List of South American species extinct in the Holocene

This is a list of South American species extinct in the Holocene that covers extinctions from the Holocene epoch, a geologic epoch that began about 11,650 years before present (about 9700 BCE)^[A] and continues to the present day.^[1]

The list includes extinctions in the Falklands and other islands near the continent but not the Galápagos Islands, which have their own list of extinct species. Extinct animals from the West Indies are covered in List of Antillian and Bermudan animals extinct in the Holocene. Extinctions from Easter Island, a territory of Chile in Polynesia, are covered in the List of Oceanian species extinct in the Holocene.

Many extinction dates are unknown due to a lack of relevant information.

[A]

[1]

Scientific name	Range	Comments
Doedicurus clavicaudatus	South American pampas	Most recent remains at Arroyo Seco, Argentina dated to 4765-4445 BCE.^[4]
Eutatus seguini	Northern Argentina and Uruguay	Most recent remains at Arroyo Seco, Argentina dated to 6389-6060 BCE.^[5]
Glyptodon clavipes	Eastern Brazil to the Argentinian pampa^[6]	Most recent remains at Toca do Serrote do Artur, Brazil dated to 6660-4880 BCE.^[4]
Glyptodon reticulatus	Southern Brazil	Found in the late Pleistocene to early Holocene of Upper Ribeira Valley, southeastern São Paulo, Brazil but without direct datation.^[7]
Glyptotherium cylindricum	Florida and Texas to northeastern Brazil	Found in the late Pleistocene to early Holocene of Serra do Ramalho, Brazil but without direct datation.^[8]
Hoplophorus euphractus	Eastern Brazil	Most recent remains at Toca do Serrote do Artur, Brazil dated to 6660-4880 BCE.^[4]
Neosclerocalyptus paskoensis^[9]	Southern South America	Most recent remains in Paraguay dated to 5120 BCE.^[10]
Neuryurus sp.	Eastern Argentina and Uruguay	Most recent remains at Lobería, Argentina dated to c. 19050-8050 BCE.^[11]
Panochthus tuberculatus	Argentina to southern Brazil	Found in the late Pleistocene to early Holocene of Luján, Argentina but without direct datation.^[12]

Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Holmesina majus	Minas Gerais and Ceará, Brazil	Found in the late Pleistocene to early Holocene of Serra do Ramalho, Brazil but without direct datation.^[8]
Pampatherium sp.	Mexico, Central and South America

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Panamerican ground sloth	Eremotherium laurillardi	Southern United States to Brazil	Most recent remains in the Miranda River basin, Brazil dated to 5477-4170 BCE.^[13]
Giant ground sloth	Megatherium americanum	Temperate South America and the Andes	Most recent remains at Campo Laborde, Argentina were dated to 5270-4310 BCE and show signs of human hunting and processing.^[14]

Scientific name	Range	Comments
Glossotherium robustum	South America	Most recent remains at El Cautivo, Ecuador dated to 6810-6650 BCE.^[4]
Lestodon armatus	Southern Brazil	Found in the late Pleistocene to early Holocene of Upper Ribeira Valley, southeastern São Paulo, Brazil but without direct datation.^[7]
Mylodon darwini	Pampas and Patagonia	Most recent remains at Cueva del Milodón, Chile dated to 10935-8804 BCE.^[15]
Scelidodon chiliensis	Western South America	Most recent remains at Pampa de los Fósiles, Peru, dated to 7160-6760 BCE.^[4]

Scientific name	Range	Comments
Catonyx cuvieri	Eastern South America	Most recent remains at Lagoa Santa, Brazil dated to 7830-7430 BCE.^[4]
Scelidotherium leptocephalum	Southern South America	Most recent remains at Río Cuarto, Argentina dated to 5660-5540 BCE.^[16]
Valgipes bucklandi	Intertropical region of Brazil^[8]	Most recent remains at Lagoa Santa, Brazil dated to 9110-9030 BCE.^[17]

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Cuvier's gomphothere^[18]	Cuvieronius hyodon	Central America to northern and central Andes	Most recent remains at Quebrada Quereo, Chile dated to 7450-6850 BCE; however this date is not calibrated and the remains could be older.^[19]
	Notiomastodon platensis	South America	Most recently dated at El Totumo, Colombia, to 4170-4050 BCE; however this date is uncalibrated and the remains are assigned to the Late Glacial. Other remains from Toro, Valle del Cauca are assigned to the Holocene but with no direct date.^[20] Calibrated remains at Itapipoca, Brazil were dated to 8209-5886 BCE,^[13] and at El Cautivo, Ecuador to 6810-6650 BCE.^[4]

