Animals Extinct In Spain
The extinct animals in Spain are of many curious species, and some of them even unknown. The interest in these extinct animals aims to reintroduce them into our ecosystems, especially those that disappeared recently.
The Official State Gazette has already cited a list of several extinct animals in Spain: there are 32 species, including flora and fauna, that have disappeared from the forests and seas that surround the Iberian Peninsula.
This list is not simply intended to mention the extinct animals in Spain . This would be the first step to plan reintroductions of these animals in their former natural habitats.
The list also does not include all extinct species in Spain, such as the beaver. Probably only those species whose former range, habitat and disappearance circumstances are clearly known are included.
According to those responsible for the initiative, this list was approved according to criteria that should regulate the introduction of these species.
Although most species are flora, there are many striking species, such as the legendary Eurasian lynx.
Extinct animals in Spain: the Mediterranean monk seal
Perhaps one of the most striking species on this list is the Mediterranean monk seal ( Monachus monachus ). This pinniped is in grave danger of extinction worldwide.
The monk seal could be found all over the Mediterranean coast, although during the 20th century it was expelled from most of the territory. In the 1950s, the heyday of the Costa Brava limited them to the Balearic Islands.
It is known that the last specimens of the Balearic monk seal were hunted in 1958. The extinction in the Canary Islands happened much earlier, as during the conquest of the islands, they were hunted for their skin and meat.
Unfortunately, the few specimens that live in Greece, Turkey or Madeira only form stable colonies, as their populations are very dispersed.
On the Cabo Branco peninsula , off the coast of Mauritania, is the last large colony, with 200 specimens. That’s one third of the world’s monk seals.
On the Spanish coast, few seals have been seen on Majorca in recent years. Currently, however, it can be considered one of the extinct animals in Spain. There is the intention to start in the Canary Islands, in 2020, an experimental release.
Will large cetaceans be reintroduced?
The exploitation of the Basque whalers and even the Roman ones is related to the extinct whales on the Spanish coasts.
Probably the most important of all is the glacial right whale, also known as the basque whale.
The sight of blue whales in Galicia opened the way for other large cetaceans to begin to forgive us for hunting whales.
They are returning to their old migratory routes, confident that we will do them no harm. This, however, will be a slow process that cannot be accelerated.
Extinct animals in Spain: another species of lynx?
Of the four species of lynx, Spain was one of the few places where you could see them all. The Eurasian lynx can be three times the size of the Iberian lynx, as it can weigh up to 30 kilos.
Formerly, the European lynx inhabited places like the Catalan Pyrenees, Asturias and the Basque Country. This has always been a legendary animal, but in 2015, its presence in Spain was confirmed just 400 years ago. This also confirmed that this is one of the extinct animals in Spain.
The Eurasian lynx is not only larger in size, but also has wider legs and thick fur, which allows it to withstand low temperatures.
Therefore, it is even distributed in the Himalayas. This animal can kill deer, unlike the Iberian lynx.
The return of the birds
It’s not just mammals who want to return to the Iberian Peninsula. Among the extinct animals in Spain are birds of prey such as the impressive white-tailed eagle, which is only found in northern Europe, and which may have been bred in the Balearic Islands.
Another of the air hunters who could return is the lanario falcon, which reproduced in the marshes of the Guadalquivir River in the mid-19th century. But they have been seen closer to Spain, especially in the Straits of Gibraltar.
Other animals extinct in Spain are the indescribable hazel partridge, the Greek partridge, the turnicidae and the lyre rooster, species with which reintroduction projects could be initiated. We hope to see some of these amazing animals back soon.
