The Australian continent, also called Australia-New Guinea or SahulThe thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) is a large, carnivorous marsupial last seen in 1936.
This is a list of Australia-New Guinea species extinct in the Holocene that covers extinctions from the Holocene epoch, a geologic epoch that began about 11,650 years before present (about 9700 BCE)[a] and continues to the present day.[1]
The most recent subfossil remains in mainland Australia were dated to 1277-1229 BCE.[8] In Tasmania, the last confirmed wild individual was killed in 1931,[10] and the last in captivity died at Hobart Zoo in 1936.[11] The extinction of the thylacine in Australia was likely caused by competition with human hunters and dingos, while in Tasmania it was deliberately exterminated by sheep farmers.[11] Thylacines were also present in New Guinea until 3050 BCE.[7]
Also known as yallara. The last individual was collected in 1931, though a skull of unknown age was retrieved from a wedge-tailed eagle's nest in 1967. The main causes of extinction are believed to be predation by cats and foxes, possibly exacerbated by changes to the fire regime.[18]
The last reliably dated individual was collected in 1901, though Pintupi people recalled it surviving in the Gibson desert until the 1950s. The cause of extinction was predation by feral cats and foxes.[20] The two species were considered one until 2019.[19]
Also known as kuluwarri. The only known specimen was collected in 1932. Western Aboriginal Australians stated that it disappeared between 1940 and 1960. It was possibly driven to extinction by predation by feral cats and foxes, and changes to the fire regime.[25]
Last specimen was collected in 1889.[27] The species was possibly driven to extinction by habitat loss caused by livestock grazing and increased summer wildfires after the end of native controlled fires in the winter.[28]
The last confirmed records in the wild happened in 1924. Unconfirmed sightings happened in 1943 and 1950s-1970s, but extensive searching in the 1970s failed to locate any.[29] The last captive animal died in 1939.[30]
Only known from one specimen collected in the Tanami in 1933 and subfossil material from the Nullarbor. The causes of extinction are presumed to be predation by feral cats and foxes, and changes to the fire regime.[33]
The woylie experienced a large reduction in population size and range due to extensive land clearing and the introduction of feral cats and red foxes. The south-eastern subspecies (B. p. penicillata) is considered extinct. The surviving south-western subspecies (B. p. ogilbyi) is critically endangered.[34]
Last confirmed record in 1935 near Ooroowilanie, east of Lake Eyre, though several unconfirmed sightings were recorded in South Australia and Queensland between 1957 and 2011. It is considered to have become extinct due to predation by feral cats and foxes, though habitat degradation by herbivores could have contributed.[36]
Last recorded in 1875. Presumed to have become extinct due to predation by feral cats, exotic diseases, inappropriate fire regimes, habitat loss and degradation due to grazing livestock.[37]
Last recorded 1860-1862 in Victoria, where it was at one time common and even regarded as a pest, though a possible observational record was made near Deniliquin, New South Wales, in the early 1940s. It probably disappeared due to predation by cats, though human-induced habitat degradation could have contributed.[38]
Known only from subfossil remains but considered to have survived until European settlement. Since there has not been a targeted survey for the Capricorn rabbit rat, there is a thin hope of its survival, although this is unlikely.[39]
The last two specimens were collected south of the Musgrave Ranges in 1933, and the last unconfirmed sighting happened in 1970 in a cave along Canning Stock Route. Considered to have become extinct due to predation by feral cats, possibly helped by habitat degradation caused by introduced grazers.[40]
Last recorded in 2009. Disappeared due to increasing storms that depleted the island of vegetation.[41] Its extinction was described as the first extinction of a mammal species due to anthropogenic climate change.[42]
From north-eastern South Australia and south-eastern Northern Territory to North West Cape
The only known specimens came from Charlotte Waters, Northern Territory in 1896. Subfossils indicate that it had a wide distribution in the central and western arid zone. Reasons for extinction are unknown, but could have been predation by feral cats and foxes.[44]
Last collected in 1843 near New Norcia. Considered to have been driven to extinction primarily by epizootic disease or predation by feral cats, with habitat degradation by sheep grazing as secondary factor.[46]
Known from a single skull purchased in 1846. Considered extinct because of predation by feral cats, with habitat destruction by agriculture and livestock farming as possible contributors.[47]
South-eastern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales
Last collected with certainty before 1892. Extinction considered to have been due to habitat clearance, predation by feral cats and possibly red foxes.[49]
Last collected in 1901-1902. Became extinct after being infected by trypanosome carried by fleas hosted by black rats, which were accidentally introduced by the SS Hindustan in 1900.[50][51]
Last recorded in 1897-1898. Became extinct after being infected by trypanosome carried by fleas hosted by black rats introduced in 1900. It was rarer than R. macleari and disappeared first.[51]
Known from a single specimen collected in 1874, though bats were reported as plentiful in the islands at the end of the 19th century. Possibly disappeared because of habitat loss.[55]
Described in the mid-19th century. No sightings were made in the 20th century, but a jawbone found in a kitchen midden in 1992 probably belongs to this species.[56]
Last recorded in 2009 following a 90% decline in three generations (10–15 years). The reasons are unclear, though predation and competition by introduced species, and exotic diseases have been suggested.[57]
Known from a single skull found in 1972 and believed to be between 50 and 100 years old. The reasons of extinction are unclear but could have been predated on by introduced rats and owls.[58]
Last recorded in 1819. One egg found in 1830 could have been laid by an Australian emu introduced in 1826, or a hybrid. It was hunted to extinction.[9]
Probably disappeared in the 1940s or 1950s due to deforestation, predation by introduced black rats, and predation or competition with southern boobooks, barn owls, and masked owls (all introduced in unsuccessful attempts to control the invasive rat population).[9]
