List of European species extinct in the Holocene

This is a list of European species extinct in the Holocene that covers extinctions from the Holocene epoch, a geologic epoch that began about 11,650 years before present and continues to the present day.
This list includes the European continent and its surrounding islands. All large islands in the Mediterranean Sea are included except for Cyprus, which is in the List of Asian animals extinct in the Holocene. The recently extinct animals of the Macaronesian islands in the North Atlantic are listed separately. The three Caucasian republics of Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia are included, even though their territory may fall partially or fully in Asia depending on the definition of Europe considered.
Overseas territories, departments, and constituent countries of European countries are not included here; they are found on the lists pertaining to their respective regions. For example, French Polynesia is grouped with Oceania, Martinique is grouped with the West Indies, and Réunion is grouped with Madagascar and the Indian Ocean islands, despite all of them being politically part of France.
Many extinction dates are unknown due to a lack of relevant information.

Mammals (class [Mammalia])

Lagomorphs (order [Lagomorpha])

Pikas (family [Ochotonidae])

Locally extinct

Carnivorans (order [Carnivora])

Cats (family [Felidae])

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Eurasian cave lion	Panthera spelaea	Northern Eurasia and Beringia	Most recent remains in the Franco-Cantabrian region dated to 9350 BCE. Other lion remains from Italy and northern Spain could indicate that a small form survived in mountain areas until the Preboreal and Boreal, respectively.

Locally extinct

Hyenas (family [Hyaenidae])

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Cave hyena	Crocuta spelaea	Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East	Most recent remains dated to 9650 BCE in the Franco-Cantabrian region and to 8950 BCE in the British Isles. Coprolites last dated in Cueva de las Ventanas, Granada, Spain to 5030 BCE.

Dogs (family [Canidae])

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Sicilian wolf	Canis lupus cristaldii	Sicily, Italy	Exterminated by livestock farmers. The last confirmed individual was killed in 1924 near Bellolampo; unconfirmed killings near Palermo were reported between 1935 and 1938, and unconfirmed sightings between 1960 and 1970.
European dhole	Cuon alpinus europaeus	Central, Southern Europe and the Caucasus	Most recent remains dated to 7050-6550 BCE in Riparo Fredian, Italy and Les Coves de Santa Maira, Spain. Claims of 21st century presence of dhole in the Caucasus are erroneous.
Sardinian dhole	Cynotherium sardous	Corsica and Sardinia	Most recent remains in Corsica dated to 9910-9710 BCE and Sardinia to 9531-9196 BCE, roughly coinciding with modern human colonization of the islands.

Martens, polecats, otters, badgers, and weasels (family [Mustelidae])

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Sardinian giant otter	Megalenhydris barbaricina	Sardinia, Italy	Known from a single skeleton found in a cave with no stratigraphical context but estimated to be Late Pleistocene or early Holocene, 68050-8050 BCE.

Odd-toed ungulates (order Perissodactyla">Odd-toed ungulate">Perissodactyla)

Horses and allies (family [Equidae])

Locally extinct

Even-toed ungulates (order Artiodactyla">Even-toed ungulate">Artiodactyla)

Right and bowhead whales (family [Balaenidae])

Locally extinct

Gray whales (family [Eschrichtiidae])

Locally extinct

True deer (family Cervidae">Deer">Cervidae)

Locally extinct

Cattle, goats, antelopes, and others (family [Bovidae])

Extinct in the wild

Locally extinct

Birds (class [Aves])

Shorebirds (order [Charadriiformes])

Buttonquails (family [Turnicidae])

Locally extinct

Pelicans, herons, and ibises (order [Pelecaniformes])

Ibises and spoonbills (family [Threskiornithidae])

Locally extinct

Owls (order [Strigiformes])

True owls (family [Strigidae])

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments
Mediterranean brown fish owl	Ketupa zeylonensis lamarmorae	Corsica, Sardinia, southern Italy, Crete, and Israel	Described as different separated species including Bubo insularis, before being recognized as a subspecies of the Asian brown fish owl. The most recent remains in Corsica date to 7433-7035 BCE. In Corsica-Sardinia it could have been locally adapted to prey on the Sardinian pika, disappearing after human arrival with it.

