Top 10 Most Amazing Extinct Land Animals

In this initial post of the many to come most amazing extinct animals, we will start off with probably the most difficult to pull category which is from land animals, yes, you read this right, we are inviting you to discuss the most amazing extinct land animals, on earth obviously, we'll provide the list of 10 of the animals in those category based on so many factors, including how long they have lived in the past, how complex their fossil are, how huge they are, and many more. As for how you could participate in this is by telling us what you think about the list that we are about to begin here through the comment box just below, and to help us rank these animals please cast a vote in our poll which is also available in the end of this post.

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Most Amazing Extinct Land Animals Tyrannosaurus Rex

Tyrannosaurus Rex Model

Tyrannosaurus Rex Fossil

This is unquestionably the most amazing extinct animal, well, at least it's the most famous if not the most amazing, Tyrannosaurus Rex is an animal whose fossil remains are known to school children and adults from all parts of the world as the most fearsome predator that ever walked on the planet earth. Standing about 40 feet in length, with a massive head and jaws that could have eaten an adult man in a single bite, just by looking or probably thinking of this creature will make you think twice to travel to Cretaceous Period for real.

Irish Deer (The Irish Elk)

Most Amazing Extinct Land Animals Irish Deer

Irish Deer Fossil

The Irish Elk was the largest deer that ever lived. Its home was Eurasia, from Ireland into the lakes at Baikal, and it lived during the Pleistocen area. The last of the giant deer died out about 7 thousand years ago. 

The cause of their extinction has remained to be discussed focusing on the antlers (rather than on their overall body size), which may be due more to their impact on the observer than any actual property. Some have suggested hunting by man was a contributing factor in the demise of the Irish Elk as it was with many prehistoric megafauna. But evidence for overhunting is equivocal, and as a continental species, it would have co-evolved with humans throughout its existence and presumably have adapted to their presence. Imagine if this giant elk as one of the most amazing extinct land animals still exist?

Golden Toad

Most Amazing Extinct Land Animals Golden Toad

It was a beauty and eye catchy creature as we walk our way through the forest, that is the major reason of why this is considered as one of the most amazing extinct land animals. Its first record of was by herpetologist Jay Savage in 1966. The Golden Toad, recognized by its brilliant golden orange color, was native to the tropical cloud forests which surround Monteverde, Costa Rica. None have been seen since 1989. It last bred in normal numbers in 1987, and its breeding sites were well known. In 1987, due to erratic weather, the pools dried up before the larva had matured. Out of potential 30,000 toads, only 29 had survived. In 1988, only eight males and two females could be located. In 1989, a single male was found, this was the last record of the species. Extensive searches since this time have failed to produce any more records of the golden toad.

Woolly Mammoth

Most Amazing Extinct Land Animals Woolly Mammoth

The woolly mammoth was one of several species of mammoth, the earliest of which were probably small and amphibious creatures living in North Africa until about three million years ago. Woot!!! Three million years ago, ffuih... That is why this hairy creature is one of the most amazing extinct land animals. To discuss more, the woolly mammoth, one of the smaller mammoth species was believed have migrated to North America across the Bering Land Bridge sometime during late Pleistocene. The last of the woolly mammoths died out at the end of the last ice age, about ten thousand years ago.

Caspian Tiger

Most Amazing Extinct Land Animals Caspian Tiger

Caspian Tiger Drawings

The Caspian tiger or Persian tiger was the westernmost subspecies of tiger, found in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Caucasus, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan until it apparently became extinct in the 1970s. Of all the tigers known to the world, the Caspian tiger was the third largest. 

The body of this species was quite stocky and elongated with strong legs, big wide paws and unusually large claws. The ears were short and small, and gave the appearance of being without hair on the tips. Around the cheeks the Caspian tiger was generously furred and the rest of its fur was long and thick. The colouration resembled that of the Bengal tiger. Male Caspian tigers were very large and weighed 169-240 kg. Females were not as large, weighing 85-135 kg. There are still occasional claims of the Caspian tiger being sighted. Let's hope, and hope is the reason we include this as one of the most amazing extinct land animals.

Pyrenean Ibex

Most Amazing Extinct Land Animals Pyrenean Ibex

The Pyrenean Ibex has one of the more interesting stories among extinct animals, since it was the first species to ever be brought back into existence via cloning, only to go extinct again just seven minutes after being born due to lung failure. Too bad, right? If not for the incident then we could have not see this animal on this most amazing extinct land animals list, as it will be still living on earth. 

