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Highlighted Article: Quaggas

Quaggas in the process of being revived after extinction

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The unique stunning beauty of the quagga was snuffed out in the late 1800s. The Quagga Project is working to bring them back to life. The above photos are thought to be of the only live quagga specimen to ever be photographed. Take note of the distinguishing pattern across its body. The front half offers the handsome shock of a design similar to a zebra, but as seamlessly as the stripes guide your eyes across this noble creature, the pattern appears to fade into a relaxed, modest horse-like texture. Equus quagga quagga , or simply the quagga, is an extinct animal. They were hunted to death by Dutch settlers and Afrikaners in South Africa for their meat or skins. The only remnants of this majestic species were the photographs seen above, 23 skins and paintings of the alluring beast in all its glory. Painting of a quagga by Nichola s Mar écage, 1793 Quaggas are thought to have been 257cm long and 130cm tall at the shoulder, slightly smaller than zebras. They had zebra-like brown and ...

Mosasaurus

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  One of the largest aquatic reptiles gone extinct. Mosasaurus is a species of aquatic reptile that lived 82 to 66 million years ago. The first fossils of the Mosasaurus were first recorded in the late 1700s, and were initially believed to be the bones of crocodiles or whales. These fossils were further examined in 1808 by Georges Cuvier, and concluded to belong to a giant marine lizard. Mosasaurus are estimated to have a maximum length of 17.6 meters (average human male height is 1.7m). The jaws have dozens of large teeth along with powerful muscles to take down their prey. This predator has a poor sense of smell, but makes up for this fault with its extraordinary vision. Found fossils of this predator suggest that the  Mosasaurus inhabited much of the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seaways. Scientists think that the diet of the  Mosasaurus includes bony fish, sharks, cephalopods, birds, sea turtles and other m osasaurs. The dominant mosasaurs went extinct due to the K...

The Thylacine

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One of the largest carnivorous marsupials declared extinct in 1936. The Tasmanian Tiger, has generally very similar appearance to a medium-sized dog. The distinguishing characteristics of this marsupial are the dark stripes on its lower back and the famous kangaroo-like abdominal pouch. These dark stripes earn this carnivore the name The Tasmanian Tiger, as the same stripes are seen on the traditional Tiger. The Thylacine was native to Tasmania. Thylacinus cynocephalus was an apex predator of Tasmania, and like many other species, has gone extinct due to humans. Excessive hunting and destruction of habitats greatly contributed to the extinction of the Tasmanian Tiger. Tasmanian Tiger being hunted. The Thylacine is believed to have hunted and feed on kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, and other birds and small animals. Furthermore, many believed that the Tasmanian Tiger also preyed upon sheep and poultry and during the 20th century was described as a blood drinker. The last captive...