This is a list of Oceanian species extinct in the Holocene that covers extinctions from the Holocene epoch, a geologic epoch that began about 11,650 years before present (about 9700 BCE)[a] and continues to the present day.[1]
Not recorded with certainty since it was last collected between 1886 and 1888, though anecdotal information suggests the species survived until the 1960s. The causes of extinction are unknown.[5]
Known from two individuals collected between 1839 and 1841. The exact island of origin is unknown because it was not recorded, but unconfirmed sightings happened until the 1980s.[9]
Last known individual was killed in 1968, with an unconfirmed sighting happening in the late 1970s. It was probably hunted to extinction, though the introduced brown tree snake could have contributed.[11]
Most recent remains at the Naigani Lapita culture site dated to 950 BCE.[13] Flightless and totally terrestrial, it would have been quickly exterminated by humans and introduced mammals.[14]
Most recent remains at the Pindai Caves dated to 1120-840 BCE.[15] The species was flightless and laid a single egg uncovered on the ground, which wasn't incubated. This made it easy prey for introduced predators.[14]
Dated in Fiji around 850 BCE[16] and in Tongoleleka, Lifuka Island to 840-740 BCE.[17] It retained the ability to fly despite being almost as large as New Caledonia's pile-builder megapode. Nevertheless, it went extinct a couple of centuries after human settlement as a result of hunting, egg harvesting, and predation by introduced animals.[14]
Most recent remains at the Pindai Caves dated to 86-428 CE.[7] It was the largest species of its genus and almost certainly hunted to extinction by humans. Megapodius andersoni, a hypothetical species named from a brief description written by William Anderson during the third voyage of James Cook (1776–1780), may or may not be the same animal.[14] Remains provisionally assigned to this species in Tonga are different enough to represent another species, or even genus.[18]
Megapodius sp.
Tonga
A large megapode similar to M. molistructor of New Caledonia, but likely a different species or even genus. Lived alongside, but was rarer than the smaller M. alimentum.[18]
Last known individual was shot in 1960, and an unconfirmed sighting and calls were recorded in 1998. Like other owlet-nightjars, it could have declined due to predation by introduced cats and rats, and habitat loss through fire, mining, and logging.[26][14]
Swifts, treeswifts, and hummingbirds (order Apodiformes)
Most recent remains from Polynesianmiddens[14] dated to 1000-1600 CE.[7] It was the largest of four pigeon species originally present in the island, and a poor flier but not flightless. It was likely hunted to extinction.[14]
Most recent remains at the Pindai Caves dated to 86-428 CE.[7] It was likely hunted to extinction.[14] Remains provisionally assigned to this taxon in Tonga likely belong to a different species.[18]
Known from two specimens of unknown origin that were collected in 1783 and 1823, believed to have come from somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Its coloration suggests that it was a forest-dweller, and its short and rounded wings that it evolved in a predator-free island. 1928 native accounts of a bird in Tahiti may refer to this species. It could have disappeared due to hunting or introduced predators before extensive European exploration of the Pacific.[28]
Not recorded since 1904; more recent observations are believed to be confusions with other doves and pigeons. It was probably exterminated by introduced dogs and cats.[29]
Known from subfossil remains. It was the third largest pigeon ever after the dodo and Rodrigues solitaire, flightless and adapted to eat large fruit, seeds, and insects on the ground. Like the former, it would have been extremely vulnerable to hunting and introduced mammals predating on its eggs and chicks.[14]
Known from a few specimens collected between 1768 and 1779 (mostly lost), paintings and descriptions. Differences in the paintings suggest that they represent two undescribed subspecies. Two other subspecies were described in the Tuamotu Islands, where at least one survives.[14]
Known from one individual collected in Makira in 1882 and another from Ramos in 1927. Likely declined due to hunting, predation by introduced rats and cats, and habitat destruction.[31]
Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa, Marquesa Islands, French Polynesia
Only recorded in Nuku Hiva when the holotype was collected between 1836 and 1839, and last recorded in Hiva Oa in 1922. A record from 1980 was mistaken. Disappeared due to predation by introduced great horned owls, cats, and rats.[32]
Most recent remains dated to around 950 CE.[33] The remains were found in middens along with other vertebrate bones and shells of animals consumed by Polynesians. It was probably hunted to extinction.[14]
Known from subfossil remains predating human settlement, but believed to have been driven to extinction by hunting or anthropogenic changes to its environment.[14]
Known from John Latham's 1785 description of birds collected by William Anderson during the third voyage of James Cook (1776–1780). The species was likely exterminated by feral dogs introduced by Cook's previous visit in 1773.[14]
