Extinct in the wild
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A
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
that is extinct in the wild (EW) is one that has been categorized by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...
as only consisting of living members kept in captivity or as a naturalized population outside its historic range. Classification requires exhaustive surveys conducted within the species' known habitat with consideration given to seasonality, time of day, and life cycle.IUCN. (2003).
Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional Levels: Version 3.0
'' IUCN Species Survival Commission. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. ii + 26 pp.
Once a species is classified as EW, the only way for it to be downgraded is through reintroduction. Not all EW species are rare. An example is the ''
Brugmansia ''Brugmansia'' is a genus of seven species of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae. They are woody trees or shrubs, with pendulous flowers, and have no spines on their fruit. Their large, fragrant flowers give them their common n ...
'' genus, where all seven species are widely cultivated, but none are found in the wild. Ultimately, the purpose of preserving
biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...
is to maintain ecological function to prevent ecological extinction.


Examples

Examples of species and subspecies that are extinct in the wild include (in alphabetical order): *'' Abutilon pitcairnense'' (last surviving plant destroyed in 2005) * Alagoas curassow (last unconfirmed sighting reported in the late 1980s, listed extinct in the wild since 1994) * Beloribitsa *'' Corypha taliera'' (last tree cut down in 1979) * Christmas Island blue-tailed skink (listed extinct in the wild since 2014) * Dabry's sturgeon (listed extinct in the wild since 2022) * Escarpment cycad (listed extinct in the wild since 2006) *'' Franklinia alatamaha'' (last seen in 1803, listed extinct in the wild since 1998) * Golden skiffia (listed extinct in the wild since 1996) * Guam kingfisher (listed extinct in the wild since 1986) * Hawaiian crow or ʻalalā (last seen in 2002, listed as extinct in the wild since 2004) Small groups have since been released in 2017 and 2018. *
Kihansi spray toad The Kihansi spray toad (''Nectophrynoides asperginis'') is a small toad endemic to Tanzania.Channing and Howell. (2006). ''Amphibians of East Africa.'' Pp. 106-107. The species is live-bearing and insectivorous. The Kihansi spray toad is current ...
(listed extinct in the wild since 2009) * La Palma pupfish (last seen in 1994, listed extinct in the wild since 1996) * Lister's gecko (listed extinct in the wild since 2014) * Oahu deceptor bush cricket (listed extinct in the wild since 1996) * Panamanian golden frog (possibly extinct in the wild) * Père David's deer (listed extinct in the wild since 2008. However, reintroduction from captive populations began in 1985, with 53 wild herds of varying sizes being recorded in 2003) *'' Partula'' species (listed extinct in the wild in the 1990s): ** Niho tree snail ** Miracle Partula ** Moorean Smooth Partula ** Sutural Partula ** Rose-tipped Partula ** Garrett's Partula ** Raiatea ground Partula ** Pink Partula ** Variable Partula * '' Simandoa conserfariam'' *
Socorro dove The Socorro dove or Grayson's dove (''Zenaida graysoni'') is a dove species which is extinct in the wild. It was endemic to Socorro Island in the Revillagigedo Islands off the west coast of Mexico. The last sighting in its natural habitat was i ...
(listed extinct in the wild since 1994) *
Socorro isopod ''Thermosphaeroma thermophilum'' is a crustacean in the family Sphaeromatidae. It is commonly known as the Socorro isopod or Socorro sowbug. It was endemic to the thermal water of Sedillo Spring, located in Socorro County, New Mexico. Harriet ...
(last seen in 1988, listed as extinct in the wild since August 1996) * South China tiger (since 2008 IUCN Red List lists as critically endangered; possibly extinct in the wild) *
Spix's macaw Spix's macaw (''Cyanopsitta spixii''), also known as the little blue macaw, is a macaw species that was Endemism, endemic to Brazil. It is a member of tribe Arini (tribe), Arini in the subfamily Arinae (Neotropical parrots), part of the family ...
(listed extinct in the wild since June 2019) * Wyoming toad (listed extinct in the wild since 1991, although 853 have been released into the wild since 1995, leading to a population of around 1,500 in 2017)