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
	Galea tixiensis	Río de la Plata basin to southern Bolivia	Most recent remains at the Tandilia mountains, Argentina dated to around 950 CE.^[21]
Giant capybara^[22]	Neochoerus sp.	Southern United States to Brazil	Found in sites of Minas Gerais, Bahia, and Rondonia, Brazil that date from the Late Pleistocene to early Holocene, but without exact dating.^[8]

Scientific name	Range	Comments
Clyomys riograndensis	Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil	Most recent remains dated to 1750 BCE.^[24]
Dicolpomys fossor	Río de la Plata basin and southern Brazil	Most recent remains at Sambaquí de Puerto Landa, Argentina dated to 894-953 CE.^[25]
Proclinodontomys mordax	Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil	Most recent remains dated to 5250 BCE.^[24]

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments
	Bibimys massoiai	Piauí, Brazil	Most recent remains at Toca do Serrote do Artur dated to 6943-3656 BCE.^[27]
Candango mouse	Juscelinomys candango	Brasília, Brazil	Last collected in 1960. Presumed extinct when the area was urbanized.^[28]
Vespucci's giant rat	Noronhomys vespuccii	Fernando de Noronha Island, Brazil	Only recorded alive by Amerigo Vespucci in 1503; otherwise known from subfossil remains.^[29]

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments
	Brucepattersonius talpinus	Lagoa Santa, Brazil	Known from Quaternary fossils.^[27]
Fossorial giant rat	Gyldenstolpia fronto	Chaco Basin to southeastern Brazil	Known from the holotype collected in the Argentinian Chaco in 1896, and four Quaternary fossils from Lagoa Santa, Brazil.^[30]
	Habrothrix clivigenis	Lagoa Santa, Brazil	Known from Quaternary fossils.^[27]
	Juliomys anoblepas	Lagoa Santa, Brazil	Known from Quaternary fossils.^[27]
Zuniga's dark rice rat	Melanomys zunigae	Lomas de Atocongo, near Lima, Peru	Last recorded in 1949. Declined due to habitat degradation caused by goat grazing and mining activity.^[31]
	Oxymycterus cosmodius	Lagoa Santa, Brazil	Known from Quaternary fossils.^[27]

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments
Dire wolf	Aenocyon dirus	North America and western South America	Most recent remains at Talara, Peru dated to 7320-6840 BCE; however this date is uncalibrated and the age of the remains could be older. Other late remains from Luján, Argentina were older than the most recent stratigraphical section dated to 9050-8050 BCE.^[33]
Falkland Islands wolf	Dusicyon australis	Falkland Islands	Exterminated by sheep farmers in 1876.^[34]
	Dusicyon avus	Argentina and Uruguay	Most recent remains in the Pampas dated to 1232–1397, and in southernmost Patagonia to 1454–1626.^[35]
Fuegian dog	Lycalopex sp.	Tierra del Fuego and possibly southern Patagonia	Only domestic descendant of the culpeo, bred by the Selkʼnam people. Disappeared during the Selkʼnam genocide in the early 20th century.^[36]^[37]
	Protocyon troglodytes	Middle South America^[38] to Yucatan^[39]	Most recent remains at Toca da Boa Vista, Brazil dated to 20,000-10,000 years ago.^[33]

Scientific name	Range	Comments
Arctotherium bonariense	Argentina	Recorded from the Middle Pleistocene to the Early Holocene.^[40]
Arctotherium tarijense	Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, and Chile	Most recent remains at Cueva de los Chingues, Chile dated to 9310-9210 BCE. However this date was taken on a horse bone nearby and not calibrated, so the remains could be older.^[41]
Arctotherium wingei	Northeastern South America	Most recent remains at Muaco, Venezuela dated to 7320-6840 BCE. However, this datation is uncalibrated and the remains could be older.^[40]

Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Macrauchenia patachonica	Southwestern South America	Most recent remains at Centinela del Mar, Argentina dated to 9381-9281 BCE.^[44]
Xenorhinotherium bahiense	North and east South America	Most recent remains at Itapipoca, Brazil dated to 2267-1543 BCE.^[13]

Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Equus neogeus	South America	Most recent remains at Toca do Serrote do Artur, Brazil dated to 6660-4880 BCE.^[4]
Hippidion saldiasi	Eastern and southern South America^[46]^[B]	Most recent remains at Cueva del Medio, Chile dated to 10748-9456 BCE.^[15] In San Vicente de Tagua Tagua, Chile Hippidion was dated indirectly to c. 9430 BCE; however this date was uncalibrated and the remains could be older.^[19]

Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Hemiauchenia paradoxa	Northern Río de la Plata Basin and central Brazil^[48]	Most recent remains in the pampas dated to 10850-9450 BCE.^[6]
Palaeolama major	Northern and eastern South America	Most recent remains at Itapipoca, Brazil dated to 2281-1402 BCE.^[13]

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Chilihueque	Population of Lama guanicoe	Central Chile	A third domestic South American camelid recorded by Europeans in the 16th and 17th centuries, bred by the Mapuche and different from llamas and alpacas. DNA analysis of remains from Mocha Island (where camelids were introduced by people) indicates that it was a population of Patagonian guanaco that was managed, or domesticated independently from the llama. It disappeared when indigenous communities switched to sheep and horse farming after colonization.^[49]
Gracile llama	Population of Lama vicugna	Argentina and the Strait of Magellan	Formerly considered a separate species, Lama gracilis.^[50] Most recent remains in the pampas dated to 10850-9450 BCE.^[6]

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Bogotá sunangel	Heliantelus zusii	Northern Andes?	Only known from one skin purchased in Bogotá in 1909. It could have disappeared due to deforestation, though the original range is unknown.^[56]
Alejandro Selkirk firecrown	Sephanoides fernandensis leyboldi	Alejandro Selkirk Island?, Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile	Last recorded in 1908 (with doubts).^[56]

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments
	Catagonus bonaerensis	Buenos Aires Province, Argentina and Colonia Department, Uruguay	Remains dated from the late Pleistocene to earliest Holocene, but without exact datation.^[51]^[52]^{[better source needed]}
Narrow-headed peccary	Catagonus stenocephalus	Western Argentina to southern Bolivia and central Brazil

Scientific name	Range	Comments
Antifer ultra	Río de la Plata Basin to central Chile	Most recent remains in Chile dated to around 7950 BCE. However this datation was not calibrated and the remains could be older.^[53]
Morenelaphus brachyceros	Temperate South America	Most recently dated to 8050-5845 BCE; however this datation was not calibrated and the remains could be older. Other remains from southern Uruguay were dated, and calibrated, to 10010-9907 BCE.^[6]

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments
Niceforo's pintail	Anas georgica niceforoi	Central Colombia	Last recorded in 1952. Possibly extinct due to hunting and habitat degradation.^[56]
Fighting shelduck^[57]	Neochen pugil	Minas Gerais, Brazil	Known from the late Pleistocene or early Holocene of Lagoa Santa, Brazil.^[58]

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Letitia's thorntail	Discosura letitiae	Bolivia	Only known from two males collected at an unknown locality in 1852.^[56]
Turquoise-throated puffleg	Eriocnemis godini	Northern Ecuador	Only known from the holotype collected in 1850, with an unconfirmed sighting in 1976. The original habitat at the holotype's location is almost certainly destroyed.^[61]

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments
Red-throated wood-rail	Aramides gutturalis	Lima, Peru	Last recorded in 1843.^[63]^{[better source needed]}
Peruvian rail	Rallus semiplumbeus peruvianus	Peruvian highlands and possibly Ecuador	Only known from the holotype collected in 1886, which is now lost.^[56]
	Rallus sp.	Fernando de Noronha Island, Brazil	A flightless species known from subfossil remains, presumably extinct due to predation by introduced mammals.^[57] Could have been a "land bird" mentioned by Vespucci in 1503, which was easily caught by hand.^[64]

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments
	Pleistovultur nevesi	Matozinhos, Brazil	Known from a humerus dated around 10560-8040 BCE. Presumed extinct as a consequence of the disappearance of the megafauna.^[57]
Winge's vulture^[57]	Wingegyps cartellei	Bahia and Minas Gerais, Brazil	Known from the late Pleistocene or early Holocene of Lagoa Santa.^[58]

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Glaucous macaw	Anodorhynchus glaucus	Border area of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay	Last recorded in Mbaracayu, Paraguay in 2001. Declined due to clearance of gallery forests for agriculture and livestock grazing, and possibly also hunting and capture of animals for the exotic pet trade.^[67]
Sinú parakeet	Pyrrhura subandina	Sinú Valley, Córdoba Department, Colombia	Last recorded in 1949. Declined due to habitat loss to agriculture and cattle grazing, hunting, trapping for the pet trade, and pollution with agrochemicals.^[68]

