List of extinct animals of Britain
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This is a list of extinct animals of the British Isles, including extirpated species. Only a small number of the listed species are globally
extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
(most famously the Irish elk,
great auk The great auk (''Pinguinus impennis'') is a species of flightless alcid that became extinct in the mid-19th century. It was the only modern species in the genus ''Pinguinus''. It is not closely related to the birds now known as penguins, wh ...
and woolly mammoth). Most of the remainder survive to some extent outside the islands. The list includes introduced species only in cases where they were able to form self-sustaining colonies for a time. Only Pleistocene species, and specifically those extinct since the
Ipswichian The Eemian (also called the last interglacial, Sangamonian Stage, Ipswichian, Mikulin, Kaydaky, penultimate,NOAA - Penultimate Interglacial Period http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/global-warming/penultimate-interglacial-period Valdivia or Riss-Würm) wa ...
interglacial (c.130,000 - c.115,000 before present (BP)), Devensian glaciation (c.115,000 – c. 11,700 BP) or into the Holocene (c.11,700 BP - present), are included (that is, the assemblage that can be approximately considered the 'modern' fauna which displays insular differences from the mainland European fauna). The date beside each species is the last date when a specimen was observed in the wild or, where this is not known, the approximate date of extinction.


Overview

For most of its history, the British Isles were part of the main continent of Eurasia, linked by the region now known as Doggerland. Throughout the Pleistocene ( Ice age) the climate alternated between cold glacial periods, including times when the climate was too cold to support much fauna, and temperate
interglacial An interglacial period (or alternatively interglacial, interglaciation) is a geological interval of warmer global average temperature lasting thousands of years that separates consecutive glacial periods within an ice age. The current Holocene in ...
s when a much larger fauna was present. Insularity first occurred around 125,000 BP, during the Ipswichian interglacial, when a warming climate raised sea levels and flooded Doggerland. This temperate climate supported an assemblage of species characterised by
straight-tusked elephant The straight-tusked elephant (''Palaeoloxodon antiquus'') is an extinct species of elephant that inhabited Europe and Western Asia during the Middle and Late Pleistocene (781,000–30,000 years before present). Recovered individuals have reac ...
(''Palaeodoxodon antiquus''). Around 115,000 BP the climate began to cool again as the Devensian glaciation began. The temperate species began to go extinct locally (many survived in southern refugia elsewhere in Europe). With the cooling climate, the sea level fell and by 60,000 BP a land bridge reformed so new or returning species could repopulate Britain. The colder climate supported a biome favoured by woolly mammoths (''Mammuthus primigenius''). By around 20,000 BP the climate was so cold, with much of Britain under ice and the rest a polar desert, so that little life could survive, and the glacial fauna also went extinct. The climate began to warm again around 11,700 BP, entering the present climatic period known as the Holocene. Animals repopulated Britain and Ireland. Many of the former species had gone extinct during the interval, but the majority of the surviving European temperate fauna, and some new immigrants, including modern humans (''Homo sapiens''), were able to reach Britain until the rising sea level once again isolated the islands. Great Britain was cut off from mainland Europe in around 8,200 BP by the
Storegga Slide The three Storegga Slides ( no, Storeggaraset) are amongst the largest known submarine landslides. They occurred at the edge of Norway's continental shelf in the Norwegian Sea, approximately 6225–6170 BCE. The collapse involved an estimated ...
tsunami flooding Doggerland. Extinctions in Britain over the period have thus had three main causes: * Climate change as the ecosystem swung from temperate woodland and pasture, through open mammoth steppe to uninhabitable polar desert, and back. * Habitat loss brought about by human activities, such as the clearing of woodland or draining of marshland. * Hunting by humans. It is important to remember that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence; the fossil record is always incomplete; and many of the early dates are very approximate, since caves in Britain were often excavated before modern archaeological stratifications and dating techniques.


