# Which species would go extinct first if humans disappeared tomorrow? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 6, 2015, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178 "2015-08-06T18:26:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178/21 "2015-08-07T05:26:18Z")
> [@Mk\_VII](#): > > Sheep need shearing every year. Wait, sheep die without shearing? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178/22 "2015-08-07T06:22:25Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > Human immunodefficiency virus. Viruses aren’t classified as living organisms in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178/23 "2015-08-07T06:32:33Z")
> [@TallTrees](#): > > With no humans around to carry them from place to place, I think the first to go would be Yorkshire Terriers and Miniature Poodles. Those aren’t species. Dogs as a species would do fine. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178/24 "2015-08-07T06:36:15Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > With less food provided by humans, the populations of city-dwelling pigeons would go down, but they would survive just fine. The population might even go back up a bit once buildings started to deteriorate - an office block with half the windows missing would make a good pigeon habitat; if the ground floor was still intact enough to prevent non-flying predators from entering, even better. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178/25 "2015-08-07T07:12:52Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > Wait, sheep die without shearing? I’ve heard people say this before. I’m a bit skeptical, especially after reading about Shrek the Sheep. Shrek became a bit of a celebrity in New Zealand after he escaped and hid out in the wild for six years before he was finally caught in 2004. He was shorn by a professional on national television, and his fleece weighed about 60 lbs. and contained enough wool to make 20 men’s suits. Here’s a picture of Shrek before and after his shearing: [![](http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2004/04/28/shrek3.jpg) ](http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2004/04/28/shrek3.jpg) Another picture of Shrek: [![](https://i.insider.com/51f03c3169beddb271000013) ](https://i.insider.com/51f03c3169beddb271000013) ---
**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:** [August 7, 2015, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178/26 "2015-08-07T14:44:56Z")
> [@Mk\_VII](#): > > domestic stock of most kinds. Sheep need shearing every year. Certainly not the breeds that are mostly raised for meat, and as has been pointed out, questionable even for wool breeds. Thick wool might be a handicap, but once the stock went feral it would be selected out pretty quickly. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178/27 "2015-08-07T15:16:03Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > **Vampires** But if they feed off the remaining werewolves? 🙂 I watched most of the Life Without People series and from that my guess is along the lines of germs and some insects totally dedicated to humans. Most others would be able to move on although some specific breeds could/would die off. Domesticated forms for the most part. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178/28 "2015-08-07T15:18:13Z")
Corn/maize might be extinct within a single season. Unlike the grasses it is bred from, domesticated maize doesn’t drop its kernels on its own. The silk remains in place until the ear dies. It requires human intervention for the kernels to be scattered. I suppose it would be propagated to a small degree by animals eating the ears, and presumably some of the dead ears would release kernels. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178/29 "2015-08-07T15:24:11Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Certainly not the breeds that are mostly raised for meat, and as has been pointed out, questionable even for wool breeds. Thick wool might be a handicap, but once the stock went feral it would be selected out pretty quickly. The wool might actually be a benefit as it would be impossible for a predator to bite through! ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178/30 "2015-08-07T15:47:43Z")
I’m going to go with Chickens. Most of them are kept in large buildings at this point and would die without care. Those that escaped into the wild would very quickly be food for the dogs and cats that managed to get free. There’s pretty much a zero chance that they’d survive and become part of the ecosystem. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178/31 "2015-08-07T16:18:54Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Corn/maize might be extinct within a single season. Unlike the grasses it is bred from, domesticated maize doesn’t drop its kernels on its own. The silk remains in place until the ear dies. It requires human intervention for the kernels to be scattered. > > I suppose it would be propagated to a small degree by animals eating the ears, and presumably some of the dead ears would release kernels. I’ve seen enough volunteer cornstalks to know that some corn will self-seed. It won’t be well-distributed (except, as you say, in the droppings of animals). But extinct? Probably not. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178/32 "2015-08-07T16:26:19Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > I’ve seen enough volunteer cornstalks to know that some corn will self-seed. It won’t be well-distributed (except, as you say, in the droppings of animals). But extinct? Probably not. Those volunteers aren’t from seed but rather from stalks of the previous crop. Maize is, after all, a grass. What happens to grass when you cut it? It usually grows back. Nevertheless, the same crop propagated asexually in the same field year after year won’t have sufficient genetic variability to resist insects and disease. Maize is toast without human intervention. ---
