Which of the following species of animals are now extinct:
(A) Dodo from Mauritius
(B) Thylacine from Australia
(C) Quagga from Africa
(D) Steller's sea cow from Russia
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (A), (B), (C) and (D)
A species is extinct when no living member of it is left anywhere on earth. Many extinctions of the last 500 years were caused by humans.
(A) Dodo from Mauritius — Correct. The dodo was a large bird that could not fly. It lived only on the island of Mauritius and was hunted out.
(B) Thylacine from Australia — Correct. The thylacine, or Tasmanian wolf, was a marsupial that hunted other animals. It is now extinct.
(C) Quagga from Africa — Correct. The quagga was a relative of the zebra with stripes only on the front of its body. It was hunted until none were left.
(D) Steller’s sea cow from Russia — Correct. It was a large sea mammal. It was lost through over-exploitation by humans, one of the causes of biodiversity loss.
Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2026 on 31-05-2026 (Slot 2) and on 25-05-2026 (Slot 2).
NCERT Extract:
Loss of Biodiversity – “While it is doubtful if any new species are being added (through speciation) into the earth’s treasury of species, there is no doubt about their continuing losses. The biological wealth of our planet has been declining rapidly and the accusing finger is clearly pointing to human activities. The colonisation of tropical Pacific Islands by humans is said to have led to the extinction of more than 2,000 species of native birds. The IUCN Red List (2004) documents the extinction of 784 species (including 338 vertebrates, 359 invertebrates and 87 plants) in the last 500 years. Some examples of recent extinctions include the dodo (Mauritius), quagga (Africa), thylacine (Australia), Steller’s Sea Cow (Russia) and three subspecies (Bali, Javan, Caspian) of tiger.”