The 9 Most Extinct Animals in Colombia

Between the extinct animals in Colombia They are the giant Colombian sloth and the olive ridley. Species that have disappeared from their habitat are part of this group due to evolutionary consequences, the destruction of their ecosystem and human activities such as pollution and hunting.

Throughout history, even before humans inhabited the Earth, different animal species have gone through stages of danger and even mass extinctions. This is due to changes in their patterns of migration, climate change or as happened with dinosaurs: the fall of a meteorite.

Extinct animals in Colombia Olive ridley turtle

In recent decades, this decline in animal species is mostly due to human intervention. The number of extinct species in the world amounts to 849, of which it is estimated that 322 are caused by man; These numbers have grown rapidly since the Industrial Revolution.

Colombia is one of the 12 mega-diverse countries in the world and the second in variety of species, so the preservation of the environment is vital for the well-being of the territory.

Index

  • 1 Extinct animal species in Colombia
  • 2 Extinct animals in a natural way
    • 2.1 Colombian giant sloth
    • 2.2 Amazonian giant boa
    • 2.3 Cerrejonisuchus improcerus
    • 2.4 Phoberomys
  • 3 Extinct animals for man's sake
    • 3.1 Cira diver
    • 3.2 Golden beak duck
    • 3.3 Olive ridley turtle
    • 3.4 Ashtray
    • 3.5 Giant otter
  • 4 References

Extinct animal species in Colombia

There is no exact record of the number of extinct species in Colombian territory. However, 359 of its species are in danger of disappearing in the coming decades, of which 87 are imminent extinction. The following is a list of animal species that no longer live wild in Colombia.

Extinct animals in a natural way

The extinction of animals has occurred throughout history. On Earth there have been 6 mass extinctions, 5 of these caused by changes in the environment, the adaptation of species and the introduction of new stronger predators.

Colombian giant sloth

The giant sloth was a megatherium that lived 8000 years ago in the area of ​​the current Villavieja in Colombia. It is estimated that it was the largest species in America during the late Pliocene, reaching up to 6 meters in height. Its disappearance is due to a natural imbalance of its ecosystem.

Amazonian giant boa

This subspecies of boa lived 6 million years ago in the Amazon region of South America. Excavations by paleontologists from the University of Florida discovered the fossils in Colombian territory.

The specimens came to measure up to 12 meters and weighed little more than 1300 kilos. Its main food was the medium-sized animals that inhabited the wetlands. The exact reason for his disappearance is unknown, but it is estimated that it was during a mass extinction in his period.

Cerrejonisuchus improcerus

Also called cerrejón, was a small subspecies of crocodile, contemporary of the giant boa 6 million years ago. His fossils were discovered in the Amazonian area of ​​Colombia.

It had smaller jaws than the current crocodile and these were a little crooked to facilitate the hunting of fish, lizards, snakes and probably mammals. His disappearance is due to one of the massive extinctions of his period.

Phoberomys

It is a now extinct genus of rodents that inhabited South America during the Miocene. He lived 8 million years ago in the vicinity of the now Orinoco River, in the area of ​​Colombia.

It reached up to 3 meters high and its tail added another 150 centimeters. It was the second largest rodent of all time: it weighed around 700 kilos. It is estimated that its cause of extinction were its predators, saber-toothed tigers and much larger birds.

Extinct animals for man's sake

In the last two centuries the animal extinction has accelerated to the degree of increasing by 100%. Although the planet has gone through five massive extinctions, we are in the middle of a sixth, the first totally caused by the human being and its destruction of the environment.

Cira diver

The diver was a species of bird only in Colombia that lived in the mountains of the Andes. It is a bird that dived to catch its prey, the fish of the area.

Its extinction occurred during 1977 and it is estimated that it was due to the contamination of its habitat, poaching and the introduction of rainbow trout to its ecosystem, since it was its direct competition in the food chain.

Golden beak duck

This species of Andean bird has disappeared from northern Colombia due to the mistreatment of its habitat, the growth of urban areas and the effect of wastewater. The animal can still be observed wild in some countries of South America.

It reaches up to 60 centimeters and weighs around 600 grams. Its bill is bright yellow, its feathers are brown and its head is black. It feeds on seeds and vegetables.

Olive ridley turtle

Olive ridley turtles are a species that inhabits the coasts of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its appearance in the coasts of Colombia diminished gradually until not being more due to the furtive hunting and the taking of its eggs.

It is estimated that he can live 35 years on average. These migratory animals feed on crabs, shrimp, lobsters, fish and invertebrates.

Ashtray

Also known as migratory lagoon, it is a bird usually seen in North America. Its disappearance from Colombia was gradual and, to date, has not been observed wildly in recent years.

It reaches 53 centimeters, its feathers are gray and the tips of its wings are black. It lives in the marshy areas, feeds on birds and small reptiles and is in a state of conservation in the countries of the northern hemisphere.

Giant otter

This specimen can only be found in Colombia in captivity, since it is extinct in a wild way and only 60 specimens are kept under government care at the Cali Zoo.

The animal reaches up to 1.7 meters and it is a social animal, because it develops in large groups. His threat was imminent and began in 1950 because of the hunt to obtain his velvety skin.

References

  1. CNN Español (2017) Confirm that the only Colombian bird in the world has become extinct. CNN Spanish Colombia. Recovered from cnnespanol.com
  2. Daniels, R. (2017) Extinct animals in the Amazon Rainforest. Sciencing. Recovered from sciencing.com
  3. Dell'amore (2014) Species Extinction Happening 1,000 times Faster Because of Humans? National Geographic Retrieved from news.nationalgeographic.com
  4. El Tiempo (2009) The gold-tipped ducks are today an extinct species. Archive The Time. Recovered from eltiempo.com
  5. Government of Colombia (s.f.) Colombia studies the current state of the giant otter. Environment and sustainable development. Recovered from minambiente.gov.co
  6. ICESI (s.f.) Lagunero Migratorio. Birds of Colombia. Recovered from icesi.edu.co
  7. ICESI (s.f.) Pico de Oro duck. Birds of Colombia. Recovered from icesi.edu.co
  8. KYENYKE (2014) In Colombia 359 wild species are in danger of extinction. KYENYKE. Retrieved from kyenyke.com


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