Morganucodon

Morganucodon

Meet some of the very first mammal-like creatures, members of the genus Morganucodon. Fossils of these tiny rodent-resembling animals have been found across Europe, Asia, and North America.

Morganucodon is named for Glamorgan, Wales, where it was first discovered in 1941. The remains date back over 200 million years, to the late Triassic period! For some perspective, that is over 100 million years before T-Rex even showed up!

Members of the genus are so interesting because they have both mammalian and reptilian characteristics, though they are classified as mammals. They have hair and teeth like mammals, but their lower jaw is reptilian. They also laid eggs and had venomous spurred feet like modern Platypuses do! Morganucodon ate insects and was most likely nocturnal, based on the eye size.

---

Status : Extinct for 200 million years
Location : Europe, Asia, North America
Size : Body Length around 4in (10cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Morganucodonta
Family : Morganucodontidae -- Genus : Morganucodon

Parictis

Meet the Parictis genus. The eight species found within it are the oldest known bears in the world, dating back between 38 and 33 million years.

Polar bears have skulls 6 times longer than those of their Parictis ancestors!

These ancient bears first appeared in North America around 38 million years ago, during the Late Eocene. By the time the early Miocene rolled around a few million years later, different species had spread to Europe and Africa, with some presence in Asia as well.

Parictis bears were very small, like the size of small dogs. They had skulls that measured only a few inches long! There is still a whole lot to learn about these ancestors to the giant bears of today, as the only fossils found have been very fragmentary. (I couldn't even find a photo or reconstruction image!) Even still, it's always amazing to think about how much things have changed over time-- from a 3in skull to one nearly a foot and a half long!

---

Status : Extinct for around 33 million years
Location : North America, Europe, Africa
Size :  Skull size around 3in (8cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Ursidae -- Genus : Parictis

Sanajeh

Recreation of the fossil site

When we talk about extinct, prehistoric reptiles, we are usually talking about the Dinosaurs, but they definitely weren't the only scaly creatures crawling around millions of years ago. Today's animals, Sanajeh indicus was a species of snake that not only lived with the dinosaurs.... it actually ate their children.

Snakes first appeared around 98 million years ago, but the fossils from that long ago are few, fragmented, and are typically just scattered vertebrae. Not so with the 67 million year old Sanajeh. The holotype specimen (the fossil to which all other fossils of the species are compared) actually has a near complete skull and lower jaw, along with several segmented sections of vertebrae.

What is even more awesome, however, is the way in which the fossil was found- it's coiled around a Dinosaur nest, complete with baby Dinosaur! After study of the fossil, which was found in India, it was determined that the Snake was in the process of hunting when it, and the nest of three eggs and a baby, were caught unaware by a deposit of sediment. Landslide perhaps? When an additional Snake fossil was found, also within nest proximity, Sanajeh's status as an eater of mini-Dinos was cemented!

---

Status : Extinct for 67 million years

Location : India
Size : Length 11ft (3.5m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Reptilia -- Order : Squamata -- Suborder : Serpentes
Family : †Madtsoiidae -- Genus : †Sanajeh -- Species : †S. indicus

Hipparion

Hipparion

Hipparion is the name given to an entire genus of now-extinct, yet successful horses that roamed throughout most of the world. They first evolved around 22 million years ago in North America, and from there they spread to Africa, Asia, and Europe over the next 20 million years.

If you looked at Hipparion, you might think it was a small modern horse or pony. They were about the same height and weight... but the legs were a bit... off.

You see, horses didn't always have a single hoof. They are odd-toed ungulates (Perissodactyls) which means that their weight is distributed through a single toe on each leg, rather than between two toes (think of a cloven deer hoof). Early horses started out having several toes, and gradually they lost them all except for that single, central digital. Horse speed can be attributed to the fact that they have longer stride lengths, as they are actually running on a fingernail!

Hipparion moved a lot like a modern horse, which is something we know from looking at fossilized hoof-prints. But even though Hipparion ran on one hoof, it still had some of its other toes! These toes were placed slightly higher up on the leg, one on either side of the hoof, and they did not touch the ground. Modern horses have lost these vestigial toes all together.

