# Last Mammal Proven to have gone Extinct? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 8, 2004, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-mammal-proven-to-have-gone-extinct/233053 "2004-03-08T01:28:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Biere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Biere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biere)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-mammal-proven-to-have-gone-extinct/233053/1 "2004-03-08T01:28:21Z")
What was the last mammal **proven** to have gone _extinct_? Which and when? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-mammal-proven-to-have-gone-extinct/233053/2 "2004-03-08T01:37:09Z")
I’d say things don’t look too promising for the [quagga](http://www.schoolworld.asn.au/species/quagga.html) or the [thylacine](http://www.dpiwe.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/WebPages/BHAN-53777B?open). ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-mammal-proven-to-have-gone-extinct/233053/3 "2004-03-08T02:01:38Z")
> [@Biere](#): > > **proven** That’s virtually impossible. The most certainty you can expect is that you tried reasonably hard and didn’t find any. There is no clear-cut distinction between “extinct” and “thought to be extinct”. ---
**Author:** ![DrDoom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@DrDoom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDoom)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-mammal-proven-to-have-gone-extinct/233053/4 "2004-03-08T02:59:59Z")
> [@kellner](#): > > That’s virtually impossible. The most certainty you can expect is that you tried reasonably hard and didn’t find any. There is no clear-cut distinction between “extinct” and “thought to be extinct”. Can we agree that Neanderthals are extinct? … ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-mammal-proven-to-have-gone-extinct/233053/5 "2004-03-08T03:11:14Z")
> [@DrDoom](#): > > Can we agree that Neanderthals are extinct? … Probably… 😃 but the bold **proven** looked as if there were “real” extinct species and… what? A conspiracy of pseudo-extinct ones? ---
**Author:** ![gooti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eb8c5e/32.png) [@gooti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gooti)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-mammal-proven-to-have-gone-extinct/233053/6 "2004-03-08T03:36:58Z")
Thylacine would be my vote…can’t think of any since then. ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-mammal-proven-to-have-gone-extinct/233053/7 "2004-03-08T03:49:45Z")
I can’t believe that you all have already forgotten the Dusky Seaside Sparrow!!! Found in Florida it went extinct in 1987. The last vertibrate animal to do so in the US anyway. Or at least [this site](http://www.bagheera.com/inthewild/extinct.htm) would have us believe. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-mammal-proven-to-have-gone-extinct/233053/8 "2004-03-08T03:56:55Z")
> [@SandyHook](#): > > I can’t believe that you all have already forgotten the Dusky Seaside Sparrow!!! Note the OP - it asked about **mammals** :). The Thylacine may or not be the winner, but some Austrailian critter ( perhaps the Pig-Footed Bandicoot ) undoubtedly is. Unless we count subspecies, in which case their may be some more recent contenders. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-mammal-proven-to-have-gone-extinct/233053/9 "2004-03-08T04:49:12Z")
> [@Earl Snake-Hips Tucker](#): > > I’d say things don’t look too promising for the [quagga](http://www.schoolworld.asn.au/species/quagga.html) or the [thylacine](http://www.dpiwe.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/WebPages/BHAN-53777B?open). We can do a lot better than [that!](http://www.petermaas.nl/extinct/english.htm) “There have been two animals that have been declared extinct in the new millennium. One of Europe’s most striking wild animals, the Pyrenean Ibex, the last individual of this species died on 6 January 2000 in Ordesa National Park in Spain, and a West African monkey, the Miss Waldron’s red colobus monkey (October 2000).” ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-mammal-proven-to-have-gone-extinct/233053/10 "2004-03-08T05:40:36Z")
Dear god, not the _Ibex!_ :eek: ---
**Author:** ![dinoboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/65b543/32.png) [@dinoboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinoboy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-mammal-proven-to-have-gone-extinct/233053/11 "2004-03-08T07:02:07Z")
Did you know that the Ibex’s fur is (I guess _was_ for the Pyrenean ones) such a good insulator, that snow would not melt on it’s back. Sorry, never had a use for that information before now (and may never get the chance again). ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-mammal-proven-to-have-gone-extinct/233053/12 "2004-03-08T08:27:25Z")
> [@AndrewT](#): > > We can do a lot better than [that!](http://www.petermaas.nl/extinct/english.htm) > > “There have been two animals that have been declared extinct in the new millennium. One of Europe’s most striking wild animals, the Pyrenean Ibex, the last individual of this species died on 6 January 2000 in Ordesa National Park in Spain, and a West African monkey, the Miss Waldron’s red colobus monkey (October 2000).” But those are _subspecies_ and sometimes subspecies are just _populations_ , that is just one varient- there may be no specific genetic difference. It is fairly easy to reconstruct a subspecies from other living relatives. The Quaaga & The Tasmanian Wolf (to give it a common name, it has several) were both distinct species. We cannot reconstruct the Thylacine. (Although I guess it could be cloned). Don’t worry Ranchoth- there are 3 or more more subspecies of that Ibex, and several other species of Ibex. (Ibexi? 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-mammal-proven-to-have-gone-extinct/233053/13 "2004-03-08T09:24:38Z")