Conservation


Reintroduction

Reintroduction is the deliberate release of individuals into the wild, from captivity or from other areas where the species survives. However, it may be difficult to reintroduce EW species into the wild, even if their natural habitats were restored, because survival techniques, which are often passed from parents to offspring during parenting, may have been lost. Reintroduction efforts, also referred to as translocation, are complex and a common source of complication is how animals behave upon release.
Climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteoro ...
suitability has been shown to influence reintroduction outcomes as well. Though many efforts translocate populations to historic ranges,
climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
may be causing those previously inhabited areas to no longer be suitable for the species. The
Przewalski's horse Przewalski's horse (''Equus ferus przewalskii'' or ''Equus przewalskii''), also called the takhi, Mongolian wild horse or Dzungarian horse, is a rare and endangered wild horse originally native to the steppes of Central Asia. It is named after t ...
was downgraded from EW to
Endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...
in 2011 after decades of reintroduction efforts. In China, they are still classified as EW since they are given supplemental feed over the winter to aid survival. Of the 2500 living, about 1360 are in the wild, and all 2500 are descended from 12 wild-caught ancestors, causing an
inbreeding depression Inbreeding depression is the reduced biological fitness caused by loss of genetic diversity as a consequence of inbreeding, the breeding of individuals closely related genetically. This loss of genetic diversity results from small population siz ...
that contributes to factors, such as shorter lifespans and high mortality, that impede conservation. Northern white rhinos have been extinct in the wild since 2007, and only two females remain in captivity. The San Diego Zoo Global is planning to save the species by using living cells from 12 rhinos that have been cryopreserved, turning them into stem cell lines, using
in vitro fertilization In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation in which an egg is combined with sperm in vitro ("in glass"). The process involves monitoring and stimulating the ovulatory process, then removing an ovum or ova (egg or eggs) from ...
to create embryos, and then having Southern white rhinos serve as surrogates. Currently, there have been no successful embryo transfers in rhinos. It is estimated to take at least 40 years for the target of 25–40 northern white rhinos to be reached. Some people critique efforts to save species with such small populations due to the possibility of
inbreeding Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely genetic distance, related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genet ...
as it can reduce the population growth rate. Small effective population sizes are another critique. Effective population size is a measurement of the loss of
genetic diversity Genetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species. It ranges widely, from the number of species to differences within species, and can be correlated to the span of survival for a species. It is d ...
. Multiple populations have been found to have an effective population size below conservation goals. Additionally, monitoring effective population size and using it to aid estimations of the success of conservation efforts has been shown to provide a better overview of determining population trends when compared to population size.


IUCN Green Status of Species

The
IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...
developed a system of classifying species recovery efforts in 2012 entitled the Green Status. The species recovery score is a 0%–100% scale, with 0% being the species is extinct or extinct in the wild and 100% being fully recovered. In addition, the Green Status also classifies previous and future conservation impacts with the Green Scores of Conservation Dependency, Conservation Gain, Conservation Legacy, and Recovery Potential. For a species to receive a score of 100% and be considered fully recovered, three requirements must be met: the species must be present in all areas of both its current and historical
range Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to i ...
, it is
viable Viability or viable may refer to: Biology, medicine or ecology * Viability selection, the selection of individual organisms who can survive until they are able to reproduce * Fetal viability, the ability of a fetus to survive outside of the uter ...
in all areas of the range, and performs its
ecological niche In ecology, a niche is the match of a species to a specific environmental condition. Three variants of ecological niche are described by It describes how an organism or population responds to the distribution of Resource (biology), resources an ...
across the full range. Given the lofty standards, many species are not expected to meet the criteria and it is not a goal of this system.
Land use Land use is an umbrella term to describe what happens on a parcel of land. It concerns the benefits derived from using the land, and also the land management actions that humans carry out there. The following categories are used for land use: fo ...
changes have cumulated in many species losing habitat. Green Scores are snapshots in time to assess a species' current status and how conservation efforts have influenced their status. It is also predictive as it can project how the status would change if conservation efforts ceased or continued. Conservation Legacy assess how previous conservation work has changed or maintained a species' status. The score ranges from high to low with low meaning conservation efforts were ineffective or did not occur. Conservation Dependency is the estimate of a species' status in 10 years if conservation efforts halted. High dependency means the species would have a lower status and low dependency equates to the status not changing. Conservation Gain is the flip side. It projects a species' status in 10 years if conservation efforts continue. Both dependence and gain are considered short-term measures. The long-term measure is Recovery Potential, which is how much of the range is estimated to be able to house ecologically functional
populations Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
. 


Flagship species

The Pinta Island tortoise (''Geochelone nigra abingdoni'') had only one living individual, named Lonesome George, until his death in June 2012. The tortoise was believed to be extinct in the mid-20th century, until Hungarian
malacologist Malacology, from Ancient Greek μαλακός (''malakós''), meaning "soft", and λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is the branch of invertebrate zoology that deals with the study of the Mollusca (molluscs or mollusks), the second-largest ...
József Vágvölgyi spotted Lonesome George on the Galapagos island of Pinta on 1 December 1971. Since then, Lonesome George has been a powerful symbol for conservation efforts in general and for the Galapagos Islands in particular. With his death on 24 June 2012, the subspecies is again believed to be extinct. With the discovery of 17 hybrid Pinta tortoises located at nearby Wolf Volcano, a plan has been made to attempt to breed the subspecies back into a pure state.


See also

*
International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...
*
IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...
* IUCN Red List extinct in the wild species for a list by taxonomy * :IUCN Red List extinct in the wild species for an alphabetical list *
Extinction Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...
* Ecological extinction * Lists of extinct species *
Local extinction Local extinction, also extirpation, is the termination of a species (or other taxon) in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with extinction, global extinctions. Local extinctions ...
*
Nature conservation Nature conservation is the ethic/moral philosophy and conservation movement focused on protecting species from extinction, maintaining and restoring habitats, enhancing ecosystem services, and protecting biological diversity. A range of values ...
*
Species reintroduction Species reintroduction is the deliberate release of a species into the wild, from captivity or other areas where the organism is capable of survival. The goal of species reintroduction is to establish a healthy, Genetic diversity, genetically div ...
*
Wildlife conservation Wildlife conservation refers to the practice of protecting wild species and their habitats in order to maintain healthy wildlife species or populations and to restore, protect or enhance natural ecosystems. Major threats to wildlife include habita ...


References


External links


List of Extinct in the Wild species
as identified by the
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological spe ...
{{Portal bar, Ecology, Biology Biota by conservation status IUCN Red List Wild, Extinct in the (EW) Zoos