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(#2) Mexican Grizzly Bear
Mexican grizzly bears were once native to northern Mexico, along with parts of Arizona and New Mexico. The brown bears were slightly smaller than other North American grizzlies, and sported golden or silvery coats. Cattle ranchers considered them pests and indiscriminately dispatched the grizzlies to maintain their land.
Though eventually named a protected species, many researchers believe the bears all went extinct by 1969.
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(#11) Xerces Blue Butterfly
This small invertebrate species was native to the coastal area of San Francisco, but the last wild specimen was seen in 1941. The Xerces is the first butterfly species in America to become extinct due to urbanization and human encroachment on their habitat.
Today, a non-profit called the Xerces Society draws attention to invertebrates that might otherwise slowly fade into history.
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(#10) Salish Woolly Dog
The Salish woolly dog served a unique purpose for the Coast Salish tribes of the Pacific Northwest, including Washington and British Columbia. It possessed fur similar to a sheep's wool, and the dogs went through a yearly shearing process. Their "wool" was often mixed with mountain goat fibers and used to weave blankets.
The breed eventually went out of existence in the 1900s, but recent DNA tests prove the oral history of dog hair being used to make blankets is true.
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(#3) Carolina Parakeet
- Organism Classification
Carolina parakeets are considered America's only native parrot species. The small, colorful birds were once native to the Southeastern US, and extremely plentiful at that. Populations ranged from Colorado to New York, but the parakeets were especially abundant in Florida, Georgia, and along the coasts of North and South Carolina.
By 1918, the last captive Carolina parakeet died at the Cincinnati Zoo. Scientists remain unsure about what caused their extinction.
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(#7) Hare Indian Dog
The Hare Indian dog was one of several breeds raised by First Nations tribes that are now extinct. Experts believe the Hare Indian dog was a type of "coydog" (a coyote crossbred with a domestic dog), or possibly a domesticated breed of the coyote. They were a medium-sized, long-haired canine used by the Northern Canadian Hare tribe for hunting.
As traditional methods of hunting phased out and the breed began to mix with other domestic dogs, the Hare Indian dog slowly disappeared in the 1800s.
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(#4) Caribbean Monk Seal
- Organism Classification
The Caribbean monk seal, which ranged throughout the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, is the first species of seal believed to become extinct explicitly because of humans. Hunters poached the seals as they rested and nursed on beaches, and the last confirmed Caribbean monk seal sighting occurred in 1952.
They only officially received extinction status in 2008, however, more than 50 years later. The Caribbean monk seal was the only species of seal native to the region.
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Due to its vast territory and numerous geographical features, the United States has almost all climate types in the world. There are more than 17,000 native plants and tree species, and California alone has 5,000 species. There are unique animals living from the tropics to the Arctic, the animals in the United States are the most diverse in the world.
The random tool lists 13 animals that only Americans would have seen, such as the Bald Eagle, which is the national bird of the United States and a symbol of freedom, has only been found in North America. Welcome the share this interesting collection with friends.
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