Key

- A species that is globally extinct
* - A species that is known to have been introduced by humans and was never present by natural immigration. Some animals have gone extinct several times and then recolonized. The date given is of the most recent extinction. Species that have been introduced or reintroduced by humans are noted.


Mammals


Birds

* Common crane – late medieval period (re-established) * Dalmatian pelican – c. 1000 B.C. *
Gadfly petrel The gadfly petrels or ''Pterodroma'' are a genus of about 35 species of petrels, part of the seabird order Procellariiformes. The gadfly petrels are named for their speedy weaving flight, as if evading gadflies (horseflies). The flight action is ...
(unknown ''Pterodroma'' species, presumed
Fea's petrel The Fea's petrel (''Pterodroma feae'') is a small seabird in the gadfly petrel genus, '' Pterodroma''. It was previously considered to be a subspecies of the soft-plumaged petrel (''P. mollis''), but they are actually not closely related at al ...
) – Iron Age *
Eurasian spoonbill The Eurasian spoonbill (''Platalea leucorodia''), or common spoonbill, is a wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. The genus name ''Platalea'' is from Latin and means "broad", referring to the distinctive shape of the b ...
– 17th century (as a breeding bird) (re-established) *†
Great auk The great auk (''Pinguinus impennis'') is a species of flightless alcid that became extinct in the mid-19th century. It was the only modern species in the genus ''Pinguinus''. It is not closely related to the birds now known as penguins, wh ...
– 1844 * Great bustard – 19th century (reintroduced) * Kentish plover – 20th century (last breeding record 1979) * Little egret – late medieval period (re-established) * Pied avocet – 19th century (re-established) * Red-backed shrike – 1989 (as a regular breeding bird)] *
Western capercaillie The western capercaillie (''Tetrao urogallus''), also known as the Eurasian capercaillie, wood grouse, heather cock, cock-of-the-woods, or simply capercaillie , is a heavy member of the grouse family and the largest of all extant grouse species. ...
– 1780s (reintroduced) * Hazel grouse – Last Glacial Period and only found in South West England * White stork – 1416 (reintroduced) * Wryneck (as a regular breeding bird) * White-tailed eagle – 1916 (reintroduced) * Lanner falcon - 1236.a.d-1300.a.d (Change of climate * Western marsh harrier – late 19th century (re-established) *
Northern goshawk The northern goshawk (; ''Accipiter gentilis'') is a species of medium-large bird of prey, raptor in the Family (biology), family Accipitridae, a family which also includes other extant diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards and harrier (bird) ...
– late 19th century (re-established) * Red kite - 1870's (England), 1886 (Scotland), (reintroduced) * Osprey – 1916 (re-established) *
Eurasian eagle owl The Eurasian eagle-owl (''Bubo bubo'') is a species of eagle-owl that resides in much of Eurasia. It is also called the Uhu and it is occasionally abbreviated to just the eagle-owl in Europe. It is one of the largest species of owl, and females ...
- c. 8000 BP (re-established) * Boreal owl - went extinct in mainland Britain due to change of climate after last Glacial Period. * Northern hawk owl - went extinct in mainland Britain due to change of climate after last Glacial Period. * Snowy owl - went extinct in mainland Britain due to change of climate after last Glacial Period


Fish

* Burbot A fisherman caught the last recorded Burbot in July 1970 from the
Great Ouse Relief Channel The River Great Ouse () is a river in England, the longest of several British rivers called "Ouse". From Syresham in Northamptonshire, the Great Ouse flows through Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk to drain into the Wa ...
, Norfolk. The species was then presumed extinct. (There are efforts to re-introduce this species into the rivers of
East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...
) *†
Houting The houting (''Coregonus oxyrhynchus'') is a European, allegedly extinct species of whitefish in the family Salmonidae. It is native to the estuaries and rivers draining to the North Sea. The houting is distinguishable from other ''Coregonus'' t ...
In the UK, the
Houting The houting (''Coregonus oxyrhynchus'') is a European, allegedly extinct species of whitefish in the family Salmonidae. It is native to the estuaries and rivers draining to the North Sea. The houting is distinguishable from other ''Coregonus'' t ...
was declared extinct in 1977 by D.A.Ratcliffe. It was last recorded in the UK from the River Colne, West Yorkshire in 1925.