The last of the Hipparion species went extinct around 2 million years ago. Though these early equines belonged to the same subfamily as the modern Horses, they are not their descendants.

---

Status : Extinct for around 2 million years
Location : North America, Europa, Asia, Africa
Size : Height up to 13.3hands (1.4m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Perissodactyla
Family : Equidae -- Genus : †Hipparion

Sinocalliopteryx

Sinocalliopteryx gigas

Sinocalliopteryx certainly has a mouthful of a name! It actually translates to "Chinese Beautiful Feather," as they had feathers, and their fossils were uncovered in the Yixian Formation in north east China. It is a relatively new species, in terms of discovery, and was only first described in 2007.

Sinocalliopteryx lived around 130-125 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous. They are the largest known members of their entire family, measuring nearly 8ft long. These guys were bipedal, and had powerful hind legs and arms that were longer than most others in their family. They also had "proto-feathers," which were thin, hairlike feathers. (I imagine something that looked similar to the feathers on a Cassowary).

New research has come out that suggests Sinocalliopteryx hunted much like a modern cat does. Fossil evidence shows that they flying creatures, including small aerial Dinosaurs. They probably stalked these animals quietly, hiding in the underbrush. Then, when the right moment hit, they would jump up into the air with their powerful hind legs and snatch on to the prey. This theory is still controversial, as fossils are only able to tell us so much about behavior. However, the leg anatomy, coupled with the presence of flying creatures in the digestive system, makes for a compelling argument.

---

Status : Extinct for around 125 million years
Location : China
Size :  Length up to 8ft (2.5m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Reptilia -- clade : Dinosauria
Family : †Compsognathidae -- Genus : †Sinocalliopteryx -- Species : †S. gigas

Proailurus

Proailurus lemanensis

Meet Proailurus, a cat-like creature from the early Miocene that is shrouded in taxonomic mystery. Its fossils have been found in Europe and Asia, dating back 25-20million years.

Proailurus looked quite a bit like modern Fossas-- they had long bodies and short arms. They also possessed the same binocular vision as modern cats, and a similar dental structure. These prehistoric cats most likely climbed trees and stalked their from their as present-day leopards do.

But is Proailurus a true feline? Or is it even more than that? Many believe that Proailurus is the common ancestor for all cats, but it may also be a common ancestor for other creatures as well. A recent genetic study has placed Proailurus into the Feloidea superfamily, which also encompasses the Hyenas and Viverrids (like the aforementioned Fossa). Additional fossils and genetic studies may shed more light on this in the future.

---

Status : Extinct for 20 million years
Location : Fossils founds in Europe and Asia
Size : Length around 2ft (60cm),Weight around 20lbs (9kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Felidae S -- Genus : †Proailurus -- Species : †P. lemanensis

Ornithomimus

Ornithomimus

Ornithomimus means "bird mimic," and what an appropriate name that is! This genus of Cretaceous Dinosaur had long slender legs, a log neck, and a toothless beak. Think of it as an ancient Ostrich- they had similar omnivorous diets, similar body-types, and could even run at comparable speeds. They may have also been covered with feathers, but the evidence doesn't prove anything 100%.

The fist Ornithomimus fossils were uncovered in Colorado back in 1889. Who found them? Why none other than one of our Bone Wars buddies, Othniel C. Marsh! He named the genus in 1890, and since then more fossils have been located in other spots of North America, as well as in Mongolia.

Ornithomimus fed on plants, fruits, seeds, and small creatures like insects and tiny mammals. They had no teeth and very small heads so it is unlikely that they ate anything very large. Even though their heads were small, they had large brain cases. This suggests either a greater level of intelligence, or a larger brain devoted to movement and kinesthetic pursuits.

---

Status : Extinct for 65 million years
Location : North America, Mongolia
Size : Height up to 8ft (2.4m), length up to 20ft (6m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Reptilia -- Superorder : Dinosauria
Order : Saurischia -- Family : †Ornithomimidae -- Genus : †Ornithomimus

Lystrosaurus

Lystrosaurus

Have you ever heard of Lystrosaurus? This amazing little creature was one of the very few lifeforms that actually survived the massive Permian/Triassic extinction event. Because they were able to make it through, they absolutely thrived during the Early Triassic, and were the most common land animals!