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments
Táchira antpitta	Grallaria chtonia	Southwestern Táchira, Venezuela	Last collected in 1955–1956. Declined due to extensive deforestation of its range for agricultural use.^[56]
Antioquia brown-banded antpitta	Grallaria milleri gilesi	Santa Helena, Antioquia, Colombia	Only known from the holotype, collected in 1878. The type locality has since been deforested for coffee cultivation and other agriculture.^[56]

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Cryptic treehunter	Cichlocolaptes mazarbarnetti	Alagoas and Pernambuco, Brazil	Last recorded in 2007. Extinct due to deforestation.^[56]
Alagoas foliage-gleaner	Philydor novaesi	Alagoas and Pernambuco, Brazil	Last recorded in 2011. Extinct due to deforestation.^[56]

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments
Northern stripe-crowned spinetail	Cranioleuca pyrrhophia rufipennis	Northern Bolivia	Last recorded in the 1950s.^[56]
Peruvian scale-throated earthcreeper	Upucerthia dumetaria peruana	Puno Region, Peru	Only known from two individuals collected in the early 1950s.^[56]

Opossums (order Didelphimorphia)

Opossums (family Didelphidae)

Possibly extinct

Armadillos, pampatheres, and glyptodonts (order Cingulata)

Long-nosed armadillos (family Dasypodidae)

Chlamyphorid armadillos and glyptodonts (family Chlamyphoridae)

Pachyarmatheres (family Pachyarmatheriidae)

Pampatheres (family Pampatheriidae)

Anteaters and sloths (order Pilosa)

Megalonychid ground sloths (family Megalonychidae)

Giant ground sloths (family Megatheriidae)

Mylodonts (family Mylodontidae)

Scelidotherid ground sloths (family Scelidotheriidae)

Nothrotheriid ground sloths (family Nothrotheriidae)

Elephant-like mammals (order Proboscidea)

Gomphotheres (family Gomphotheriidae)

Rodents (order Rodentia)

Cavies (family Caviidae)

Tuco-tucos (family Ctenomyidae)

Neotropical spiny rats (family Echimyidae)

Rock rats, degus, and viscacha rats (family Octodontidae)

Hamsters, voles, lemmings, muskrats, and New World rats and mice (family Cricetidae)

Possibly extinct

Bats (order Chiroptera)

Leaf-nosed bats (family Phyllostomidae)

Carnivorans (order Carnivora)

Cats (family Felidae)

Dogs (family Canidae)

Bears (family Ursidae)

Earless seals (family Phocidae)

Notoungulates (order Notoungulata)

Toxodonts (family Toxodontidae)

Litopterns (order Litopterna)

Macrauchenids (family Macraucheniidae)

Proterotheriids (family Proterotheriidae)

Odd-toed ungulates (order Perissodactyla)

Horses, asses, and zebras (family Equidae)

Even-toed ungulates (order Artiodactyla)

Camels and llamas (family Camelidae)

Locally extinct

Peccaries (family Tayassuidae)

True deer (family Cervidae)

Landfowl (order Galliformes)

Chachalacas, guans, and curassows (family Cracidae)

Extinct in the wild

Waterfowl (order Anseriformes)

Ducks, geese, and swans (family Anatidae)

Grebes (order Podicipediformes)

Grebes (family Podicipedidae)

Nightjars (order Caprimulgiformes)

Typical nightjars (family Caprimulgidae)

Possibly extinct

Swifts, treeswifts, and hummingbirds (order Apodiformes)

Hummingbirds (family Trochillidae)

Possibly extinct

Pigeons and doves (order Columbiformes)

Pigeons and doves (family Columbidae)

Possibly extinct

Rails and cranes (order Gruiformes)

Rails (family Rallidae)

Shorebirds (order Charadriiformes)

Sandpipers (family Scolopacidae)

Possibly extinct

Storks and allies (order Ciconiiformes)

Storks (family Ciconiidae)

New World vultures (order Cathartiformes)

New World vultures and condors (family Cathartidae)

Owls (order Strigiformes)

True owls (family Strigidae)

Possibly extinct

Parrots (order Psittaciformes)

Holotropical parrots (family Psittacidae)

Possibly extinct

Extinct in the wild

Perching birds (order Passeriformes)

Jacamars (family Galbulidae)

Possibly extinct

Antpittas (family Grallariidae)

Possibly extinct

Ovenbirds (family Furnariidae)

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments
Green and red venter harlequin toad	Atelopus pinangoi	Near Piñango, Mérida, Venezuela	Last recorded in 1997. Declined due to chytridiomycosis, habitat loss caused by logging and ranching, introduced trout, and climate change.^[72]
Scarlet harlequin toad	Atelopus sorianoi	Near Guaraque, Mérida, Venezuela	Last recorded in 1990. Possibly extinct due to chytridiomycosis caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, drought, road kills, and habitat loss caused by agriculture.^[73]