**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:** [August 7, 2015, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178/33 "2015-08-07T16:39:12Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > I’m going to go with Chickens. Most of them are kept in large buildings at this point and would die without care. Those that escaped into the wild would very quickly be food for the dogs and cats that managed to get free. There’s pretty much a zero chance that they’d survive and become part of the ecosystem. Definitely not true. As I said, the most highly modified breeds of domestic animals might die out, but there are still plenty that are close enough to their wild ancestors that they wouldn’t have a big problem. New Orleans, for example, has had [a problem with feral chickens](http://www.nola.com/pets/index.ssf/2011/04/feral_chickens_have_proliferat.html) since Katrina, and feral chickens are well established in Hawaii, even in some urban areas. [Feral chickens are terrorizing a town in central Florida](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-weDrWvr6Q), and also one in [south Georgia](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmHImv58_Qg). A colony of feral chickens has been [living underneath the Hollywood Freeway since the 1970s.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Freeway_chickens) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178/34 "2015-08-07T17:10:58Z")
> **[Extinct in the wild](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinct_in_the_wild)** > > A species that is extinct in the wild (EW) is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as known only by living members kept in captivity or as a naturalized population outside its historic range due to massive habitat loss. > Examples of species and subspecies that are extinct in the wild include: > The Pinta Island tortoise (Geochelone nigra abingdoni) had only one living individual, named Lonesome George, until his death in June 2012. The tortoise was ... Those will go quick. Might not be any Bactrian camels in the wild, but escaped populations may do OK. The California Condor, one of the last of the Pleistocene Megafauna, is already CtD. Hmm, the Tule Elk may thrive or go extinct, that would be interesting. Many domestic animals and crops will have a tough time, especially in their most “bred” versions. But there are domestic sheep that are pretty damn close to wild versions, etc, like the Hebridean , Navajo-Churro, Jacob sheep, etc. Longhorn cattle, Maronesa, and so forth. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178/35 "2015-08-07T17:54:45Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > The European Honey Bee might be a contender. Doubt it- it certainly wouldn’t survive everywhere it’s currently kept, but they’d survive fine living feral in many areas. They already do. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178/36 "2015-08-07T18:01:06Z")
The great apes might make a comeback in the wild without ongoing habitat destruction and humans hunting them for meat. Edit - tigers might also make a comeback. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178/37 "2015-08-07T18:18:11Z")
Goldfish. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178/38 "2015-08-07T18:29:24Z")
> [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > Goldfish. Oh, _fuck_ no. Those guys happily live and grow huge when given a nice pond. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178/39 "2015-08-07T18:31:18Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > The great apes might make a comeback in the wild without ongoing habitat destruction and humans hunting them for meat. > > Edit - tigers might also make a comeback. Yes, what species might make a come back would be another interesting thread. ---
**Author:** ![moldmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@moldmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moldmonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178/40 "2015-08-07T18:59:31Z")
> [@](#): > > Those volunteers aren’t from seed but rather from stalks of the previous crop. Maize is, after all, a grass. What happens to grass when you cut it? It usually grows back. Have any kind of cite for that? Corn is an annual and is harvested after it has gone through it’s life cycle. I have definetely seen volunteer corn (and other grains) in locations where it has been stored or fed to livestock. Corn from hybrid stock doesn’t come back true but it could devolve into something close to ancient maize. Some heirloom corn is still grown in gardens and in small scale farming and those seeds would could back true. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-species-would-go-extinct-first-if-humans-disappeared-tomorrow/727178.md?page=3)