Vintage Images Of Extinct Animals

The Barbary Lion

Once upon a time, multitudes of magnificent, fascinating creatures lived in various locations across the world, each subsisting within their natural habitat, freely roaming and richly partaking from the abundance bestowed upon them by the majesty of nature's ecosystem. Unfortunately, tragically, they are no longer here to grace the face of this globe. The Barbary lion, also known as the North African lion, Egyptian lion, and the Atlas lion, was the largest and most powerful of the lion species in the modern era. Their natural habitat was North Africa, specifically ranging from Morocco to Egypt, especially in the mountains and deserts of the Barbary Coast. Barbary lions possessed the thickest and most profuse mane of the lion species. A typical male weighed about 420-510 lbs and was about 8 - 11 ft in length (head to tail). Meanwhile, females weighed roughly 330-420 lbs and were about 6 - 8 ft in length. However, in the 19th century, surprising claims had emerged that certain male Barbary lions encountered in the wild were found to weigh as much as 600-660 lbs. Barbary lions had predominantly hunted wild boar, red deer, oryx, and gazelle. But due to the systematic and unrelenting hunting practices by humans on Barbary lions, they became entirely extinct in the wild between the 1940s and 1960s.

The Caspian Tiger

The Caspian tiger (Panthera tigris virgata) was a subspecies that was native to eastern Turkey, northern Iran, Mesopotamia, Xinjiang region in western China, the Caucasus region, as well as central Asia to northern Afghanistan. The Caspian tiger is commonly confused with the Siberian tiger, which has a very similar appearance and is a close relative of the Caspian tiger. Some of the largest reported sightings of male Caspian tigers were said to be well over 8 feet in length, and weighed between 370-570 lbs. Meanwhile, the females typically measured about 6 feet in length and weighed between 187 - 298 lbs. Caspian tigers, as well as Siberian tigers, are said to be amongst the largest and most powerful of the tiger species. The Caspian tiger was naturally adapted to cold and harsh climates and arguably possessed the thickest and most magnificent coat when compared to other tiger species. Unfortunately, the Caspian tiger was pronounced extinct in the 1970s, and this was due to habitat loss, systematic hunting by humans, and a drastic reduction in their common prey, which was wild boar, Bukhara deer, Roe deer, red deer, Goitered gazelle, and wild horses.

The Tasmanian Tiger

The Tasmanian tiger or Tasmanian wolf, known officially in science as Thylacine (dog-like carnivorous), was a marsupial predator that once roamed across Tasmania and the Australian mainland. The Tasmanian tiger was primarily a nocturnal creature, and its appearance was a combination of sandy yellowish-brown and grey. Its approximate length was 3.5 - 4.5 feet, with a height of between 50 - 60 cm, and a weight of about 15 to 30 kg. The Tasmanian tiger had vivid dark transverse stripes running across its body from shoulder to tail, and relatively short awkward looking legs. The shape of the Tasmanian tiger's skull resembled a wolf, and it possessed an abdominal pouch that was similar to a kangaroo. The Thylacine was one of only two marsupials known to have a pouch in both sexes. The pouch of the male served as a protective covering for its external reproductive organs. The term marsupials relate to mammals whose infants are born incompletely developed, and as a result, they are carried and suckled in a pouch that is attached to the mother's stomach. The Tasmanian tiger primarily hunted rodents, birds, and kangaroos. Unfortunately, due to excessive hunting by humans, combined with habitat destruction and diseases, the Tasmanian tiger was declared extinct in 1936.

The Schomburgk's Deer

The Schomburgk's deer was named after German-born Sir Robert H. Schomburgk (born 1841 - died 1895), who was an explorer, botanist, cartographer, surveyor, and British diplomat. The Schomburgk's deer is related to the Barasingha deer (Swamp deer), which resides in the Indian subcontinent. The Barasingha deer and the Schomburgk's deer have very similar characteristics, namely, a shoulder height of about 44 - 46 inches, with a head-to-body length of about 6 feet, while males weighed between 370 - 620 lb, and females weighed between 287-320 lb. However, male Schomburgk's possessed superior antlers to the Barasingha, in particular, Schomburgk's had great basket-like antlers, typically with 33 to 35 inches in length, but female Schomburgk's did not possess any antlers. The Schomburgk's deer was distinguishable by an impressive pelt which consisted of a reddish-brown fusion of colours, and a distinctive white underside tail. The late-19th century was a pivotal moment in Thailand's history, as it marked the start of the commercial mass production of rice, resulting in a drastic disappearance of the grass and swamp lands across Thailand, which the Schomburgk's deer, and other species needed for their existence. In addition, humans began ruthlessly hunting the Schomburgk's deer in the early 20th century, which increased their decline. Unfortunately, the Schomburgk's deer was officially declared extinct in 1938.

A farewell to the last of such species, for a period of time, their poignant legacies will linger in the mind, and then perhaps those memories will fade away in the mist of time. Before their eternal rest, their unfortunate fate was never to beget. Lest we forget, the cost of profligacy and plunder has left an indelible stain upon the conscience of humanity to ponder.