Last individual died in 1996. Declined due to deforestation leading to increased competition for nest-hollows with honeybees and crimson rosellas. Descendants hybridized with the New Zealand subspeciesN. n. novaeseelandiae survive in the island.[9]
Last birds in the wild were sighted between 1825 and 1854, and the last in captivity died in London in 1851. Disappeared because of hunting[66] and habitat destruction by introduced rabbits, pigs, and goats.[9]
Southeastern Queensland and possibly New South Wales
Last confirmed observation in 1927 or 1928; it was considered extinct after a drought in 1902 but was rediscovered in 1918. Unconfirmed observations were made in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1990. Extinction factors include reduction of food supply due to drought and overgrazing, deforestation, altered fire regimes, spread of invasive prickly pears in Australia, disease, hunting and nest raiding.[67]
Last recorded in 1928. Presumed to have become extinct due to nest raiding by black rats, but disease from introduced passerines could also have been a factor.[69]
Extinction believed to be a result of predation by black rats that escaped the wreck of the SS Makambo in 1918, as it was not found in searches carried out in 1928 and 1936.[9]
Last confirmed sighting in 2000, followed by an unconfirmed one in 2005. The species declined due to competition with the silvereyeZosterops lateralis, which was introduced in 1904; the accidental introduction of black rats in the mid-1940s, and the clearance of forests.[9]
The subspecies became extinct around the late 1970s, with the last confirmed record in 1975. The cause of its extinction is attributed to a combination of clearing of native vegetation and predation by rats and feral cats. Additional factors were competition with introduced song thrushes and common blackbirds, as well as interbreeding with the latter species producing sterile offspring.[citation needed]
Not recorded since c. 1924. Believed to be a result of the introduction of black rats following the grounding of the SS Makambo in June 1918.[citation needed]
Last recorded in 1923, although its absence was not noted until 1968. It may have disappeared due to habitat destruction, or predation by black rats if it survived until 1940, when they were introduced to the island. As the last surviving subspecies, its extinction was also that of the species.[71]
All extinct and extinct in the wild reptiles of Christmas Island, from left to right: Emoia nativitatis, Lepidodactylus listeri, Cryptoblepharus egeriae.
Last seen in the wild in 2010. An attempted captivity breeding program in 2009 failed because only females could be captured, and the last captive animal died in 2014. Became extinct due to predation by introduced Indian wolf snakes, possibly hastened by deforestation.[72]
Classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, which considers the Canberra, Cooma, and Bathurst populations of Tympanocryptis as the single species T. pinguicolla. Based on recent studies, it is highly likely that T. pinguicolla was restricted to Victoria and is now extinct, due to the destruction of most of its habitat and the last confident sighting of the species being made in 1969. If so, it could represent the first known reptilian extinction on the Australian mainland in modern times.[75]
Initially, the species expanded its range after the area was inundated for hydroelectric power generation in 1972. Introduced trout were a significant factor in the decline of this species. It was scarce by 1980, and the last wild specimen was captured in 1996. The species survives in two translocated populations outside its original range, one at Lake Oberon in the Western Arthurs mountain range and one at a modified water supply dam near Strathgordon.[82]
^The source gives "11,700 calendar yr b2k (before AD 2000)". But "BP" means "before AD 1950". Therefore, the Holocene began 11,650 BP. Doing the math, that is c. 9700 BCE.
^Martin, P. S. (2005). Twilight of the mammoths: Ice Age extinctions and the rewilding of America (Vol. 8). Univ of California Press.
^"European discovery and the colonisation of Australia". Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Commonwealth of Australia. 11 January 2008. Archived from the original on 13 December 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2022. [The British] moved north to Port Jackson on 26 January 1788, landing at Camp Cove, known as 'cadi' to the Cadigal people. Governor Phillip carried instructions to establish the first British Colony in Australia. The First Fleet was underprepared for the task, and the soil around Sydney Cove was poor.
^ abWhite, L.C. et al. (2018) High-quality fossil dates support a synchronous, Late Holocene extinction of devils and thylacines in mainland Australia. Biology Letters, 14(1), 20170642.
^Sleightholme, Stephen R.; Gordon, Tammy J.; Campbell, Cameron R. (2020). "The Kaine capture – questioning the history of the last Thylacine in captivity". Australian Zoologist. 41: 1–11.
^Finlayson, H.H. (1961). On central Australian mammals. Part IV-The distribution and status of central Australian species. Records of the South Australian Museum. 14: 141–191.
^ abGovernment of Western Australia, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (25 April 2022). "Woylie Fauna Profile"(PDF). www.dpaw.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 25 April 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^Stephen T. Garnett & Gabriel M. Crowley (2000). "New Zealand Pigeon (Norfolk Island)"(PDF). The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2000. Environment Australia. Archived from the original(PDF) on 21 May 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2008.
^Forshaw, J. (2015) Pigeons and doves in Australia. Csiro Publishing, 360 pages.
^Sutton, A., Mountain, M. J., Aplin, K., Bulmer, S., & Denham, T. (2009). Archaeozoological records for the highlands of New Guinea: A review of current evidence. Australian Archaeology, 69(1), 41-58.
^Hawkins, S., & Worthy, T. H. (2019). Lapita colonisation and avian extinctions in Oceania. terra australis 52, 439.
^Worthy, T. H., & Nguyen, J. M. (2020). An annotated checklist of the fossil birds of Australia. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, 144(1), 66-108.
^Schodde R, Mason IJ (1999). The Directory of Australian Birds: Passerines. A Taxonomic and Zoogeographic Atlas of the Biodiversity of Birds in Australia and its Territories. Collingwood, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. pp. x 851 pp. ISBN0-643-06456-7.
