There have been no confirmed sightings of the
Caribbean monk seal, also known as the West Indian
monk seal, since 1952. The species is thought to
have originally inhabited the beaches, cays and
reefs of the Caribbean, including at least the
Greater Antilles, the northern Lesser Antilles,
the Bahamas, the northeastern coasts of Central
America, Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and the
Florida Keys. The last remaining colony is
believed to have been at Seranilla Bank, halfway
between Nicaragua and Jamaica.
The Caribbean monk seal was hunted for its
blubber, to make oil, and for its meat ever since
Western ships explored the area, Columbus' ship
itself killing eight 'sea wolves' in 1495. Hunting
was carried out both on an opportunistic basis by
local fishermen as well as on a commercial basis.
There are accounts of people surviving shipwrecks
by feeding on Caribbean monk seals. The seals were
said to be very unaggressive and sensitive to
disturbance, both of which were probably also
factors in the species' demise.
Once abundant in North America, the passenger
pigeon became extinct in 1914 as a result of
extensive hunting and loss of habitat. This
specimen is from a museum in Saskatchewan,
Canada.
Passenger Pigeon, common name for an extinct
migratory bird belonging to the pigeon family. A
native of the eastern half of North America from
Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, it wintered in the
southern part of its range and bred in the north,
from Nova Scotia west to Montana and Saskatchewan.
It was slate blue on the back and head, with a
russet breast and white abdomen. The female's
colors were more muted.
At the beginning of the 19th century millions
of passenger pigeons migrated north in the spring
in flocks large enough to darken the sky. When the
flock arrived at a nesting site, the first day or
two was spent in pairing. A male displayed with a
circular nodding movement of the head and tried to
hook its neck over a female's neck. If the female
was receptive, the pair began to build a nest of
sticks on which the female laid one white egg.
Both male and female shared in incubating the egg
(13 days) and feeding the young (15-17 days). For
the first week the squabs were fed only pigeon's
milk, produced in the crops of both parents. The
young grew very fast, fledged in 14 days, and
became independent a few days later. The adults
fed on the ground and in trees or shrubs on
beechnuts, acorns, seeds, berries, and
invertebrates. Most calls of the passenger pigeon
were harsh, loud variations of a loud "keck,"
repeated and modulated according to the message.
It also uttered a soft "coo."
The first settlers to move west found the
passenger pigeons an endless source of meat, fat,
and feathers. In the 1850s the railroads began to
extend their tracks westward; as a result, the
birds could be shipped directly to city markets
before they spoiled. Many persons became
professional pigeon hunters. By 1880 the decrease
in numbers had become irreversible. Some efforts
were made to breed passenger pigeons in captivity,
but with little success. The last passenger pigeon
died in the Cincinnati Zoological Garden in
1914.
Scientific classification: The passenger pigeon
belongs to the family Columbidae in the order of
Columbiformes. It is classified as Ectopistes
migratorius.
