Dodo

The dodo was a flightless bird that lived on islands near the Indian Ocean.  It became extinct in the late 17^th century and is blamed on human activity.  The dodo which is closely related to pigeons and doves were about 9 inches tall and had a bill with a hooked point.  The birds weighed 50 pounds which is the main reason they were unable to fly.  Since most of them lived on islands there were no natural predators.  The birds ate large amounts of fruits during the wet season because there was very little food during the dry season.  When humans arrived on the island s they brought dogs pigs and monkeys which plunder there nest.  Humans also began cutting down the forest where the birds lived.

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Lesser Bilby

The Lesser Bilby was a rabbit like marsupial that lived in Central Australia.  The Lesser Bilby when fully grown were about the size of a small rabbit and were light brown in color with a white tail..  They ate termites, ants, and roots.  They burrowed into the ground usually 2 to three meters deep and closed the entrance with loose sand so they could sleep without the danger of being attacked.  They were killed off by fur trapping, foxes and competition from rabbits for a limited food source.

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Steller’s Sea Cow

Steller’s Sea cow was a large mammal that lived near the waters of the Bering Sea.  The sea cow grew up to a length of 26 feet long and weighed around 6,000 pounds which is much larger than the manatee.  The sea cow discovered by Georg Steller in 1741, he described them as looking like a large seal.  There diet consisted of mainly kelp and algae and they had no teeth and due to their massive size were very slow swimmers.  When they were discovered in 1741, there was believed to have been only 1500 remaining and were in danger of becoming extinct.  They were all quickly killed from sailors and fur traders around 1768 just a few years after their discovery.

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Labrador Duck

The Labrador Duck was a black and white duck that lived in North America.  They fed primarily on small mollusks.  Unlike most ducks today the Labrador Duck’s beak was wide with a flattened tip used for eating mollusks.  The Labradors extinction is blamed on hunting and primarily the decline in mollusks and muscles.  It is believed many of ducks could find enough food to survive through the winter.  It is believed to have gone extinct in 1878 becoming the first bird to go extinct in North America after 1500 AD.

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