There are about half a dozen different species within the genus, and they have been found in what is now Southern Africa, Asia, and Antarctica. If that sounds like an odd distribution, remember that back 250 million years ago, those continents were actually joined together.

So what was Lytrosaurus? Well.. it was't a Dinosaur, despite the name. They actually weren't really reptiles either... Confusing, right? They were Therapsids, odd, mammal/reptile like creatures that would eventually evolve into the mammals we have today.

Lystrosaurus was about the size of a small pig and had short snouts, and only two, shovel-like teeth. They were herbivores that probably walked with a semi-spawling gate. There are many theories on why these animals survived when others did not. Some think that because they burrowed, they could cope with the low Oxygen air.  Others think that their small-ish size, semi-aquatic lifestyle, and varied diet helped to keep them going.

We know quite a bit about this extinct genus because their fossils are amazingly abundant. They were so common back in the Triassic that 95% of fossils in some sites belong to these animals!

---

Status : Extinct for 250 million years

Location : South Africa, Asia, Antarctica
Size : Length up to 3ft (.9m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Synapsida -- Order : Therapsida
Family : †Lystrosauridae -- Genus : †Lystrosaurus

Barbary Lion

Wild Barbary Lion, photographed in 1893

Barbary Lions are members of a Lion subspecies that once lived throughout northern Africa. They are now considered to be extinct in the wild. There may be some captive specimens left, but there is some controversy as to whether many are true members of the subspecies.

The history of the Barbary Lion is a storied one. They were once fought off by the ancient Egyptians, and they were captured by the Romans for use in gladiatorial events. They also lived in the English Royal Menagerie (and later in the Tower of London) as far back as the 12th and 13th centuries. Morroccan Kings and Sultans  kept Barbary Lions, and there are some captive individuals today who are said to be descendants of the "Royal Lions."

Barbary Lions were huge. Adult males could weigh as much as 600lbs, making them the largest of the subspecies. They also had shaggy manes that extended well beyond their necks, reaching to their backs and even covering their undersides. They also had a grayer coloration to their manes than other Lions.

Possible Captive Barbary Lion

Interestingly, Barbary Lions have more in common genetically with Asiatic Lions than with other African Lions. This may be because of the large Saharan divide between the Barbary Lions and their southern relatives. Another theory is that the now completely extinct European Lion helped to bridge the gap between the cats living in North Africa and Asia.

Once upon a time it was believed that any long maned lion could be a descendant of the wild Barbary Lions. This has been proven untrue. Lion mane size is actually dependent on outsides factors, including temperature. After the last Barbary Lions were killed, various zoos and organizations claimed to have these lions in captivity, including Lions related to the Royal Lions in Morocco. Genetic testing on museum specimens (and on skulls from the Tower of London!) has helped to identify markers of the subspecies, but there is still a great deal to be known about their genetic distinctness. Until everything gets sorted out, efforts are being made to keep the remaining lions in their own selective breeding group.

---

IUCN Status : Extinct in the Wild since the 1920s

Location : North Africa
Size : Weight up to 600lbs (272 kg) in males, 400lbs (180kg) in females

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Felidae -- Genus : Panthera -- Species : P. leo -- Subspecies : P. l. leo

Najash

Najash rionegrina

Najash is an extinct Snake named for the Hebrew word Nahash-- the biblical snake who tempted Adam and Eve. They lived around 90 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous, and their fossils have been uncovered in Patagonia, Argentina.

Najash is notable because it still had legs. Two of them to be precise, and they weren't just vestigial little limbs that weren't connected to anything. Najash still had a sacrum, a pelvic girdle, and clear femora, fibulae, and tibiae!

This species was only recently discovered back in 2003, and it has helped to answer long standing questions regarding the nature of Snake evolution. There have been aquatic theories in the past, ideas that Snakes came from the same common ancestor as the Mosasaurs. Since the 1990s, however, the terrestrial origin theories have been gaining more ground (it was around then that early vestigal-limbed snakes were found). The discovered of Najash with its fully functional, burrowing-capable appendages has only given that theory more legs to stand on (forgive the pun).