Common name	Scientific name	Range	Comments
Campo Grande tree frog	Boana cymbalum	São Paulo, Brazil	Last recorded in 1963. The only two known locations have been completely lost to urban development. If it survived in the nearby Serra da Paranapiacaba it may have been lost to pollution and chytridiomycosis during the 1970s or 1980s.^[74]
Spiny-knee leaf frog	Phrynomedusa fimbriata	São Paulo and Paraná states, Brazil	Last collected in the 1950s. Extinct due to air pollution and infection by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis^[75]

Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Megadytes ducalis	Condeúba, Bahia, Brazil	Only known from individuals collected in the 19th century.^[81]
Meridiorhantus orbignyi	Argentina and Brazil^[82]

Scientific name	Range	Pictures
Tomigerus gibberulus	Brazil^[87]^[88]
Tomigerus turbinatus	Brazil^[87]^[88]

Scientific name	Range	Comments
Ctenitis pallatangana	Pallatanga, Chimborazo Province, Ecuador	Only known from the holotype collected in the 19th century. Likely declined due to deforestation for agriculture.^[92]
Elaphoglossum gracilipes	Near Quito, Ecuador	Known only from the holotype collected before 1853.^[93]
Elaphoglossum polytrichum	Lloa Valley, southeast of Quito, Ecuador	Known only from the holotype collected in the 19th century. The locality is now completely deforested.^[94]

Scientific name	Range	Comments
Matelea ecuadorensis	Near Quito, Ecuador	Only known from the holotype collected in the 19th century. Likely extinct due to habitat destruction.^[97]
Prestonia schumanniana	Balao, Guayas Province, Ecuador	Only known from the holotype collected in 1892. Possibly extinct due to habitat destruction.^[98]

Scientific name	Range	Comments
Aetheolaena hypoleuca	Pichincha Province, Ecuador	Only known from the holotype collected in an unknown location in 1851. Likely extinct due to deforestation.^[100]
Aetheolaena ledifolia	Pichincha Province, Ecuador	Only known from the holotype collected by Alexander von Humboldt in an unknown location during the early 19th century. Likely extinct due to habitat destruction.^[101]
Aetheolaena pichinchensis	Pichincha Volcano, Ecuador	Only known from the holotype collected in 1864. Likely extinct due to habitat destruction.^[102]
Aster quitensis	Near Quito, Ecuador	Only known from the holotype collected in the 1820s. Likely extinct due to habitat destruction.^[103]
Baccharis fusca	Near Quito, Ecuador	Last collected in the 1850s. Likely extinct due to habitat destruction.^[104]
Egletes humifusa	Guayas Province, Ecuador	Only known from the holotype collected in 1836. Possibly extinct due to deforestation.^[105]
Elaphandra retroflexa	Guayaquil, Ecuador	Last collected in 1921. Possibly extinct due to deforestation.^[106]
Mikania iserniana	Guayaquil, Ecuador	Only known from the holotype collected in 1864. Possibly extinct due to coastal agriculture expansion and urban development.^[107]
Mikania seemannii	Loja, Ecuador	Only known from the holotype collected between 1845 and 1852. Possibly extinct due to habitat destruction.^[108]

Scientific name	Range	Comments
Amsinckia marginata	Near Quito, Ecuador	Only known from the holotype collected in the early 20th century.^[110]
Tournefortia obtusifolia	Puna Island lowlands, Ecuador; a captive plant of unknown origin existed in Colombia	Last recorded in the 19th century.^[111]

Scientific name	Range	Comments
Aechmea cymosopaniculata	Near Tovar, Aragua, Venezuela	Only known from the holotype collected in 1856.^[112]
Guzmania lepidota	Pululahua volcano, Ecuador	Only known from the holotype collected in 1876. The area has since been completely deforested for agriculture and charcoal production.^[113]
Guzmania poortmanii	Between Cangonama and Chinchanga, Loja, Ecuador	Only known from the holotype collected in 1889.^[114]
Guzmania striata	Pastaza River, Ecuador	Only known from the holotype collected in 1956.^[115]

Scientific name	Range	Comments	Pictures
Cereus estevesii	Minas Gerais, Brazil	Last recorded in the wild in 2002, when nearly its whole habitat was cleared for the cultivation of biofuels.^[116]
Discocactus subterraneo-proliferans	Britânia, Goiás, Brazil	Last recorded in the wild in 1984. Likely extinct due to clearing for agriculture and cattle ranching.^[117]