This is a list of Antillian and Bermudan 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. This list includes the Antilles archipelago and the Bermuda Islands, collectively known as the West Indies.
The indigenous fauna of the West Indies collapsed in the Late Quaternary, with the rate of extinction for terrestrial mammals approaching 79-84%, one of the highest in the world. However, in stark contrast to the American continent, radiocarbon dating indicates that mammals survived the end of the Pleistocene with no apparent, or minimal losses despite localized sea level rise and climate change. The same actually caused some bird extirpations and extinctions on the Bahamas, however.
The indigenous peoples of the Caribbean arrived in the middle Holocene and introduced guinea pigs, agoutis, and Native American dogs. While they accelerated the process, it was still not to the extent predicted by the "blitzkrieg" model of Pleistocene extinctions. For example, Caribbean sloths coexisted with humans for up to 400 years, even the largest species, which might indicate that they weren't commonly hunted. Some rodents, like the Puerto Rican hutia and Desmarest's hutia, and even flightless birds like the Antillean cave rail adapted well to human predation and were introduced to new islands by humans. European colonization, beginning with the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, brought in Old World rats, mice, domestic animals, and large-scale deforestation that eradicated many of the native animals and those introduced by indigenous peoples alike. The most recent extinctions happened after the late 19th century, following the introduction of the small Indian mongoose for rat control.
Many extinction dates are unknown due to a lack of relevant information.
Anteaters and sloths (order Pilosa)
Antillian sloths (family Megalocnidae)
Rodents (order Rodentia)
Neotropical spiny rats (family Echimyidae)
Possibly extinct
Hamsters, voles, lemmings, muskrats, and New World rats and mice (family Cricetidae)
Primates (order Primates)
Titis, sakis, and uakaris (family Pitheciidae)
True insectivores (order Eulipotyphla)
West Indies shrews (family Nesophontidae)
Mustached, ghost-faced, and naked-backed bats (family Mormoopidae)
Locally extinct
Locally extinct
Carnivorans (order Carnivora)
Earless seals (family Phocidae)
Birds (class Aves)
Typical nightjars (family Caprimulgidae)
Possibly extinct
Swifts, treeswifts, and hummingbirds (order Apodiformes)
Pigeons and doves (family Columbidae)
Rails and cranes (order Gruiformes)
Cranes (family Gruidae)
Locally extinct
Thick-knees (family Burhinidae)
Locally extinct
Possibly extinct
Petrels and shearwaters (family Procellariidae)
Possibly extinct
Pelicans, herons, and ibises (order Pelecaniformes)
Locally extinct
New World vultures and condors (family Cathartidae)
Hawks, eagles, kites, harriers and Old World vultures (family Accipitridae)
Locally extinct
True owls (family Strigidae)
Possibly extinct
Barn-owls (family Tytonidae)
Falcons and caracaras (family Falconidae)
Locally extinct
Woodpeckers and allies (order Piciformes)
Woodpeckers (family Picidae)
Possibly extinct
Holotropical parrots (family Psittacidae)
Possibly extinct
Crows and relatives (family Corvidae)
Locally extinct
Possibly extinct
Possibly extinct
New World blackbirds (family Icteridae)
New World sparrows (family Passerellidae)
Thrushes (family Turdidae)
Tyrant flycatchers (family Tyrannidae)
Locally extinct
New World warblers (family Parulidae)
Possibly extinct
Reptiles (class Reptilia)
Crocodilians (order Crocodilia)
Locally extinct
Squamates (order Squamata)
Whiptails (family Teiidae)
Possibly extinct
Curly-tailed lizards (family Leiocephalidae)
Possibly extinct
Iguanas and chuckwallas (family Iguanidae)
Possibly extinct
Boas (family Boidae)
Colubrid snakes (family Colubridae)
Possibly extinct
Possibly extinct
Turtles and tortoises (order Testudines)
Amphibians (class Amphibia)
Frogs (order Anura)
Possibly extinct
Insects (class Insecta)
Swallowtail butterflies (family Papilionidae)
Bark lice, book lice, and parasitic lice (order Psocodea)
Bird body lice (family Menoponidae)
Possibly extinct
Bird chewing lice (family Philopteridae)
Possibly extinct
Slugs and snails (class Gastropoda)
Plants (kingdom Plantae)
Ladyferns and allies (family Athyriaceae)
Extinct in the wild
Flowering plants (clade Angiospermae)
Extinct in the wild
Coffee trees and relatives (family Rubiaceae)
Rues and citrus trees (family Rutaceae)
Possibly extinct
See also
Notes
References