---

Status : Extinct for 90 millions years

Location : Argentina
Size : Length up to 5ft (1.5m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Reptilia -- Order : Squamata
Suborder : Serpentes -- Genus :†Najash -- Species :†N. rionegrina

Meganeura

Way back, 300 million years back, there was a lot more Oxygen in the air than there is now. The reason for this is that plants essentially exploded on to the scene, taking in large amounts of Carbon Dioxide and expelling huge quantities of Oxygen in return. But while plants were covering the earth, animals, especially large Oxygen sucking land animals, just weren't there yet. This led to higher Oxygen percentages (around 32%, as compared to today's 21%).

Model of Meganeura

And what happens when you have higher Oxygen percentages? Larger bugs! Insects have a tracheal breathing system, which means that they take in all of their air through tracheae in their skin. This further means they can only grow as large as they amount of Oxygen they can take in. More Oxygen = larger sizes.

Meganeura was an example of one of the giants that popped up during this time. It was an absolutely gigantic dragonfly, with a wingspan of over 2.5ft! In comparison, the largest dragonfly today measures in at only 7.5in! Meganeura monyi, one of three uncovered species, is the largest flying insect species ever found.

Like modern Dragonflies, Meganeura was a predator. It fed on other insects and arthropods, as well as small amphibious vertebrates. Keep in mind though that Meganeura is only the largest flying arthropod. Other massive invertebrates crawled about during time (I'm looking at you Arthropleura), which means that this huge critter may have been hunting things even larger than itself! 

The entire Order that Meganeura belonged to is now extinct, due to the climate and evolutionary changes that led to a decrease in atmospheric Oxygen. Fossilized specimens have been found in England and France.

---

Status : Extinct since the Carboniferous Period, around 300 million years ago

Location : Europe

Size : Wingspan up to 2.5ft (75cm)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : †Meganisoptera
Family : †Meganeuridae -- Genus : †Meganeura

Pleurosaurus

Pleurosaurus

A long, long time ago we talked about the Tuatara-- the last living reptiles that belong to an incredibly ancient Order that dates to the Mesozoic. Though only two species of Tuatara survive today, there were once several other different Sphenodontians roaming the planet, and today's animal is one of them.

Meet Pleurosaurus, a very snake like reptile that lived an aquatic lifestyle in what are now the lakes of Western Europe. Pleurosaurus was a small little guy, measuring only about 2ft long, and its entire body was streamlined for marine hunting efficiency. They had incredibly thin bodies, very short appendages, and a long, powerful tail. They most likely swam in an undulating motion, as Sea Snakes do, and probably didn't use their small arms much at all.

Pleurosaurus also had nostrils that were placed closer to their eyes than to their snout. This adaptation probably allowed them to hunt fish easier in the shallow lakes where they lived.

Fossils of the species were first found in Bavaria, Germany in the 1830s. They date back to the late Jurassic Period, around 150 million years ago.

---

Status : Extinct since the Late Jurassic - 150 million years
Location : Western Europe
Size : Length up to 2ft (61cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Sauropsida -- Order : Sphenodontia
Family : Pleurosauridae -- Genus : Pleurosaurus

Ankylosaurus

Ankylosaurus magniventris

About a week ago we learned all about an armored Sauropod, Ampelosaurus. Today we'll learn about one of the most famous armored Dinosaurs of them all- Ankylosaurus. Like Ampelosaurus, Ankylosaurus lived during the late Cretaceous period... though a few million years later and in a different part of the world.

There is only one identified species within the Ankylosaurus genus-- A. magniventris. It was first uncovered in Montana back in 1906, and officially named in 1908. Ankylosaurus translates to "Curved Lizard" or "Stiffened Lizard," while magniventris means "great belly," a reference to the animal's width.

Ankylosaurus was covered by osteoderms of varying sizes, and those plates most likely had keratin on top of them as well. They also had large, clubbed tails-- those clubs were actually osteoderms fused with the last few vertebrae on the tail. Those plates and club (and the horns on their head) made them a difficult animal for predators to take down.

