List of extinct animals of the British Isles - wikipedia List of extinct animals of the British Isles Jump to : navigation , search This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . ( May 2013 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message ) See also : List of endangered species of the British Isles This is a list of extinct animals of the British Isles . Only a small number of these are globally extinct , most famously the Irish elk , great auk and woolly mammoth . Most of the remainder survive to some extent outside the islands . The list includes introduced species only in cases where they were able to form self - sustaining colonies for a time . Only species extinct since Great Britain was separated from mainland Europe are included . The date beside each species is the last date when a specimen was observed in the wild or , where this is not known , the approximate date of extinction . The list is complete for mammals , reptiles , freshwater fish and amphibians . Contents ( hide ) 1 Mammals 2 Birds 3 Fish 4 Amphibians 5 Reptiles 6 Insects 6.1 Beetles 6.2 Bees , wasps and ants 6.3 Flies 6.4 Butterflies and moths 6.5 Dragonflies and damselflies 6.6 Caddisflies 7 Crustaceans 7.1 Molluscs 7.1. 1 Land snails 8 Reintroduction and re-establishment 9 See also 10 References 11 Further reading Mammals ( edit ) Arctic lemming -- c. 8000 BC Arctic fox - c. ( unknown ) † Eurasian aurochs -- c. 1000 BC Barbary macaque - c. 30,000 BC † Cave bear -- c. 15,000 BC Coypu -- 1978 ( nonnative ) Elk Alces alces Eurasian beaver -- 1526 ( reintroduced ) Eurasian brown bear -- c. 1000 AD Eurasian lynx -- c . AD 400 Grey whale -- c. 598 BC Eurasian wolf -- AD 1680 in Britain , AD 1786 in Ireland † Irish elk -- c. 6000 BC Narrow - headed vole -- c. 8000 BC Steppe pika -- c. 8000 BC Root vole -- c. 1500 BC Saiga antelope -- c. 10,000 BC Steppe lemming -- c. 8000 BC † Tarpan -- c. 7000 BC Walrus -- c. 1000 BC ( Occasional Visitor ) Wild Boar -- c. 1400 ( Reintroduced ) Wisent -- c. 3000 BC Wolverine -- c. 6000 BC † Woolly mammoth -- c. 10,000 BC † Woolly rhinoceros -- c. 10,000 BC † Cave lion -- c. 10,000 BC † Scimitar cat - c. 30,000 BC † Cave hyena - c. 11,000 BC † European jaguar - c. ( unknown ) † European Ice Age leopard - c. 24,000 BC † European gazelle - c. ( unknown ) Birds ( edit ) Fea 's petrel -- Iron Age Dalmatian pelican -- c. 1000 BC Eurasian spoonbill -- 15th century ( re-established ) Little egret -- late medieval period ( re-established ) Osprey -- 1916 ( re-established ) White - tailed eagle -- 1916 ( reintroduced ) Western marsh harrier -- late 19th century ( re-established ) Northern goshawk -- late 19th century ( possibly reintroduced ) Western capercaillie -- 1780s ( reintroduced ) Great bustard -- 19th century ( reintroduced ) Common crane -- late medieval period ( now re-established ) Pied avocet -- 19th century ( re-established ) Kentish plover -- 20th century ( last breeding record 1979 ) † Great auk -- 1844 White stork -- 1416 Red - backed shrike -- 1989 ( as a regular breeding bird ) Wryneck ( as a regular breeding bird ) Fish ( edit ) † Houting Burbot Amphibians ( edit ) Agile frog -- c. 1000 AD Moor frog -- c. 1000 AD European tree frog -- 1986 Reptiles ( edit ) European pond terrapin -- ≤ 3000 BC Insects ( edit ) Beetles ( edit ) Agonum sahlbergi ( ground beetle ) -- 1914 Blue stag beetle -- 19th century Graphoderus bilineatus ( water beetle ) -- 1906 Harpalus honestus ( ground beetle ) -- 1905 Horned dung beetle -- 1957 Ochthebius aeneus ( water beetle ) -- 1913 Platydema violaceum ( tenebrionid ) -- 1957 Rhantus aberratus ( water beetle ) -- 1904 Scybalicus oblongiusculus ( ground beetle ) -- 1926 Teretrius fabricii ( histerid ) -- 1907 Bees , wasps and ants ( edit ) Andrena polita ( mining bee ) -- 1934 Bombus pomorum , apple bumblebee -- 1864 Bombus cullumanus , Cullum 's bumblebee -- 1941 Eucera tuberculata ( mining bee ) -- 1941 Halictus maculatus ( mining bee ) -- 1930 Mellinus crabroneus ( digger wasp ) -- c. 1950 Odynerus reniformis ( mason wasp ) -- 1915 Odynerus simillimus ( mason wasp ) -- 1905 Short - haired bumblebee -- 1989 Flies ( edit ) Merodon clavipes Butterflies and moths ( edit ) General reference : Waring et al. , 2009 . Aporia crataegi , black - veined white -- 1925 Borkhausenia minutella -- 1950 Conformist ( moth ) -- Euclemensia woodiella ( moth ) -- 1829 Flame brocade ( moth ) -- 1919 Frosted yellow ( moth ) -- 1914 Gypsy moth -- 1907 ; reappeared 1995 Isle of Wight wave ( moth ) -- 1931 Large chequered skipper -- c. 1989 ( non-native , Channel Islands ) Large copper -- 1865 Many - lined ( moth ) -- 1875 Map -- c. 1914 ( non-native ) Mazarine blue -- 1906 Orache moth -- 1915 Reed tussock ( moth ) -- 1875 Scarce black arches ( moth ) -- 1898 ( transitory resident ) Speckled beauty ( moth ) -- 1898 Union rustic ( moth ) -- 1919 Viper 's bugloss ( moth ) -- 1969 Dragonflies and damselflies ( edit ) Norfolk damselfly -- 1957 Orange - spotted emerald ( dragonfly ) -- 1957 Caddisflies ( edit ) Hydropsyche bulgaromanorum ( caddis fly ) -- 1926 Hydropsyche exocellata ( caddis fly ) -- 1901 Crustaceans ( edit ) Artemia salina ( brine shrimp ) -- after 1758 Molluscs ( edit ) Land snails ( edit ) Fruticicola fruticum Cernuella neglecta † -- Species is extinct worldwide Reintroduction and re-establishment ( edit ) Main article : Species reintroduction § United Kingdom The white - tailed eagle has been successfully re-established on the west coast of Scotland . Having clung on in parts of Wales , Red kites have been successfully re-established in parts of England and Scotland . Ongoing projects involve both these species : the corncrake into parts of England and Scotland , and the great bustard on Salisbury Plain . European beavers have been reintroduced to parts of Scotland , and there are plans to bring them back to other parts of Britain . A five - year trial reintroduction at Knapdale in Argyll started in 2009 and concluded in 2014 . A few hundred beavers live wild in the Tay river basin , as a result of escapes from a wildlife park . A similar reintroduction trial is being undertaken on the River Otter in Devon , England . In 2016 , beavers were recognised as a British native species , and will be protected under law . In 2008 , moose were released into a fenced reserve on the Alladale Estate in the Highlands of Scotland . Reindeer were re-established in 1952 ; approximately 150 -- 170 reindeer live around the Cairngorms region in Scotland . In 1998 , MAFF , now known as DEFRA released a report concerning the presence of two populations of wild boar living freely in the UK . These boar are thought to have escaped from wildlife parks , zoos and from farms where they are farmed for their meat , and gone on to establish breeding populations . The northern clade pool frog was reintroduced from Swedish stock in 2005 , to a single site in Norfolk , England , following detailed research to prove that it had been native prior to its extinction around 1993 . The large blue butterfly has been successfully re-established from Swedish stock at a number of sites , but few of these are open - access . There are also several successful cases of the establishment of new populations of heath fritillary . There have been calls for the reintroduction of the lynx , brown bear and grey wolf to the UK . See also ( edit ) List of mammals of the British Isles Extinct animals from the Isle of Man List of extinct animals of Europe Introduced species of the British Isles References ( edit ) Jump up ^ Yalden , Derek ( 1999 ) , History of British Mammals , London : T. & A.D. Poyser Ltd. , ISBN 0 - 85661 - 110 - 7 Jump up ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-21647421 Jump up ^ https://www.britishwildboar.org.uk/index.htm?britain.htm Jump up ^ `` The lost beasts that roamed Britain during the ice age '' . BBC . July 22 , 2015 . Retrieved 29 August 2017 . Jump up ^ Bill Teale ( 2016 - 09 - 17 ) . `` Birdwatch : Rare appearance from Kentish plover '' . Yorkshire Post . Retrieved 26 May 2017 . ^ Jump up to : Bumblebee superfacts , BugLife , retrieved January 23 , 2013 Jump up ^ Waring , P. ; et al. ( 2009 ) , Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland , Hook , Hampshire : British Wildlife Publishing , ISBN 0953139999 ; UK Moths , Ian Kimber https://ukmoths.org.uk/ , retrieved January 23 , 2013 Missing or empty title = ( help ) Jump up ^ Tilbury , Christine ( March 2007 ) , Gypsy Moth Advisory Note ( PDF ) , Forest Research : Tree Health Division , retrieved 6 February 2014 Jump up ^ `` Viper 's Bugloss Hadena irregularis -- UK Moths '' , UK Moths , Ian Kimber , retrieved January 23 , 2013 Jump up ^ Gilbert Van Stappen ( 1996 ) , `` Artemia '' , in Patrick Lavens & Patrick Sorgeloos , Manual on the Production and Use of Live Food for Aquaculture , FAO Fisheries Technical Paper , 361 , Rome : Food and Agriculture Organization , pp. 79 -- 106 , ISBN 978 - 92 - 5 - 103934 - 2 Jump up ^ Geoffrey Fryer ( 2006 ) , `` The brine shrimp 's tale : a topsy turvy evolutionary fable '' ( PDF ) , Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 88 ( 3 ) : 377 -- 382 , doi : 10.1111 / j. 1095 - 8312.2006. 00623. x Jump up ^ George Monbiot. `` 15 species that should be brought back to rewild Britain '' . the Guardian . Retrieved 20 December 2015 . Jump up ^ `` RSPB : Redkite Conservation '' . Jump up ^ `` The RSPB : Red kite '' . The RSPB . Retrieved 20 December 2015 . Jump up ^ `` Commissioned Report No. 685 The Scottish Beaver Trial : Ecological monitoring of the European beaver Castor fiber and other riparian mammals 2009 - 2014 , final report '' ( PDF ) . Retrieved 18 December 2016 . Jump up ^ `` Tay Beavers Origin '' . Scottish Wild Beavers . Retrieved 20 December 2015 . Jump up ^ http://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/river-otter-beavers Jump up ^ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/nov/24/beavers-native-protected-species-status-reintroduction-scotland Jump up ^ `` Feral wild boar in England Status , impact and management A report on behalf of Defra European Wildlife Division '' ( PDF ) . National Archives . Department for Environment , Food and Rural Affairs . Archived from the original on 1 January 2007 . Retrieved 26 October 2017 . CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) Jump up ^ `` Feral wild boar in England Status , impact and management A report on behalf of Defra European Wildlife Division '' ( PDF ) . Archived from the original on 1 January 2007 . Retrieved 26 October 2017 . CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) Jump up ^ `` Wild Boar '' . The British Association for Shooting and Conservation . BASC . Retrieved 26 October 2017 . Jump up ^ `` Call for lynx and wolf reintroduction '' . BBC News . 