The red handfish, shown here, is a close relative of the now-extinct smooth handfish. These creatures, abundant in Australian waters just 200 years ago, were named for their uncanny resemblance to human arms and hands.
Declared extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2015, the Bramble Cay melomys was native to Bramble Cay, a small island near the Great Barrier Reef. The rodents were last seen in 2009.
Also known as the "baiji," the Yangtze River dolphin was last seen in 2002. Despite an extensive search in 2006 covering 2,000 miles of the Yangtze River, no individuals were found. According to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation group (WDC).
The last two northern white rhinos are both female, following the death of the last male, Sudan, in 2018 at Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Sudan died of old age and an infection at 45 years old.
Known as the "Little Blue Macaw" for its vibrant blue feathers, the Spix's macaw is thought to be extinct in the wild, with only 60 to 80 individuals remaining in captivity.
Also called the Tasmanian tiger or Tasmanian wolf, the Thylacine was a nocturnal marsupial predator of rodents and kangaroos. Despite their fierce appearance, they were timid and could be captured without a fight.
Once numbering in the millions, and possibly billions, the passenger pigeon was decimated by human hunting. The last known pigeon died in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914.
Native to South Africa, the quagga was thought to be a distinct species but was later identified as a subspecies of the Plains Zebra. It had the front stripes of a zebra and the rear appearance of a horse.
The Pyrenean ibex went extinct in 2000 but was briefly "resurrected" in 2009 through cloning. A female clone was born but died shortly after due to lung deformities.