Amphibians

*
Agile frog The agile frog (''Rana dalmatina'') is a European frog in the genus ''Rana'' of the true frog family, Ranidae. Description This species is fat and has long limbs and a pointy snout. Adult males are rarely larger than 6.5 cm, while females ...
– c. 1000, possibly 1500Identifying Ranid urostyle, ilial and anomalous bones from a 15th century London well Charles A. Snell present on Jersey * European tree frog – 1986 *
Moor frog The moor frog (''Rana arvalis'') is a slim, reddish-brown, semiaquatic amphibian native to Europe and Asia. Moor frogs are known for their ability to freeze solid and survive thawing. The frog makes use of various cryoprotectants i.e. antifreeze ...
– c. 1000, possibly 1500 *
Pool frog The pool frog (''Pelophylax lessonae'') is a European frog in the family Ranidae. Its specific name was chosen by the Italian herpetologist Lorenzo Camerano in 1882, in order to honour his master Michele Lessona. Description The pool frog is ...
– 1999 (reintroduced)


Reptiles

* Aesculapian snake – c.
Atlantic period The Atlantic in palaeoclimatology was the warmest and moistest Blytt–Sernander period, pollen zone and chronozone of Holocene northern Europe. The climate was generally warmer than today. It was preceded by the Boreal, with a climate similar t ...
>3000 BP (escaped populations in London and North Wales) * European pond turtle – ≤ 3000 BP (possible escaped colonies established) * Western green lizard – c. unknown (escaped populations in Bournemouth); present on Jersey and
Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...


Insects


Beetles

*'' Agonum sahlbergi'' (ground beetle) – 1914 *''
Platycerus caraboides ''Platycerus caraboides'' is a species of stag beetle belonging to the family Lucanidae, subfamily Lucaninae. Subspecies Subspecies include: *''Platycerus caraboides caerulosus'' Didier & Ségui, 1953 *''Platycerus caraboides caraboides'' (Lin ...
'', blue stag beetle – 19th century *'' Graphoderus bilineatus'' (water beetle) – 1906 *''
Harpalus honestus ''Harpalus honestus'' is a species of ground beetle native to the Palearctic realm, including Europe and the Near East. In Europe, it is only absent in the following countries or islands: the Azores, the Baltic states, the Canary Islands, the Cha ...
'' (ground beetle) – 1905 *''
Copris lunaris ''Copris'' is a genus of dung beetles in the tribe Coprini (subfamily Scarabaeinae) of the scarab family. It comprises more than 250 tunnelling species and has an almost worldwide distribution. Species Gallery Copris arizonensis - Dung Beetl ...
'', horned dung beetle – 1974 *'' Ochthebius aeneus'' (water beetle) – 1913 *'' Platydema violaceum'' (tenebrionid) – 1957 *'' Rhantus aberratus'' (water beetle) – 1904 *'' Scybalicus oblongiusculus'' (ground beetle) – 1926 *''
Teretrius fabricii ''Teretrius'' is a genus of clown beetles in the family Histeridae Histeridae is a family of beetles commonly known as clown beetles or Hister beetles. This very diverse group of beetles contains 3,900 species found worldwide. They can be eas ...
'' (histerid) – 1907