Last seen with certainty before 1890. There were unconfirmed sightings in Taveuni in 1971, and in Waisa, Viti Levu in 1973. It was possibly exterminated by introduced cats and mongooses.[14]
Most recent remains dated to around 950 CE.[35] One of only two known rails from eastern Polynesia, it was likely flightless and had robust legs adapted to a terrestrial lifestyle. As a result, it would have been extremely vulnerable to humans and introduced predators.[14]
Most recent remains at Fa'ahia dated to 700-1150 CE.[7] Its remains were found in Polynesian middens, and it likely disappeared due to hunting or predation by introduced mammals.[14]
Depicted alive by the Malaspina Expedition in 1793.[14] Its existence was confirmed with the finding of Lapita culture remains between 2004 and 2014.[18]
Hiva Oa and Tahuata, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia
Though described from subfossil remains, it could have survived until the 20th century on account of a gallinule depicted being hunted by a dog on the 1902 painting Le Sorcier d'Hiva Oa, by Paul Gauguin. Thor Heyerdahl also observed a similar bird in 1937.[14]
Known from subfossil remains. It was apparently restricted to lowlands, which would be more susceptible to fires. Likely disappeared due to hunting, habitat destruction, and predation by introduced mammals like the Polynesian rat.[14]
Known from two individuals collected in 1827 and 1828. Considered sacred by the natives and not hunted, it likely disappeared due to predation by rats, which were plentiful by the time ornithologists fruitlessly searched for the bird again, in 1880.[14]
Tahiti, Society Islands, and possibly Mangaia, Cook Islands
Depicted by Georg Forster during Cook's second voyage (1772–1775); John Frederick Miller's more famous painting from 1784 is a copy. It disappeared soon after from Tahiti but it or a similar species (different from Zapornia rua) could have survived in Mangaia until recently.[14]
Not seen with certainty since 1890 and likely extirpated by predation from introduced rats, cats, and pigs. However, unconfirmed sightings in the 1960s and 1984 may hint to its survival in montane forests inaccessible to such predators.[36][14]
Known from the type collected in 1929 and a single confirmed observation in 1953. It likely declined due to introduced predators like cats, dogs, and electric ants.[38][14]
Extirpated from the wild in 1987, as a result of predation by introduced brown tree snakes. Following a captive breeding program, it was reintroduced to the smaller offshore islands of Rota and Cocos in 2010, but only the Cocos population is self-sustaining.[39]
Only known from two paintings based on individuals collected during Cook's third voyage in 1777, and subsequently lost.[41] Some authors suggest it was the same species as the Tahiti sandpiper, while others defend its specific status on plumage differences. In the absence of specimens, the species must be considered dubious.[14] It was probably exterminated by invasive mammals, though habitat destruction could have been another factor.[14]
Known from an individual collected during Cook's voyage in 1773. It could have been driven to extinction by habitat destruction caused by invasive pigs and goats, or predation by rats.[14]
Most recent remains dated to 700-1150 CE.[7] It could have disappeared due to hunting, habitat loss, disease, or predation from introduced mammals.[14]
Known only from the type specimen collected in 1889 and subfossil remains. Studies of owl pellets are consistent with the subspecies (or species) gradually declining over time and becoming extinct shortly after it was described. Deforestation through burning and introduced mammals could have contributed to its extinction.[14]
Boobies, cormorants, and allies (order Suliformes)
Only known from subfossil remains at archaeological middens, indicating that it was regularly hunted by Polynesians before its extinction around 1200 CE. It was larger than Abbott's booby and may be a different species. It probably nested only in tall trees, like Abbott's booby, which would also make it vulnerable to habitat destruction.[14]
Only found in the present on Christmas Island, an Australian dependency southwest of Indonesia.[14] Subfossil remains are known from Tikopia, Solomon Islands and Efate, Vanuatu. A vagrant female was photographed in Rota, Northern Mariana Islands in 2007.[42]
Two species most recently dated to 86-428 CE at the Pindai Caves.[7] The reason of extinction is unknown, as New Caledonia is today home to two other Accipiter species, the brown goshawk and the white-bellied goshawk. However, the extinct and extant species not being found together could indicate that they lived in different habitats, or that the extant species colonized the island after the others disappeared.[14]
Almost entirely dependent on reptiles, it became extinct when reptile numbers crashed after the colonization of New Caledonia by humans and the Polynesian rat. The island was later colonized by the common barn owl (T. alba), whose diet is rodent-based.[15]
Following catastrophic predation by the introduced brown tree snake, the last 29 individuals were caught in 1986 and taken to the United States, where there are over a hundred now in captivity.[44]