15 July 2015 . Retrieved 20 December 2015 . This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . ( August 2009 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message ) Further reading ( edit ) A Short History of the British Mammal Fauna ( archived ) The History of British Birds Buglife on bumblebees Joint Nature Conservation Committee -- Invertebrates extinct in the last 100 years vvnoljv ; sfolzdfbionszfibkn sfn k ; l Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_extinct_animals_of_the_British_Isles&oldid=832106142 '' Categories : Lists of extinct animals by region Extinct animals of Europe Lists of British animals British Isles - related lists Hidden categories : Pages with citations lacking titles Pages with citations having bare URLs CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown Articles needing additional references from May 2013 All articles needing additional references Articles needing additional references from August 2009 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 23 March 2018 , at 21 : 50 . 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when was the last bear killed in the uk
This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . ( May 2013 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message ) This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . ( May 2013 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message ) This is a list of extinct animals of the British Isles . Only a small number of these are globally extinct , most famously the Irish elk , great auk and woolly mammoth . Most of the remainder survive to some extent outside the islands . The list includes introduced species only in cases where they were able to form self - sustaining colonies for a time . Only species extinct since Great Britain was separated from mainland Europe are included . The date beside each species is the last date when a specimen was observed in the wild or , where this is not known , the approximate date of extinction . The list is complete for mammals , reptiles , freshwater fish and amphibians . Arctic lemming -- c. 8000 BC Arctic fox - c. ( unknown ) † Eurasian aurochs -- c. 1000 BC Barbary macaque - c. 30,000 BC † Cave bear -- c. 15,000 BC Coypu -- 1978 ( nonnative ) Elk Alces alces Eurasian beaver -- 1526 ( reintroduced ) Eurasian brown bear -- c. 1000 AD Eurasian lynx -- c . AD 400 Grey whale -- c. 598 BC Eurasian wolf -- AD 1680 in Britain , AD 1786 in Ireland † Irish elk -- c. 6000 BC Narrow - headed vole -- c. 8000 BC Steppe pika -- c. 8000 BC Root vole -- c. 1500 BC Saiga antelope -- c. 10,000 BC Steppe lemming -- c. 8000 BC † Tarpan -- c. 7000 BC Walrus -- c. 1000 BC ( Occasional Visitor ) Wild Boar -- c. 1400 ( Reintroduced ) Wisent -- c. 3000 BC Wolverine -- c. 6000 BC † Woolly mammoth -- c. 10,000 BC † Woolly rhinoceros -- c. 10,000 BC † Cave lion -- c. 10,000 BC † Scimitar cat - c. 30,000 BC † Cave hyena - c. 11,000 BC † European jaguar - c. ( unknown ) † European Ice Age leopard - c. 24,000 BC † European gazelle - c. ( unknown ) Arctic lemming -- c. 8000 BC Arctic fox - c. ( unknown ) † Eurasian aurochs -- c. 1000 BC Barbary macaque - c. 30,000 BC † Cave bear -- c. 15,000 BC Coypu -- 1978 ( nonnative ) Elk Alces alces Eurasian beaver -- 1526 ( reintroduced ) Eurasian brown bear -- c. 1000 AD Eurasian lynx -- c . AD 400 Grey whale -- c. 598 BC Eurasian wolf -- AD 1680 in Britain , AD 1786 in Ireland † Irish elk -- c. 6000 BC Narrow - headed vole -- c. 8000 BC Steppe pika -- c. 8000 BC Root vole -- c. 1500 BC Saiga antelope -- c. 10,000 BC Steppe lemming -- c. 8000 BC † Tarpan -- c. 7000 BC Walrus -- c. 1000 BC ( Occasional Visitor ) Wild Boar -- c. 1400 ( Reintroduced ) Wisent -- c. 3000 BC Wolverine -- c. 6000 BC † Woolly mammoth -- c. 10,000 BC † Woolly rhinoceros -- c. 10,000 BC † Cave lion -- c. 10,000 BC † Scimitar cat - c. 30,000 BC † Cave hyena - c. 11,000 