little information about the extinct animal known as the sea mink. Scientists believe that sea mink lived along the East Coast of North America around New England and New Brunswick. Evidence suggests they were larger than their cousin, the American mink, and had red-ish fur.

Fur traders and Native Americans targeted the sea mink for its valuable fur. They were among the most popular animals during the fur trade, which led to their eventual extinction. By 1860, the animal had almost completely disappeared from the planet. Hunters killed the last two sea mink in Maine in 1880 and New Brunswick in 1894. 

8. Tasmanian Tiger

For centuries, the Tasmanian tiger lived on the islands of Tasmania, New Guinea, and Australia’s mainland. Rock art dating back to 1,000 B.C. depicts the tiger living among the people. However, the tiger was already becoming endangered when Europeans arrived on the islands. Thought to be an apex predator, the nocturnal tiger ranged in size from medium to large, with dark stripes down the back. Similar to a kangaroo, both male and female Tasmanian tigers had a pouch. 

By the late 1800s and early 1900s, the shy animal was on the verge of extinction. Most scientists agree that bounty hunters and farmers hunting Tasmanian tigers are a significant reason for them dying off. They also believe that competition with dingos led to them becoming endangered. The last remaining Tasmanian tiger, Benjamin, lived his final years at Hobart Zoo and died on September 6, 1936. However, scientists are attempting to de-extinct the Tasmanian tiger.

9. Passenger Pigeon

There was a time in history when approximately 3 to 5 billion passenger pigeon’s lived in North America. However, roughly 50 years later, the cute animal disappeared off the face of the planet. Sometimes confused with the mourning dove, the male passenger pigeon is a mixture of light and dark gray with black spots on the wings and bronze feathers on the neck. The female pigeon had a softer brown appearance. 

Native Americans hunted the passenger pigeons for decades before the Europeans arrived. The hunting increased as passenger pigeon meat was popular among the new settlers. Combined with deforestation destroying their habitat, the passenger pigeon’s dwindled in numbers by the 1890s. The final passenger pigeon, Martha, died on September 1, 1914, at the Cincinnati Zoo.

10. Black Rhino

The Black Rhinoceros lives in various places around South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. Currently, the black rhino is on the critically endangered list. The bad news is several subspecies, such as the Southern black rhino, became extinct in the 1850s.

Researchers believe the Southern rhino suffered from the destruction of their habitat and excessive hunting. Additionally, the International Union for Conservation of Nature declared the Western black rhino extinct in 2011 for the same reasons. Sadly, only a handful of black rhinos remain on the planet. 

11. Steller’s Sea Cow

In 1741, explorer Georg Wilhelm Steller discovered the magnificent sea cow near the Commander Islands, hence the name Steller’s sea cow. The giant sea cow would grow up to 30 feet and could barely get its body in the ocean. By the time humans discovered Sirenia, they were already becoming endangered.

Europeans began hunting Steller’s Sea Cow for their meat, hide, and blubber. They were easy prey for humans since they moved slowly and struggled to dive into the ocean. 27 years after humans discovered Steller’s sea cows, they were extinct. It’s believed they went extinct in 1768, but there’s a possibility they lived in the early 18th century. 

12. Pyrenean Ibex

After the Last Glacial Period, the Pyrenean ibex or Iberian goat exploded in population and thrived in the Pyrenees mountains on the border of Spain and France. It’s one of the subspecies of the Iberian Ibex that’s gone extinct.

The male ibex had long, thick curved horns, while the female had short circular horns. Like many animals on this list, there’s no apparent cause for extinction. It was likely a combination of competition from other animals, change in habitat, and hunting from humans that caused them to drop in numbers by the 20th century.

The last Pyrenean ibex, Cecilia, was killed by a fallen tree on January 6, 2000. There was an attempt to clone the Pyrenean ibex in 2003, but the clone died shortly after it came alive.

13. T-Rex

The Tyrannosaurus, or T-Rex, was the one and only king of the dinosaurs. Honestly, the 40-foot-tall monstrous lizard was the ruler of the world. Every animal on the planet likely feared the apex predator due to its size, power, and brutal nature.

T-Rex’s spent most of their life living in North America and managed to survive for years. Everything changed 66 million years ago during the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event that caused the mass extinction of a majority of animals on the planet, notably the T-Rex. Of course, the T-Rex lives on as the most famous of the dinosaurs. It even stars as the main antagonist in the Jurassic Park franchise. 

14. Giant Beaver

Large sheets of ice covered most of Asia, Europe, and North America during the ice age. It was during that time that the giant beaver thrived. They were the size of the average bear and had giant teeth. However, the average size beaver had a bigger brain than the giant beaver. After the ice age, the giant beaver struggled to survive and went extinct approximately 10,000 years ago. There is some debate about whether humans or climate change are responsible for the giant beaver going extinct. 

15. Sumatran Rhino

The Sumatran Rhino is easily the cutest of the rhino family. They’re the smallest rhinos and often have reddish-brown fur. At one point, the Sumatran rhino lived all over Asia in India, Thailand, and China. However, it’s currently on the critically endangered list, with less than 80 remaining in the world. It’s believed that several subspecies are already extinct, including the Bornean rhino. The last remaining Sumatran rhinos live in Indonesia.