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This is a list of Macaronesian animals 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) and continues to the present day.
Remains from La Fuente cave were originally dated to the 12th or 13th century, implying a long coexistence of the species with humans. However this datation was indirect as it was measured on charcoal and wood found near C. bravoi remains, rather than on the remains themselves. Studies performed on the latter establish the most recent survival of C. bravoi at 400-231 BCE and a quick extinction after human colonization. Though hunting cannot be excluded, the introduction of goats, sheep, pigs, and house mice likely had a greater role in its extinction by causing habitat alteration or predating on the rats themselves.
Most recent remains at La Aldea de San Nicolás de Tolentino dated to 130 BCE. The extinction process of this species is poorly understood though hunting by humans and feral dogs have been proposed as causes.
Most recent remains at Cueva del Llano dated to 1270-1395. The species survived the first human colonization of the islands and the introduction of the house mouse, but became extinct shortly after the introduction of the black rat (before 650 CE in Lanzarote and after the 13th century in Fuerteventura).
Breeding colonies likely existed in all Macaronesian archipelagos before the 17th century. Commercial exploitation by Europeans began in the Late Middle Ages, and currently only one colony in the Desertas Islands of Madeira survives, using deep caves to rear their young instead of beaches as it was common historically. This colony and the one in Ras Nouadhibou are the sources of vagrants sometimes seen near the Azores and Canary Islands. The last breeding colony in the Canary Islands disappeared in the first half of the 20th century.
Known from Late Quaternary remains. The Azorean and Madeiran species of this genus are presumed to have become extinct as a result of human activity, but the timeframe is unclear. They could have been wiped out by house mice introduced by Viking visitors way before Portuguese settlement began in the 14th and 15th centuries.
Flightless descendants of the water rail, known from subfossil remains, that probably disappeared after the arrival of humans and the introduction of invasive species to the islands.
Unlike other extinct Macaronesian rails, this species could still fly. Carbon 14 dating shows that it survived until Portuguese colonization in the first half of the 15th century.
bred in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, Canary Islands; visitor to Tenerife and the Senegalese coast
Last collected in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura in 1913 and reported extinct there by 1940, but also reported twice in Tenerife between 1968 and 1981. Its decline was probably a result of overharvesting of intertidal invertebrates (most notably Patella candei, extirpated from all islands bar Fuerteventura) and disturbance by people, although predation by rats and cats has also been implicated.
Most recent remain at Lobos islet dated to 1159-790 BCE. It bred in easily accessible beach dunes and likely became extinct due to hunting or predation by introduced house mice soon after human arrival.
Most recent remains dated to 1270-1475 CE. The species likely declined due to hunting and predation by introduced house mice before being finished by cats and black rats.
Formerly present in the Canary Islands. It probably disappeared after the decline or extinction of its prey due to human hunting and introduced mammals.
Known from remains dated to 49 BCE - 125 CE. Though smaller that O. mauli, it was also a weak flyer and likely nested on the ground, making it vulnerable to introduced predators.
Known from undated, but likely recent Holocene bones. It had considerably longer legs than the Eurasian scops owl, hinting that it was more terrestrial and hunted on the ground of the local laurel forests. As such, it would have been vulnerable to the fires set by the first Portuguese colonizers to clear the islands for agriculture, and to the predation of black rats introduced by them.
Lanzarote and possibly Fuerteventura, Canary Islands
Last recorded in 1986 in its only documented location, the Haría Valley of Lanzarote. Its presence in Fuerteventura is uncertain, but possible given the existence of the western Canary Islands chiffchaff subspecies in all other islands.
Only remains dated to 11477-11257 BCE, but presumed to have survived until human arrival. It had limited flying ability, making it vulnerable to introduced predators.
Known from subfossil remains. The date of extinction is unknown, but its flightlessness, limb proportions, and bill musculature indicate that it was a ground bird that fed on hard seeds in the herb-rich understorey of laurel forests. As such, it was vulnerable to human-induced habitat destruction and introduced mammalian predators.
A large species known from abundant Quaternary remains, with greatly lengthened hind limbs, that is clearly distinct from the common blackbird currently present in the islands.
Mentioned by the earliest European sources in the 15th century. Archaeological evidence shows that it was consumed by the pre-Hispanic population and that it gradually declined over time.
Described from subfossil remains. However sightings and photographs of a large Gallotia lizard that could be this species were made in the northern part of the island around 2007.
Declined in São Vicente and Santa Luzia from the late 17th century, though some animals were captured there in the late 19th and early 20th century. Following its rediscovery in Branco in 1873, the species became a highly sought curiosity for European museums and collectionists, who removed hundreds of animals until the island was depleted in 1902. The last wild population in Raso disappeared after fishermen released dogs on the island in 1915, and the last captive animal died in Europe in 1940. A claimed juvenile jaw was found in feral cat droppings from Santa Luzia in 2005, but a 2006 survey of the island found no animals.
Not reported since originally described in 1852. The causes of decline are unknown, but deforestation has been suggested on the basis of similar species being forest specialists.
Described from two dead shells in 1878. Remains are common in late Holocene deposits c. 350-1750 CE, though only one is known from after settlement.
Notes
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.
^ Morales, J. et al. (2009) The impact of human activities on the natural environment of the Canary Islands (Spain) during the pre-Hispanic stage (3rd–2nd Century BC to 15th Century AD): an overview. Environmental Archaeology, 14(1), 27-36.
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^ López-Jurado, L. F., & López Martínez, N. (1991). Presencia de la rata gigante extinguida de Gran Canaria (Canariomys tamarani) en una cueva de habitación aborigen.
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^ Rando, J. C., Alcover, J. A., Pieper, H., Olson, S. L., Hernández, C. N., & López-Jurado, L. F. (2020). Unforeseen diversity of quails (Galliformes: Phasianidae: Coturnix) in oceanic islands provided by the fossil record of Macaronesia. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 188(4), 1296-1317.
^ De Nascimento, L., Nogué, S., Naranjo-Cigala, A., Criado, C., McGlone, M., Fernández-Palacios, E., & Fernández-Palacios, J. M. (2020). Human impact and ecological changes during prehistoric settlement on the Canary Islands. Quaternary Science Reviews, 239, 106332.
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^ Rando, J. C. (2002). New data of fossil birds from El Hierro (Canary Islands): probable causes of extinction and some biogeographical considerations. Ardeola, 49(1), 39-49.
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Rando, J. C., Pieper, H., Olson, S. L., Pereira, F., & Alcover, J. A. (2017). A new extinct species of large bullfinch (Aves: Fringillidae: Pyrrhula) from Graciosa Island (Azores, North Atlantic Ocean). Zootaxa.
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Fontaine B., Bouchet P., Van Achterberg K., Alonso-Zarazaga M. A., Araujo R. et al. (2007). "The European union’s 2010 target: Putting rare species in focus." Biological Conservation139: 167-185. Table 2 on the page 173. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2007.06.012. PDF.
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