Bees, wasps and ants

*''
Andrena polita ''Andrena'' is a genus of bees in the family Andrenidae. With over 1,500 species, it is one of the largest genera of animals. It is a strongly monophyletic group that is difficult to split into more manageable divisions; currently, ''Andrena'' i ...
'' (mining bee) – 1934 *''
Bombus pomorum The apple humble-bee or apple bumblebee (''Bombus pomorum'') is a species of bumblebee. Description This bumblebee is black with a red tail, an oblong head, and a long proboscis. The male has pale hairs on the collar, scutellum, and first te ...
'', apple bumblebee – 1864 *''
Bombus cullumanus ''Bombus cullumanus'', Cullum's bumblebee or Cullum's humble-bee. is a species of bumblebee found in Europe and Asia. Description The females (queen and workers) are black with red tails and usually with yellow hairs intermixed with the black ...
'', Cullum's bumblebee – 1941 *'' Eucera tuberculata'' (mining bee) – 1941 *'' Halictus maculatus'' (mining bee) – 1930 *'' Mellinus crabroneus'' (digger wasp) – c. 1950 *''
Odynerus reniformis ''Odynerus'' is a primarily Holarctic genus of potter wasps. The name of this genus has been widely used as a root to construct many other genus-level names for potter wasps with non-petiolated metasoma, such as ''Euodynerus'', ''Acarodynerus'', ...
'' (mason wasp) – 1915 *'' Odynerus simillimus'' (mason wasp) – 1905 *''
Bombus subterraneus The short-haired bumblebee (''Bombus subterraneus''), or short-haired humble-bee, is a species of bumblebee found in Eurasia, as well as in New Zealand, where it is an introduced species. It lived in the British Isles among other parts of Europe ...
'', short-haired bumblebee – 1989


Flies

*''
Merodon clavipes ''Merodon'' is a large genus of bee-like hoverflies. The majority of the species are centered on the Mediterranean and it is the second largest hoverfly genus in Europe with more than 50 European species. It is distributed over the Palaearcti ...
''


Butterflies and moths

General reference: Waring et al., 2009. *'' Aporia crataegi'', black-veined white – 1925 *'' Borkhausenia minutella'' – 1950 *''
Lithophane furcifera ''Lithophane furcifera'', the conformist, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel in 1766. It is found from central Europe, east to the Black Sea region, the Caucasus and western Siberia. I ...
'', conformist (moth) – *'' Euclemensia woodiella'' (moth) – 1829 * Flame brocade (moth) – 1919 *
Frosted yellow ''Isturgia limbaria'', the frosted yellow, is a moth of the family Geometridae. Distribution This species can be found in parts of Central and Southern Europe. It is extinct in Britain. Habitat These moths inhabit heathers, edge of the forests ...
(moth) – 1914 * Gypsy moth – 1907; reappeared 1995 * Isle of Wight wave (moth) – 1931 *
Large chequered skipper The large chequered skipper (''Heteropterus morpheus'') is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is the single member of the monotypic genus ''Heteropterus''. The species can be found in isolated populations in Europe and east across the Pa ...
– c. 1989 (non-native, Channel Islands) * Large copper – 1865 *
Large tortoiseshell The large tortoiseshell or blackleg tortoiseshell (''Nymphalis polychloros'') is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Subspecies Subspecies include: * ''Nymphalis polychloros polychloros'' * ''Nymphalis polychloros erythromelas'' (Austaut, 18 ...
- 1960s (recolonising from 2019) * Many-lined (moth) – 1875 * Map – c. 1914 (non-native) * Mazarine blue – 1906 * Orache moth – 1915 *
Reed tussock ''Laelia coenosa'', the reed tussock, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1808. It is found in North Africa, southern and central Europe, through Russia and eastern Asia up to Japan. The win ...
(moth) – 1875 * Scarce black arches (moth) – 1898 (transitory resident) * Speckled beauty (moth) – 1898 * Union rustic (moth) – 1919 *
Viper's bugloss ''Echium vulgare'', known as viper's bugloss and blueweed,Dickinson, T.; Metsger, D.; Bull, J.; & Dickinson, R. (2004) ROM Field Guide to Wildflowers of Ontario. Toronto:Royal Ontario Museum, p. 203. is a species of flowering plant in the borag ...
(moth) – 1969