Known from two individuals generally believed to have been collected during Cook's second voyage in 1773 or 1774, though 1777 during the third voyage is also possible.[14]
'Eua, Lifuka, Uiha, and Vava'u in Tonga; possibly also Vanuatu and Fiji
Described from subfossil remains. A live bird from Vava'u was likely depicted by members of the Malaspina Expedition in 1793. It presumably became extinct soon after due to hunting and predation by introduced mammals.[14]
Known from two individuals collected before 1860. It was reported as existing in Oubatche in 1913, and an unconfirmed sighting southwest of Mount Panié was made in 1976.[14]
Last recorded in either 1984 or 1985. Extinct primarily because of predation by introduced brown tree snakes, assisted by rats, monitor lizards, and possibly residual pesticides.[14]
Known only from two individuals collected by Jules Dumont d'Urville between either 1826 and 1829 or 1838 and 1839. Likely disappeared due to deforestation and introduced predators.[14]
Last recorded in 1973; a later reported observation is unconfirmed. It probably disappeared due to severe deforestation, predation by introduced mammals, or avian malaria which was introduced to the island in the 1970s.[14]
Last recorded in 1969. It was driven to extinction by the introduced predatory brown tree snake. Habitat loss caused by fire and drainage of wetlands, pesticide use, and additional introduced predators like cats and rats were also contributing factors.[14]
Last recorded in the 1970s. It was made extinct by draining its wetland habitat for agriculture, grazing ferallivestock destroying the understorey, which it used to breed, predation by introduced cats and rats, and general increase in land use by the military. If still alive in 1981, it might have been wiped out by a volcanic eruption that destroyed much of the remaining woody vegetation.[14]
Last collected in 1995, with unconfirmed sightings in 2008. The reasons for its decline, which began in the 1930s, is unknown. Habitat loss, hunting, and predation by introduced rats have been suggested.[52]
Once common through the island, its population crashed rapidly after brown tree snakes were introduced, becoming restricted to the northern plateau in 1971, then to the Pajon Basin in early 1983. By the time a captive breeding program was set up in October of the same year, only one male could be found and captured. This animal died in captivity in May 1984 of unknown causes. Introduced diseases could also have contributed to its extinction.[14]
Last recorded in 1977. Disappeared soon after the chestnut-breasted mannikin was introduced to the island, implying that an exotic avian disease was transmitted to the population. The species may have also declined earlier due to habitat loss caused by sheep grazing, and predation by feral cats, black rats, and Polynesian rats.[53]
Last recorded in the 1930s. Declined due to habitat loss caused by intense grazing and fire, and predation by introduced species including the black rat.[54]
Last confirmed record in 1985, with an unconfirmed sighting in 2010. It likely declined due to habitat loss and degradation through overgrazing and fires, along with predation by introduced mammals.[56]
Only known from an unlabelled, stuffed specimen discovered in the collections of the Natural History Museum of Marseille in 1986. The provenance and date of collection are unknown, but it is estimated to have been deposited in the 1830s on the style of preservation. The species was originally assigned to the New Zealand genus Hoplodactylus and speculated to be the inspiration of the kawekaweau of Maori folklore, but a genetic phylogeny in 2023 placed it among New Caledonian geckos instead.[57]
Became extinct after humans arrived on Fiji with the commensal Polynesian rat and large New Guinea spiny rat during the first millennium BCE. Unlike other platymantine frogs that survived, it was a fully terrestrial species that didn't climb trees nor live near water. It probably also had relatively large eggs and juveniles, like its relatives, all of which would make this species more vulnerable to introduced predators.[60]
Last recorded in 1956. The extinction followed the introduction of the parasiticflyBessa remota by coconut farmers, as a form of biological pest control. However, it's been argued that L. iridescens was not actually native to Fiji and that lack of post-1956 records is the result of diminished enthomological research after Fiji's independence.[62]
Bark lice, book lice, and parasitic lice (order Psocodea)
Exterminated by the introduced predatory snail Euglandina rosea. Individuals were captured for a breeding program, but it ended with the death of the last captive animal in 1994.[77]
Last recorded in 1936. Declined due to predation by introduced species like the flatworm Platydemus manokwari, brown rat, black rat, Polynesian rat, and snail E. rosea.[101]
Last wild tree was cut down in 1960. Survives in captivity in Chile and other countries, but all attempts at reintroduction have been unsuccessful.[115]
^The source gives "11,700 calendar yr b2k (before CE 2000)". But "BP" means "before CE 1950". Therefore, the Holocene began 11,650 BP. Doing the math, that is c. 9700 BCE.
