Home » What We Have Lost…

As you read through this list, please consider the literally hundreds and hundreds of species that are currently endangered and at risk of being lost forever.

We may not, unfortunately, give something like a ‘Black Bog Ant’ a second thought, but when we realise that the majestic Suffolk Punch breed is almost extinct – hopefully that will make more people take notice.

We hear about species such as the Giant Panda being almost extinct – but consider there are only around the same number of Shire Horses, or Suffolk Punch Horses, as there are Giant Panda left in the world!

‘Here is a list of 100 British animal species that have become extinct (or almost) in the past 100-150 years, based on available records. This includes a variety of mammals, birds, insects, and marine species:

Mammals:

  1. European grey wolf (Canis lupus lupus) – extinct in the 20th century
  2. Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) – extinct by 1900​
  3. Brown bear (Ursus arctos) – extinct before 1900 but included for context​
  4. Wild boar (Sus scrofa) – went extinct but has been reintroduced​
  5. European beaver (Castor fiber) – extinct in the wild but reintroduced
  6. Sea mink (Neovison macrodon) – extinct globally.
  7. Red deer (local populations in some regions were extirpated)​

Birds:

  1. Great auk (Pinguinus impennis) – extinct globally in 1844​
  2. Slender-billed curlew (Numenius tenuirostris) – globally critically endangered, last UK sightings before extinction.
  3. Red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio) – functionally extinct in the UK​
  4. Cirl bunting (Emberiza cirlus) – extirpated from most of the UK, small populations remain​
  5. Large copper butterfly (Lycaena dispar) – extinct in Britain by 1860​
  6. Black-billed magpie (Pica pica hudsonia) – some subspecies extinct
  7. White-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) – extinct in the UK but reintroduced​
  8. Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus) – extinct in Britain​
  9. Corncrake (Crex crex) – disappeared from much of Britain​
  10. Bittern (Botaurus stellaris) – once extinct in the UK, but successfully reintroduced​

Fish:

  1. Sturgeon (Acipenser sturio) – extinct in UK rivers​
  2. Burbot (Lota lota) – extinct in British rivers by the 1970s​
  3. Allis shad (Alosa alosa) – virtually extinct in UK waters​

Invertebrates:

  1. Large blue butterfly (Maculinea arion) – extinct but reintroduced​
  2. Black-veined white butterfly (Aporia crataegi) – extinct in Britain
  3. New Forest cicada (Cicadetta montana) – presumed extinct​
  4. High brown fritillary butterfly (Argynnis adippe) – critically endangered, possibly extinct in some regions​
  5. Dingy skipper butterfly (Erynnis tages) – regionally extinct in some areas​
  6. Rockingham forest cricket (Nemobius sylvestris) – presumed extinct​
  7. Fen raft spider (Dolomedes plantarius) – near extinction but reintroduced​
  8. Heath fritillary butterfly (Melitaea athalia) – near extinction in some regions
  9. Pashford pot beetle (Cryptocephalus exiguus) – extinct​
  10. Narrow-mouthed whorl snail (Vertigo angustior) – endangered, nearly extinct​
  11. Black bog ant (Formica candida) – extinct in Britain​
  12. Glanville fritillary (Melitaea cinxia) – extinct in mainland UK​

Amphibians:

  1. Pool frog (Pelophylax lessonae) – extinct but reintroduced​
  2. Natterjack toad (Epidalea calamita) – nearly extinct in some parts of Britain​
  3. Great crested newt (Triturus cristatus) – endangered but still surviving​

Marine Species:

  1. Atlantic grey whale (Eschrichtius robustus) – extinct in British waters​
  2. Common skate (Dipturus batis) – critically endangered, almost extinct
  3. Angel shark (Squatina squatina) – critically endangered, nearly extinct in British waters​
  4. Thick-billed guillemot (Uria lomvia) – extinct in the British Isles​
  5. Blue skate (Dipturus flossada) – critically endangered, virtually extinct​

Reptiles:

  1. Sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) – near extinction but reintroduced in parts of the UK​
  2. Smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) – endangered, on the verge of extinction in Britain​
  3. Adder (Vipera berus) – critically endangered in some regions​

Other Extinct or Critically Endangered Species:

  1. Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) – eradicated from Britain​
  2. Lesser white-toothed shrew (Crocidura suaveolens) – locally extinct in Britain​
  3. Reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) – near extinction in some parts of Britain
  4. Bearded tit (Panurus biarmicus) – rare, nearly extinct in the UK​

Extinct Domesticated Breeds:

  1. Norfolk Horn sheep – extinct as a purebred​
  2. British white cattle – rare and nearly extinct
  3. Lincoln Red cattle (original strain) – extinct​
  4. Shire horse (original breed) – almost extinct
  5. Suffolk Punch horse – critically endangered, near extinction​

The majority of the species listed were driven to extinction due to habitat loss, hunting, climate change, and industrialization. Conservation efforts have helped to reintroduce some of these species, but many others remain gone forever from British landscapes​.’  [Source: ChatGPT referencing (Wikipedia)​(Natural England)​(Wildlife Trusts)​(BSBI Archive)]