Dragonflies and damselflies

* Norfolk damselfly – 1957 * Orange-spotted emerald (dragonfly) – 1957


Caddisflies

*''
Hydropsyche bulgaromanorum ''Hydropsyche'' is a genus of netspinning caddisflies in the family Hydropsychidae. There are at least 260 described species in ''Hydropsyche''. Taxonomic note: *Type species: Hydropsyche cinerea FJ Pictet (selected by HH Ross, 1944, BullIllinois ...
'' (caddis fly) – 1926 *''
Hydropsyche exocellata ''Hydropsyche'' is a genus of netspinning caddisflies in the family Hydropsychidae. There are at least 260 described species in ''Hydropsyche''. Taxonomic note: *Type species: Hydropsyche cinerea FJ Pictet (selected by HH Ross, 1944, BullIllinois ...
'' (caddis fly) – 1901


Cicada

*
Cicadetta montana ''Cicadetta montana'' (also known as the New Forest cicada) is a species of '' Cicadetta'' found throughout Europe and in parts of Asia. It is regarded as endangered over large parts of Europe, and has vanished from several areas in Western Eu ...
(New Forest Cicada) – not seen in Britain since 2000.


Arachnids

*''
Gibbaranea bituberculata ''Gibbaranea bituberculata'' is a species of 'orbweavers' belonging to the family Araneidae, subfamily Araneinae. This species has a palearctic distribution and is present in most of Europe. The adult males of these spiders reach of length, w ...
'' — 1954 *'' Hypsosinga heri'' — 1912 *'' Mastigusa arietina'' — 1926


Crustaceans

*''
Artemia salina ''Artemia salina'' is a species of brine shrimp – aquatic crustaceans that are more closely related to ''Triops'' and cladocerans than to true shrimp. It belongs to a lineage that does not appear to have changed much in . ''A. salina'' is nati ...
'' (brine shrimp) – after 1758


Molluscs


Land snails

*''
Fruticicola fruticum ''Fruticicola fruticum'' is a species of medium-sized, air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Camaenidae. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Fruticicola fruticum (Müller, 1774). Accessed throug ...
'' *'' Cernuella neglecta''