Ankylosaurus was an herbivore, and had a beak and small teeth that were used to browse from trees. They actually lacked molars, so food wasn't really ground up. Overall, we know a lot about the anatomy of the Ankylosaurus... except for what its feet looked like! No foot fossils have ever been found, though based on the feet of closer relatives, they probably had five toes on each foot.

---

Status : Extinct for 65 million years

Location : North America
Size : Length up to 30ft (9m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class:  Reptilia -- clade : Dinosauria
Order : †Ornithischia -- Family : †Ankylosauridae
Genus : †Ankylosaurus-- Species : †A. magniventris

Pyrenean Ibex

Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica

The Pyrenean Ibex is an extinct subspecies of Spanish Ibex. No one is really sure why they went extinct, though there are a number of different hypotheses floating around, including the inability to compete with livestock and other species, hunting, and disease.

The last Pyrenean Ibex died only a decade ago. Efforts were made before that to try and place individuals in captivity, or to even crossbreed them with other subspecies, but these actions failed. The last male died in 1993, and the last female, a 13 year old named Celia, died in 2000 after being crushed by a tree.

Luckily, tissue samples were collected from Celia before her death, and using those cells scientists worked to clone the Ibex back into existence. Efforts in 2003 failed, and no infants were carried to term. However, in 2009 a young Pyrenean Ibex was born, making it the first animal to become un-extinct. Unfortunately the kid died shortly after birth from a lung defect.

The short-lived success of the Pyrenean Ibex cloning program demonstrates the possibilities that exist for preserving and reviving rare and extinct species. While cloning Woolly Mammoths is still a dream, there are several agencies that are preserving samples from the world's endangered species, including the Frozen Ark Project.

---

IUCN Status : Extinct since 2000

Location : France and Spain
Size : Height up to 29in (75cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Artiodactyla
Family : Bovidae -- Genus : Capra -- Species : C. pyrenaica -- Subspecies : C. p. pyrenaica

Atlas Tortoise

Colossochelys atlas

In the past we have learned all about the massive prehistoric Sea Turtles that once swam the world's oceans, but we have yet to talk about what is possibly the largest land Turtle ever discovered. This creature is even larger than the Galapagos and Aldabara Tortoises-- it had a shell that could grow nearly 7ft long!

The appropriately named Atlas Tortoise lived during the Miocene and Pleistocene periods, and its fossils have been found in India, Pakistan, and Thailand. There is also speculation that they lived as far west as southern Europe. Like their closest modern relatives, they were slow moving, plant eating herbivores.

The Atlas Tortoise probably looked very similar to the Galapagos Tortoise, just longer, taller (nearly 6ft!), and heavier. Their massive, 1,000kg+ bodies were supported by thick, sturdy legs that could, along with the head, retract into the shell when threatened.

There is some controversy about the classification of this species, and it has gone by many names. When first discovered and named back in 1837, they were called Megalochelys sivalensis. Their current name was bestowed in 1844, but was flip flopped around to both Geochelone atlas and Testudo atlas, before coming back to the Colossochelys genus again. It is still sometimes referred to by all four of those genus names, confusing!

---

Status : Extinct since the Pleistocene (around 1 million years)

Location : South Asia
Size : Shell Length up to 7ft (2.5m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Reptilia -- Order : Testudines
Family : Testudinidae -- Genus : †Colossochelys -- Species : † C. atlas

Eocursor

Eocursor parvus

Eocursor is the name of a Dinosaur genus whose fossils were first uncovered back in 1993. It took an additional 14 years for the discovery to be properly studied and described, and the result was a creature whose name translates to "Dawn Runner."

Eocursor lived during the Late Triassic, and is an example of an early Ornithischian. In fact, this creature is the oldest found, and has the most complete skeleton of any early member of it's Order, which has helped to bring in information about the origins of the group. Until this discovery, very little was known at all about the rise of the Ornithischians (a group that includes Stegosaurus and Triceratops).

We don't have a full skeleton of Eocursor, but we do have hands, legs, a pelvis, and skull fragments. These pieces are enough to tell us that the Dinosaur walked on two feet, was a very swift runner, and probably had an omnivorous diet (which we can tell from the teeth).