As for its history, the Pyrenean Ibex was native to the Pyrenees, a mountain range in Andorra, France and Spain. It was still abundant in the fourteenth century. Its population declined due to a “slow but continuous persecution” and disappeared from the French Pyrenees and the eastern Cantabrian mountain range by the mid-nineteenth century. In 1981, the population was reported to be 30. At the end of the 1980′s the population size was estimated at 6-14 individuals. The last naturally born Pyrenean Ibex, named Celia, died on January 6th, 2000, after being found dead under a fallen tree at the age of 13. That animal’s only companion had died just a year earlier due to old age. It might be too late for us, but let's hope that them researchers give another try in trying to clone any animals that have the potential.

Cave Lion

Most Amazing Extinct Land Animals Cave Lion

Cave Lion Fossil

The cave lion, also known as the European or Eurasian cave lion, is an extinct subspecies of lion known from fossils and a wide variety of prehistoric art. This subspecies was one of the largest lions. An adult male, which was found in 1985 near Siegsdorf (Germany), had a shoulder height of around 1.2 m and a length of 2.1 m without a tail, which is about the same size as a very big modern lion. This male was even exceeded by other specimens of this subspecies. Therefore this cat may have been around 5-10% bigger than modern lions. It apparently went extinct about 10,000 years ago, during the Würm glaciation, though there are some indications it may have existed as recently as 2,000 years ago, in the Balkans. This time "big" is the reason we include this special cat on this list.

Quagga

Most Amazing Extinct Land Animals Quagga

Living Quagga

The quagga is a mammal that was very closely related to modern horses and zebras. The fact is, it looks like a cross between a horse and a zebra, with stripes only on its head and neck that disappear as they approach the brownish hindquarters of the animal. How insane was that, you might think "Can we breed a horse and a zebra to re-live this quagga again?" Well, where there is will there is hope, and once again hope is the reason this is one of the most amazing extinct land animals on earth. 

The quagga was native to desert areas of South Africa until it was hunted to extinction in the 1870s. Because of the confusion caused by the indiscriminate use of the term “Quagga” for any zebra, the true Quagga was hunted to extinction without this being realized until many years later. The Quagga became extinct because it was ruthlessly hunted down for meat and leather by South African farmers, also they were seen by the settlers as competitors, like other wild grass eating animals, for their livestock, mainly sheep and goats.

Aurochs

Most Amazing Extinct Land Animals Aurochs

Aurochs Drawings

One of Europe's most famous extinct animals, the aurochs  were a very large type of cattle. Aurochs evolved in India some two million years ago, migrated into the Middle East and further into Asia, and reached Europe about 250,000 years ago. 

By the 13th century A.D., the aurochs' range was restricted to Poland, Lithuania, Moldavia, Transylvania and East Prussia. The right to hunt large animals on any land was restricted to nobles and gradually to the royal household. But mostly because of that, sooner or later the last recorded live aurochs, a female, died in 1627 in the Jaktorów Forest, Poland. The skull was later taken by the Swedish Army and is now the property of Livrustkammaren in Stockholm.  

In the 1920s two German zookeepers, the brothers Heinz and Lutz Heck, attempted to breed the aurochs back into existence from the domestic cattle that were their descendants. Their plan was based on the conception that a species is not extinct as long as all its genes are still present in a living population. The result is the breed called Heck Cattle, 'Recreated Aurochs', or 'Heck Aurochs', which bears an incomplete resemblance to what is known about the physiology of the wild aurochs. Unique right? I believe you know that is the reason.

Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger)

Most Amazing Extinct Land Animals Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger)

Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger) In a Cage

It was 1936 when the last Thylacine took its final breath in Hobart Zoo, Tasmania. Extremely rare if not extinct on the Australian mainland by the time of European colonisation, the Thylacine survived on the island of Tasmania alongside close cousins like the Tasmanian Devil. There, this distinctive, large-jawed beast found itself with a price on its head, as settlers blamed it for attacks on their sheep. The Thylacine was hunted to extinction by bounty hunters and farmers. Now that they are long gone, so many people wanted them to come back, all because it is extinct, common reason to put them on this list as one of the most amazing extinct land animals like so many other similar list they were in, so many to say the least.

Now that we have done our part by completing and publishing this list of most amazing extinct land animals on earth, it is time for you readers to also take part by casting a vote in the poll we provided to help us in better ranking these animals, so that it could makes everyone happy with the results.