Reintroduction and re-establishment

The white-tailed eagle has been successfully re-established on the western coast of Scotland. Having clung on in parts of Wales, red kites have been successfully re-established in parts of England and Scotland. Ongoing projects involve both these species: the corn crake into parts of England and Scotland, and the great bustard on
Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in the south western part of central southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies wi ...
. European beavers have been reintroduced to parts of Scotland, and there are plans to bring them back to other parts of Britain. A five-year trial reintroduction at Knapdale in Argyll started in 2009 and concluded in 2014. A few hundred beavers live wild in the Tay river basin, as a result of escapes from a wildlife park. A similar reintroduction trial is being undertaken on the river otter in Devon, England. Also, around the country, beavers have been introduced into fenced reserves for many reasons including
flood prevention Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: #Further reading, Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or ...
. In 2016, beavers were recognised as a British native species, and will be protected under law. In 2008,
Eurasian elk The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult ma ...
were released into a fenced reserve on the Alladale Estate in the Highlands of Scotland. Reindeer were re-established in 1952; approximately 150–170 reindeer live around the Cairngorms region in Scotland. Set up by the
Wildwood Trust Wildwood and Wild Wood may refer to: Populated places Australia * Wildwood, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne Canada * Wildwood, Alberta, a hamlet *Wildwood, Calgary, Alberta, a neighborhood * Wildwood, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan *Wildwood Park, Winn ...
, Konik horses have been established across many reserves as a proxy for the extinct tarpan. In 1998,
MAFF MAFF may refer to: * MAFF (gene), a transcription factor * Malmö Arab Film Festival, held in Malmö (Sweden), the largest Arabic film festival in Europe * Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (United Kingdom), a former department of UK gov ...
, now known as
DEFRA DEFRA may refer to: * Deficit Reduction Act of 1984, United States law * Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, United Kingdom government department {{Disambiguation ...
released a report concerning the presence of two populations of wild boar living freely in the UK. These boar are thought to have escaped from wildlife parks, zoos and from farms where they are farmed for their meat, and gone on to establish breeding populations. Around 20 white storks pass through the UK each year. A colony at the Knepp Wildland in West Sussex, aided by zoologist Roisin Campbell-Palmer, hopes to reinforce these off-path migrants by introducing adults into a fenced reserve, where the juveniles born will be able to establish other colonies further afield. The northern clade of the
pool frog The pool frog (''Pelophylax lessonae'') is a European frog in the family Ranidae. Its specific name was chosen by the Italian herpetologist Lorenzo Camerano in 1882, in order to honour his master Michele Lessona. Description The pool frog is ...
was reintroduced from Swedish stock in 2005, to a single site in Norfolk, England, following detailed research to prove that it had been native before its extinction around 1993. Smaller species, mainly reptiles, such as the
green lizard The European green lizard (''Lacerta viridis'') is a large lizard distributed across European midlatitudes from Slovenia and eastern Austria to as far east as the Black Sea coasts of Ukraine and Turkey. It is often seen sunning on rocks or lawns, ...
and Aesculapian snake, have formed colonies probably due to a result of release from
captivity Captivity, or being held captive, is a state wherein humans or other animals are confined to a particular space and prevented from leaving or moving freely. An example in humans is imprisonment. Prisoners of war are usually held in captivity by a ...
. There have also been calls for the return of the European tree frog to the wild. Established in 2020, Celtic Reptile & Amphibian, aims to reintroduce the lost species of reptile and amphibian that once inhabited Britain, back to rewilding projects. These include the moor frog, European tree frog, agile frog and European pond turtle. They have already had significant success breeding the moor frog in captivity. The organisation also wants to see European pond turtles re-established within wetland restoration projects. The
large blue The large blue (''Phengaris arion'') is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. The species was first defined in 1758 and first recorded in Britain in 1795. In 1979 the species became mostly extinct in Britain but has been successfully ...
butterfly has been successfully re-established from Swedish stock at several sites, but very few of these are open-access. There are also several successful cases of the establishment of new populations of heath fritillary. There have been calls for the reintroduction of the Eurasian lynx, brown bear and grey wolf to the UK, because no large predators are living in viable populations in Great Britain. It is theorized that a large predators presence could create a trophic cascade, thus improving the ecosystem. There are plans to reintroduce European bison into England in Spring 2022. The initial reintroduction would consist of one male and three females being released into a 150-hectare area with no accessible footpaths.


See also

*
List of mammals of the British Isles This is a list of mammals of Great Britain. The diversity of mammal fauna of Great Britain is somewhat impoverished compared to that of Continental Europe, due to the short period of time between the last ice age and the flooding of the land br ...
*
Extinct animals from the Isle of Man Manx cattle Manx cattle became extinct c. 1815. A description of the breed survives along with a record that the Manx people referred to them as ''Boaghans'' or ''Boghans'' ( Manx words for cow include ''Booa'' and ''Baa''). Thomas Quayle descri ...
* List of extinct animals of Europe *
List of extinct plants of the British Isles The following are plant species which are or have been held to be at least nationally extinct in the British Isles, since Britain was cut off from the European continent, including any which have been reintroduced or reestablished, not including re ...
* Introduced species of the British Isles *
Timeline of prehistoric Britain A timeline is a display of a list of events in chronological order. It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labelled with dates paralleling it, and usually contemporaneous events. Timelines can use any suitable scale representin ...


References


Further reading


A Short History of the British Mammal Fauna (archived)Joint Nature Conservation Committee – Invertebrates extinct in the last 100 years
{{Extinct Animals by Regions Britain Britain
Extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
Extinct animals