There is still much to be learned about the origin and evolutionary history of all Dinosaurs, and hopefully future finds will help to fill in some of the breaks in our knowledge. Alas, the fickle nature of fossils, and the incredible environmental needs that have to be met to create them, mean that we won't be able to know it all. But even with a few bones, like the handful found for Eocursor, we can still learn a lot!

---

Status : Extinct for 210 million years
Location : South Africa
Size : Length around 3ft (1m)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Clade : Dinosauria -- Order : †Ornithischia
Genus : †Eocursor -- Species : † E. parvus

Giant Beaver

Giant Beaver at the Field Museum

So today lets learn about the largest Ice Age rodent: the Giant Beaver. These massive creatures could grow over 8ft long! Based on their skeletal structure, we can assume that they looked very much like modern Beavers, only on a greater scale. To give some perspective on how large Giant Beavers were, they would be about the same size as a Black Bear!

Reconstruction at the Kenosha Public Museum

Giant Beavers lived in North America during the last Ice Age, and went extinct around 10,000 years ago, along with many of the other megafauna species. While human movement into North America may have played  a part in the extinction of other creatures, there has been no found evidence yet that Giant Beavers were hunted by man.

Giant Beavers and modern Beavers share many similarities. They both build lodges and they both live a semi-aquatic lifestyle. However, Giant Beavers had broader teeth than their cousins, and they were rounded rather then chiseled. They also had shorter legs, larger hind feet, and a longer tail (proportionally, of course). This suggests that they may have had difficultly moving on land, making them an even more aquatic species.

Habitat reduction and competition with modern Beavers may have led to the demise of this gigantic species, much like many of the other Ice Age giants.

---

Status : Extinct for 10,000 years

Location : North America

Size : Body length up to 8.2ft (2.5m), Weight up to 220lbs (100kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Rodentia
Family : Castoridae -- Genus : †Castoroides -- Species : †C. ohioensis

Platybelodon

Platybelodon sp.

Platybelodon is the name of a genus that contained four different species of Proboscideans (the Order also houses our modern day Elephants). They lived between 15 and 4 million years ago, and while they spread across Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America, they didn't make it too far past the Miocene.

Platybelodon was a Gomphothere-- a member of a family that contained several other early-Elephant-like animals that had modified shovel-like tusks (along with the recognizable trunks).

It has long been assumed that those weird lower jaws were used to scoop up aquatic plants, but new fossils with wear patterns have emerged, and a new hypothesis is that Platybelodon used that lower jaw to strip bark. They also had sharp lower incisors that could shear apart plant matter held by the trunk!

Sadly, the Platybelodon and all of its close, Gomphothere relatives are now extinct, and the Elephant line we have today descends from a different family all together.

---

Status : Extinct for 4 Million Years

Location : Europe, Asia, Africa, North America
Size : Length around 10ft (3m), Weight around 2 tons (1,800kg)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Proboscidea
Family : †Gomphotheriidae -- Genus : †Platybelodon

Whekau

Illustration of the Whekau  by John Gerrard Keulemans

The Whekau, or Laughing Owl, is one of the many island bird species that have gone extinct in the past few hundred years. When European settlers arrived in New Zealand in 1840 this bird was abundant on the islands. After only 40 years they declined to rarity, and the last Owl was found dead in 1914.

Whekau  lived in rocky, open, relatively dry areas, where they fed off of insects, rodents, small birds, and reptiles. One interesting tidbit is that these Owls actually hunted on foot! they had long, sturdy legs that helped them to chase down prey.

The Laughing Owl name comes from the fact that these birds had a very unique call. It was very loud, and sounded like a series of repeated "dismal shrieks."

Whekau went extinct for a number of reasons. Habitat loss was a major factor, as was the introduction of feline and mustelid predators to the islands. Before their extinction several specimens had been sent abroad for museum study, and luckily a handful of naturalists were able to observe the birds in the wild before they completely disappeared.

Since 1914 numerous unconfirmed sightings have popped up, and cracked egg shells were allegedly found in 1960. While the Whekau is probably extinct, it is nice to imagine that there might just be a couple of them still out there.

---

Status : Extinct (?) since 1914

Location : New Zealand

Size : Length 15in (38cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Strigiformes
Family : Strigidae -- Genus : Sceloglaux -- Species : S. albifacies