Colonization

The discovery of the Americas by Columbus in 1492 initiated a period of rapid colonization in which peoples discovered and colonized new lands. Species such as the Dodo, Steller’s Sea Cow, and Passenger Pigeon went extinct as a result of over-hunting by colonizers, while many other species, including 50% of Hawaii’s birds, disappeared from competition by invasive species and predation by human-brought rats, snakes and cats.

Toward the end of this period, however, human consciousness about animals and extinction began to change. This led to the saving of species including the America Buffalo which was on the brink of extinction from over-hunting. Beginning most aggressively around the 15th Century and with many civilizations preceding Western explorations, humans have been responsible for the loss of countless species as a result of colonizations on a global level.

Image	Species	Date Extinct	Geographic Region	Cause of Extinction
	Dodo	1681 AD	Mauritius	Invasive Species
	Steller’s Sea Cow	1768 AD	North Pacific Ocean	Overhunting
	Domed Rodrigues Giant Tortoise	1802 AD	Mascarene Islands	Overhunting & Invasive Species
	Black Moma	1907 AD	Hawaii	Invasive Species
	Quagga	1883 AD	South Africa	Overhunting
	Bubal Hartebeest	1923 AD	Northern Africa	Overhunting
	Passenger Pigeon	1914 AD	North America	Overhunting and Habitat Destruction
	Tasmanian Tiger	1936 AD	Australia	Overhunting
	Japanese Sea Lion	1950 AD	Sea of Japan	Overhunting