Top 12 Extinct Mammals That Shocked Scientists

Some scientists believe early humans may have hunted them, contributing to their extinction.

There have been immensely incomparable and amazing mammals on the face of the earth of which many have been wiped out either as a natural and/or human cause. These animals were so strange, big or one-of-a-kind that some made scientists feel amazed that they were discovered.

This article is going to discuss 12 extinct mammals that caught the researchers off guard with their weird appearance, peculiar types of adaptation, and disappearance that has no clear causes. Giant sloths, saber-toothed predators were once free roaming animals on the planet and it is their fossil remains that we find interesting to date.

1. Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius)

Why It Stood Gapers: The woolly mammoth is definitely among the most recognisable Ice Age mammals, a giant with curving tusks. Other specimens are in amazing condition and the quality of the fur, the flesh and even the blood, in the Siberian permafrost overwhelmed the scientists.

• Habitat: Arctic tundras of Europe, Asia, and North America
• Extinction: Around 4,000 years ago

Did You Know? A few scientists are undergoing projects to de-extinct the mammoth by genetic engineering.

2. Saber-Toothed Cat (Smilodon fatalis)

Why It Surprised Scientists: The saber-toothed cat had huge, dagger-like canines which made this beast a formidable predator. It showed a strong construction and how it applied its teeth to kill accurately which amazed researchers.

• Habitat: North and South America
• Extinction: ~10,000 years ago

Fun fact: Not really a "cat" by name- actually a machairodont (a different subfamily of felines).

3. Giant Ground Sloth (Megatherium)

What Was Surprising Within The Scientific Group This immense sloth was so enormous as a pachyderm! Unlike modern sloths, it walked on all fours, and may have been voracious, overturning old assumptions about sloth behaviour.

• Habitat: South America
• Extinction: ~12,000 years ago

Something unique: Certain scientists think that early man might have hunted them and thus they became extinct.

4. Irish Elk (Megaloceros giganteus)

Why It Surprised Scientists: The Irish elk had the broadest antlers of any deer that is known to science--up to 12 feet in diameter! Scientists were perplexed at the way such massive antlers had developed and whether these had led to the demise of the species.

• Habitat: Europe and Asia
• Extinction: ~7,700 years ago

Unique Fact: It was in truth closely related to fallow deer rather than the modern elk-though it shared its name.

5. Steller’s Sea Cow (Hydrodamalis gigas)

Why Scientists Got Shocked: It is a giant marine mammal that was thrice as big as a manatee and defenseless. After its discovery by Europeans it became extinct in a very short period of 27 years as a result of overhunting.

• Habitat: Bering Sea (between Alaska and Russia)
• Extinction: 1768

Little Known Fact: it was so big that a sea cow could feed a ship’s crew for many weeks.

6. Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus)

Why it startled scientists: The thylacine was a marsupium resembling a wolf with orange tuft, tiger-like stripes. The animals were highly interesting biological subjects and were much mourned when the last captive individual died in 1936.

• Habitat: Tasmania, Australia
• Extinction: 1936 (officially declared in 1986)

Fun Fact: It had a pouch like a kangaroo, even the male had a groin on lawn.

7. Glyptodon (Glyptodon clavipes)

The reason it surprised scientists: This proto-armadillo lived as big as a small automobile and was wrapped in a thick armor of dense bone. Scientists were stunned by its likeness to the existing armadillos of today being only large in size.

• Habitat: South America
• Extinction: ~10,000 years ago

Unique Fact: Early humans may have used their shells as shelters.

8. Cave Lion (Panthera spelaea)

Why It Surprised Scientists: Larger than present lions, the cave lion was a prime carnivore that existed during the Ice Age. Well-preserved remains and cave paintings showed its amazing size, and sociality.

• Habitat: Europe and Siberia
• Extinction: ~13,000 years ago

Interesting Tidbit: It may have lived in colder areas and unlike lions today.

9. Dwarf Elephant (Palaeoloxodon falconeri)

It was so small that it stood just three feet tall, smaller that a human. Scientists were left shaken by its island dwarfism a condition where big animals shrink across generations in splendid solitude.

• Habitat: Mediterranean islands
• Extinction: ~11,000 years ago

Distinctive Feature: It was a descendant to the straight-tusked elephant which was quite larger.

10. Giant Beaver (Castoroides ohioensis)

Why It Amazed Scientists: This Ice Age beaver was the size of a black bear! It may not have made dams like modern beavers do, though, leaving questions about its habits in the dust.

• Habitat: North America
• Extinction: ~10,000 years ago

Quirky Piece of Info: Its teeth were sized up to six inches long.

11. Short-Faced Bear (Arctodus simus)

Why It Scared Scientists: The became the largest terrestrial meat-eating mammal in history at up to 12 feet tall standing on its hind legs. It also had long legs indicating that it was a swift walker as compared to the contemporary bears.

• Habitat: North America
• Extinction: ~11,000 years ago

Interesting Flat Fact: It may have been a scavenger instead of a hypercarnivore.

12. Baiji (Lipotes vexillifer) – The Yangtze River Dolphin

Why It Startled Scientists: It was the first instance of human being being the catalyst to driving a dolphin species to extinction. Still under conservation efforts, the last confirmed sighting was in the year 2002.

• Habitat: Yangtze River, China
• Extinction: 2006 (declared functionally extinct)

Distinctive Attribute: It was among the rarest species of mammals in the globe prior to its extinction.

Conclusion: So Why are these Extinct Mammals Important?

The 12 extinct mammals were astounding in both size and adaptation to the environment, along with how they suddenly went extinct. Others, such as the woolly mammoth and Tasmanian tiger have become matters of debate when it comes to de-extinction, whilst others act as a reminder of how human activities are able to lead to species extinctions.

Through the study of such extinct species, scientists are able to make inferences regarding evolution, climatic change and preservation. They demonstrate how vulnerable our lives are and how we should take care of the endangered species in the current times through their stories.

Why did such Mammals become extinct?

Extinction of these amazing mammals was caused by a mixture of environmental developments and human impact. Whereas certain species were disappeared by the shift of climate or competition, some of them have been driven into extinction through overhunting and deforestation. Through such causes, scientists are able to conserve rare species in the contemporary world.

1. Global Warming and Predator Destruction

A large number of mammals in the Ice Age such as the woolly mammoth and Irish elk had a tremendous difficulty supporting themselves with various disappearances of gliders and transformation of grasslands into forests. Their dietary specializations and thermo-adaptation could not change quickly enough. In the same manner, the emergence of high sea levels might have flooded the land of other species such as the dwarf elephant and the rest of the species with habitats on the islands.

2. Hunting and Overexploitation By People

Humans had a significant contribution in the extinction of mega fauna. The giant ground sloth, saber-toothed cat and Steller sea cow were pursued prized thru meat or fur or bones. An example is sea cow, which was to extinction in only 27 years after being discovered by Europeans.

3. Competition & invasive Species

New predators and diseases followed the expansion of human beings. The introduction of wolves and early tribes into North America could have had the effect of out competing the short faced bear and glyptodon.

4. Disease and Hereditary feebleness

There was a small population, such as the Tasmanian tiger and the baiji dolphin, which were susceptible to illness and inbreeding so recovery could not be recovered.

Research on these historical extinctions has made scientists call attention that the disappearance of species is currently 1,000 times more rapid than the normal ways that humans are contributing to this extinction due to their activities hence the need to conserve them even more.