^Flicker, Leon; Kerse, Ngaire (2017). "Population ageing in Oceania". Oxford Textbook of Geriatric Medicine. pp. 55–62. doi:10.1093/med/9780198701590.003.0008. ISBN978-0-19-870159-0. The region of Oceania describes a collection of islands scattered throughout the Pacific Ocean between Asia and the Americas. The region is vast and largely covered by ocean. There are four subregions of this region, including Australasia (Australia and New Zealand), Melanesia (Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Western New Guinea), Micronesia (the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, and Palau etc.), and Polynesia (American Samoa, the Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, and Tuvalu etc.).
^ abcIrwin, G. et al. (2011). Further investigations at the Naigani Lapita site (VL 21/5), Fiji: excavation, radiocarbon dating and palaeofaunal extinction. Journal of Pacific Archaeology, 2(2), 66-78.
^ abcdefgAnderson, A.; Sand, C.; Petchey, F.; Worthy, T. H. (2010). "Faunal extinction and human habitation in New Caledonia: Initial results and implications of new research at the Pindai Caves". Journal of Pacific Archaeology. 1 (1): 89–109. hdl:10289/5404.
^ abcdPregill, G. K., & Steadman, D. W. (2014). The prehistory of terrestrial reptiles and birds in the Central Lau Group, Fiji. Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History. 53, 1-25.
^Worthy, T. H., Hawkins, S., Bedford, S., & Spriggs, M. (2015). Avifauna from the Teouma Lapita site, Efate Island, Vanuatu, including a new genus and species of Megapode. Pacific Science, 69(2), 205-254.
^Hawkins, S., & Worthy, T. H. (2019). Lapita colonisation and avian extinctions in Oceania. terra australis 52, 439.
^Reichel, James D.; Lemke, Thomas O. (April 1994). "Ecology and Extinction of the Mariana Mallard". In The Journal of Wildlife Management. Wiley. 58 (2): 199–205
^Kear, J. (ed.) (2005) Ducks, Geese, and Swans. Volume 2: Species accounts (Cairina to Mergus). Oxford University Press, 908 pages.
^ abcSteadman, D. W. (1999). The prehistory of vertebrates, especially birds, on Tinian, Aguiguan, and Rota, Northern Mariana Islands. MICRONESICA-AGANA-, 31, 319-345.
^Steadman, D. W. (2002). A new species of swiftlet (Aves: Apodidae) from the late Quaternary of Mangaia, Cook Islands, Oceania. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 22(2), 326-331.
^ abKirchman, J. J., & Steadman, D. W. (2007). New Species of Extinct Rails (Aves: Rallidae) from Archaeological Sites in the Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia1. Pacific Science, 61(1), 145-163.
^Worthy, T. H., Anderson, A., & Sand, C. (2013). An extinct Austral snipe (Aves: Coenocorypha) from New Caledonia. Emu - Austral Ornithology, 113(4), 383-393.
^Pratt, H. D., Retter, M. L., Chapman, D., Ord, W. M., & Pisano, P. (2009). An Abbott's booby Papasula abbotti on Rota, Mariana Islands: first historical record for the Pacific Ocean. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club, 129, 87-91.
^ abcMead, J. I. et al. (2002) New extinct mekosuchine crocodile from Vanuatu, South Pacific. Copeia, 2002(3), 632-641.
^Steadman, D., & Rolett, B. (1996). A chronostratigraphic analysis of landbird extinction on Tahuata, Marquesas Islands. Journal of Archaeological Science, 23(1), 81-94.
^Heinicke, Matthew P.; Nielsen, Stuart V.; Bauer, Aaron M.; Kelly, Ryan; Geneva, Anthony J.; Daza, Juan D.; Keating, Shannon E.; Gamble, Tony (2023-06-19). "Reappraising the evolutionary history of the largest known gecko, the presumably extinct Hoplodactylus delcourti, via high-throughput sequencing of archival DNA". Scientific Reports. 13 (1): 9141.
^ abRhodin, A. G., Thomson, S., Georgalis, G. L., Karl, H. V., Danilov, I. G., Takahashi, A., ... & van Dijk, P. P. (2015). Turtles and tortoises of the world during the rise and global spread of humanity: first checklist and review of extinct Pleistocene and Holocene chelonians. Turtle Extinctions Working Group.
^Worthy, T. H. (2001). A new species of Platymantis (Anura: Ranidae) from quaternary deposits on Viti Levu, Fiji. Palaeontology, 44(4), 665-680.
^Rózsa, L., & Vas, Z. (2015). Co-extinct and critically co-endangered species of parasitic lice, and conservation-induced extinction: should lice be reintroduced to their hosts?. Oryx, 49(1), 107-110.
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