Locally extinct

Reptiles (class Reptilia">Reptile">Reptilia)

Squamates (order [Squamata])

Vipers (family [Viperidae])

Locally extinct

Ray-finned fish (class [Actinopterygii])

Sturgeons and paddlefishes (order [Acipenseriformes])

Sturgeons (family [Acipenseridae])

Locally extinct

Salmon, trout and relatives (order Salmoniformes">Salmonidae">Salmoniformes)

Salmon, trout and relatives (family [Salmonidae])

Extinct in the wild

Locally extinct

Cartilaginous fish (class [Chondrichthyes])

Shovelnose rays and allies (order [Rhinopristiformes])

Sawfishes (family [Pristidae])

Locally extinct

Insects (class [Insecta])

Bark lice, book lice and parasitic lice (order [Psocodea])

Mammal lice (family [Trichodectidae])

Possibly extinct

Slugs and snails (class [Gastropoda])

Order [Littorinimorpha]

Mud snails (family [Hydrobiidae])

Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Graecoanatolica macedonica	Doiran Lake on the Greece-North Macedonia border	Last recorded in 1987 and deemed extinct as a result of water substraction, which peaked in 1988. However, fresh shells collected in 2009 may hint to its continued survival.
Ohridohauffenia drimica	Upper Drin River in North Macedonia	Last recorded before 1983. Disappeared when the river was drained.

Possibly extinct

Scientific name	Range	Comments
Belgrandia varica	Var River Delta, France	Not seen since 1870. The documented area of distribution was greatly urbanized, degraded, and polluted afterward.
Belgrandiella boetersi	Tiefsteinschlucht, Austria	Not seen in surveys since at least 1968. It likely declined due to groundwater abstraction and habitat degradation.

Order [Stylommatophora]

True glass snails (family [Zonitidae])

Scientific name	Range	Comments
Zonites santoriniensis	Santorini, Greece	Wiped out by the Minoan eruption.
Zonites siphnicus	Sifnos, Sikinos, and Folegandros, Greece	Only known from subfossil remains collected in 1935-1936.

Possibly extinct

Scientific name	Range	Comments
Zonites embolium	Islets of Dyo Adelfoi, Megali Zafrano, Karavonisi, and Divounia, inbetween Astypalaia and Karpathos, Greece	Known only from subfossil shells in three islets and last recorded in the fourth in 1985. Likely declined due to habitat alteration caused by fire, tourism, and military construction.

Family [Parmacellidae]

Scientific name	Range	Comments
Parmacella gervaisii	La Crau, Provence, France	Not seen since its description in 1874. The species has been suggested to be the same as, or related to Drusia deshayesii from northern Morocco and Algeria, as well as an introduced species.

Sea anemones, corals, and zoanthids (class [Hexacorallia])

Sea anemones (order [Actiniaria])

Family [Edwardsiidae]

Possibly extinct

Plants (kingdom Plantae">Plant">Plantae)

Lycopods (class [Lycopodiopsida])

Quillworts (family [Isoetaceae])

Possibly extinct

Flowering plants (clade [Angiospermae])

Sunflowers (family [Asteraceae])

Scientific name	Range	Comments
Centaurea pseudoleucolepis	Kammenye Mogily, Donetsk, Ukraine	Last recorded in the 1930s. It is possible that it was a hybrid rather than a valid species.

Probably extinct

Primroses (family [Ericales])

Extinct in the wild

Broomrapes (family [Orobanchaceae])

Scientific name	Range	Comments
Euphrasia mendoncae	Bragança, Portugal	Only known from the holotype collected in 1932, though it could be the same as E. minima.

True grasses (family [Poaceae])

Extinct in the wild

Violets and pansies (family [Violaceae])

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments
Pensée de Cry	Viola cryana	Canal de Bourgogne, France	Last recorded in 1927. Presumably extinct due to overcollection by botanists and limestone quarrying.