BC † European jaguar - c. ( unknown ) † European Ice Age leopard - c. 24,000 BC † European gazelle - c. ( unknown ) Fea 's petrel -- Iron Age Dalmatian pelican -- c. 1000 BC Eurasian spoonbill -- 15th century ( re-established ) Little egret -- late medieval period ( re-established ) Osprey -- 1916 ( re-established ) White - tailed eagle -- 1916 ( reintroduced ) Western marsh harrier -- late 19th century ( re-established ) Northern goshawk -- late 19th century ( possibly reintroduced ) Western capercaillie -- 1780s ( reintroduced ) Great bustard -- 19th century ( reintroduced ) Common crane -- late medieval period ( now re-established ) Pied avocet -- 19th century ( re-established ) Kentish plover -- 20th century ( last breeding record 1979 ) † Great auk -- 1844 White stork -- 1416 Red - backed shrike -- 1989 ( as a regular breeding bird ) Wryneck ( as a regular breeding bird ) Fea 's petrel -- Iron Age Dalmatian pelican -- c. 1000 BC Eurasian spoonbill -- 15th century ( re-established ) Little egret -- late medieval period ( re-established ) Osprey -- 1916 ( re-established ) White - tailed eagle -- 1916 ( reintroduced ) Western marsh harrier -- late 19th century ( re-established ) Northern goshawk -- late 19th century ( possibly reintroduced ) Western capercaillie -- 1780s ( reintroduced ) Great bustard -- 19th century ( reintroduced ) Common crane -- late medieval period ( now re-established ) Pied avocet -- 19th century ( re-established ) Kentish plover -- 20th century ( last breeding record 1979 ) † Great auk -- 1844 White stork -- 1416 Red - backed shrike -- 1989 ( as a regular breeding bird ) Wryneck ( as a regular breeding bird ) † Houting Burbot Agile frog -- c. 1000 AD Moor frog -- c. 1000 AD European tree frog -- 1986 Agile frog -- c. 1000 AD Moor frog -- c. 1000 AD European tree frog -- 1986 European pond terrapin -- ≤ 3000 BC European pond terrapin -- ≤ 3000 BC Agonum sahlbergi ( ground beetle ) -- 1914 Blue stag beetle -- 19th century Graphoderus bilineatus ( water beetle ) -- 1906 Harpalus honestus ( ground beetle ) -- 1905 Horned dung beetle -- 1957 Ochthebius aeneus ( water beetle ) -- 1913 Platydema violaceum ( tenebrionid ) -- 1957 Rhantus aberratus ( water beetle ) -- 1904 Scybalicus oblongiusculus ( ground beetle ) -- 1926 Teretrius fabricii ( histerid ) -- 1907 Agonum sahlbergi ( ground beetle ) -- 1914 Blue stag beetle -- 19th century Graphoderus bilineatus ( water beetle ) -- 1906 Harpalus honestus ( ground beetle ) -- 1905 Horned dung beetle -- 1957 Ochthebius aeneus ( water beetle ) -- 1913 Platydema violaceum ( tenebrionid ) -- 1957 Rhantus aberratus ( water beetle ) -- 1904 Scybalicus oblongiusculus ( ground beetle ) -- 1926 Teretrius fabricii ( histerid ) -- 1907 Andrena polita ( mining bee ) -- 1934 Bombus pomorum , apple bumblebee -- 1864 Bombus cullumanus , Cullum 's bumblebee -- 1941 Eucera tuberculata ( mining bee ) -- 1941 Halictus maculatus ( mining bee ) -- 1930 Mellinus crabroneus ( digger wasp ) -- c. 1950 Odynerus reniformis ( mason wasp ) -- 1915 Odynerus simillimus ( mason wasp ) -- 1905 Short - haired bumblebee -- 1989 Andrena polita ( mining bee ) -- 1934 Bombus pomorum , apple bumblebee -- 1864 Bombus cullumanus , Cullum 's bumblebee -- 1941 Eucera tuberculata ( mining bee ) -- 1941 Halictus maculatus ( mining bee ) -- 1930 Mellinus crabroneus ( digger wasp ) -- c. 1950 Odynerus reniformis ( mason wasp ) -- 1915 Odynerus simillimus ( mason wasp ) -- 1905 Short - haired bumblebee -- 1989 Merodon clavipes General reference : Waring et al. , 2009 . Aporia crataegi , black - veined white -- 1925 Borkhausenia minutella -- 1950 Conformist ( moth ) -- Euclemensia woodiella ( moth ) -- 1829 Flame brocade ( moth ) -- 1919 Frosted yellow ( moth ) -- 1914 Gypsy moth -- 1907 ; reappeared 1995 Isle of Wight wave ( moth ) -- 1931 Large chequered skipper -- c. 1989 ( non-native , Channel Islands ) Large copper -- 1865 Many - lined ( moth ) -- 1875 Map -- c. 1914 ( non-native ) Mazarine blue -- 1906 Orache moth -- 1915 Reed tussock ( moth ) -- 1875 Scarce black arches ( moth ) -- 1898 ( transitory resident ) Speckled beauty ( moth ) -- 1898 Union rustic ( moth ) -- 1919 Viper 's bugloss ( moth ) -- 1969 Aporia crataegi , black - veined white -- 1925 Borkhausenia minutella -- 1950 Conformist ( moth ) -- Euclemensia woodiella ( moth ) -- 1829 Flame brocade ( moth ) -- 1919 Frosted yellow ( moth ) -- 1914 Gypsy moth -- 1907 ; reappeared 1995 Isle of Wight wave ( moth ) -- 1931 Large chequered skipper -- c. 1989 ( non-native , Channel Islands ) Large copper -- 1865 Many - lined ( moth ) -- 1875 Map -- c. 1914 ( non-native ) Mazarine blue -- 1906 Orache moth -- 1915 Reed tussock ( moth ) -- 1875 Scarce black arches ( moth ) -- 1898 ( transitory resident ) Speckled beauty ( moth ) -- 1898 Union rustic ( moth ) -- 1919 Viper 's bugloss ( moth ) -- 1969 Norfolk damselfly -- 1957 Orange - spotted emerald ( dragonfly ) -- 1957 Norfolk damselfly -- 1957 Orange - spotted emerald ( dragonfly ) -- 1957 Hydropsyche bulgaromanorum ( caddis fly ) -- 1926 Hydropsyche exocellata ( caddis fly ) -- 1901 Hydropsyche bulgaromanorum ( caddis fly ) -- 1926 Hydropsyche exocellata ( caddis fly ) -- 1901 Artemia salina ( brine shrimp ) -- after 1758 Artemia salina ( brine shrimp ) -- after 1758 Fruticicola fruticum Cernuella neglecta † -- Species is extinct worldwide The white - tailed eagle has been successfully re-established on the west coast of Scotland . Having clung on in parts of Wales , Red kites have been successfully re-established in parts of England and Scotland . Ongoing projects involve both these species : the corncrake into parts of England and Scotland , and the great bustard on Salisbury Plain . European beavers have been reintroduced to parts of Scotland , and there are plans to bring them back to other parts of Britain . A five - year trial reintroduction at Knapdale in Argyll started in 2009 and concluded in 2014 . A few hundred beavers live wild in the Tay river basin , as a result of escapes from a wildlife park . A similar reintroduction trial is being undertaken on the River Otter in Devon , England . In 2016 , beavers were recognised as a British native species , and will be protected under law . In 2008 , moose were released into a fenced reserve on the Alladale Estate in the Highlands of Scotland . Reindeer were re-established in 1952 ; approximately 150 -- 170 reindeer live around the Cairngorms region in Scotland . In 1998 , MAFF , now known as DEFRA released a report concerning the presence of two populations of wild boar living freely in the UK . These boar are thought to have escaped from wildlife parks , zoos and from farms where they are farmed for their meat , and gone on to establish breeding populations . The northern clade pool frog was reintroduced from Swedish stock in 2005 , to a single site in Norfolk , England , following detailed research to prove that it had been native prior to its extinction around 1993 . The large blue butterfly has been successfully re-established from Swedish stock at a number of sites , but few of these are open - access . There are also several successful cases of the establishment of new populations of heath fritillary . There have been calls for the reintroduction of the lynx , brown bear and grey wolf to the UK .
c. 1000 AD c. 1000 AD c. 1000 AD c. 1000 AD