I think the OP’s question is ambiguously worded. Does he or she mean to find the mammal most recently thought to be extinct, or the mammal thought to be extinct most recently? If the former, well, paleontologists are digging up new extinct animals all the time. If one checks recent issues of paleontology journals I expect it would be easy to find announcements of discovery of some previously-unknown extinct mammalian species. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-mammal-proven-to-have-gone-extinct/233053/14 "2004-03-08T11:57:30Z")
> [@kellner](#): > > That’s virtually impossible. The most certainty you can expect is that you tried reasonably hard and didn’t find any. There is no clear-cut distinction between “extinct” and “thought to be extinct”. It’s not only virtually impossible, it’s totally impossible. Apparently no one has told Biere about proving a negative. The absence of evidence (a breathing member of the species) does not constitute evidence. You can’t even prove that dogs don’t understand calculus. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-mammal-proven-to-have-gone-extinct/233053/15 "2004-03-08T13:08:11Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > But those are _subspecies_ and sometimes subspecies are just _populations_ , that is just one varient- there may be no specific genetic difference. It is fairly easy to reconstruct a subspecies from other living relatives. The Quaaga & The Tasmanian Wolf (to give it a common name, it has several) were both distinct species. The quagga was a subspecies of [the plain zebra, or Burchell’s zebra](http://www.museums.org.za/sam/quagga/quagga.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Serpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@Silver\_Serpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Serpentine)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-mammal-proven-to-have-gone-extinct/233053/16 "2004-03-08T14:43:22Z")
[hijack] I had little plastic horse/zebra-animals that I played with while growing up. Never knew what they were until this thread. Quagga is a mighty fun word. No animal with that name should ever go extinct. [/hijack] Was the wolverine thought to be extinct until they saw a live one a few weeks ago? Growing up in Michigan, I just assumed that they were around - somewhere up north where there aren’t as many cities, I figured. Then I found out that non had been seen in over 200 years. So, when is an animal considered extinct? When specimins are no longer found, or traces are no longer found? I have a book that lists every snake ever found and classified. There are a few colubrids that have only been identified by 1 or 2 specimins, some from a hundred years ago. (I can tell y’all which ones, if interested) Would these be considered to extinct? PS: Am I spelling specimins correctly? It looks wrong. specimens? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-mammal-proven-to-have-gone-extinct/233053/17 "2004-03-08T15:26:53Z")
> [@Silver Serpentine](#): > > Was the wolverine thought to be extinct until they saw a live one a few weeks ago? Growing up in Michigan, I just assumed that they were around - somewhere up north where there aren’t as many cities, I figured. Then I found out that non had been seen in over 200 years. The wolverine has never been thought to have been extinct as a species. There are plenty in the northern parts of North America and Eurasia. It is not known whether the recent sighting in Michigan is an escaped captive, or one that wandered into the state from Ontario. > **[The Wolverine Foundation - A non-profit organization comprised of wildlife...](http://wolverinefoundation.org/)** > > A non-profit organization comprised of wildlife scientists with a common interest in the wolverine. > [@](#): > > So, when is an animal considered extinct? When specimins are no longer found, or traces are no longer found? The standard used by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature is the following: > [@](#): > > EXTINCT (EX) > A taxon is Extinct when there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. A taxon is presumed Extinct when exhaustive surveys in known and/or expected habitat, at appropriate times (diurnal, seasonal, annual), throughout its historic range have failed to record an individual. Surveys should be over a time frame appropriate to the taxon’s life cycle and life form. A diagnostic trace (a footprint; DNA from recent hair samples, etc.) would be sufficient evidence for the continued existence of a species. The operational definition is usually, “no sightings or other records for 50 years.” > [@](#): > > I have a book that lists every snake ever found and classified. There are a few colubrids that have only been identified by 1 or 2 specimins, some from a hundred years ago. (I can tell y’all which ones, if interested) Would these be considered to extinct? If the habitat where they were found is still reasonably intact, they would probably be considered “Data Deficient” rather than Extinct. Note that to be declared Extinct, “exhaustive surveys in known and/or expected habitat” are required, and these have not been done for many rare and secretive species. > [@](#): > > PS: Am I spelling specimins correctly? It looks wrong. specimens? specimens A handy link: [http://www.m-w.com/home.htm](http://www.m-w.com/home.htm) ---
**Author:** ![UselessGit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/74df32/32.png) [@UselessGit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UselessGit)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-mammal-proven-to-have-gone-extinct/233053/18 "2004-03-08T17:08:32Z")
> [@](#): > > [http://www.wolverinefoundation.org/](http://www.wolverinefoundation.org/) Erm… I may or may not have thought that a Wolverine was a female wolf. :o Hearing about their impending extinction made me worry about their male counterparts and indeed the species as a whole. My worries have now been replaced by an immense sence of stupidity - live and learn, I suppose…