Falkland Islands wolf

What it is

The Falkland Islands wolf, or warrah (Dusicyon australis), was a fox-sized canid unique to the Falklands. IUCN lists it as Extinct. It was not a true wolf; its closest relatives are South American foxes. It is the only native terrestrial mammal the islands are known to have had.

Range

East and West Falkland only. It did not occur on the South American mainland in historic time.

What happened

Charles Darwin, visiting in 1834, wrote that the animal’s tameness would cause its extinction. Settlers shot and poisoned it for fur and as a supposed threat to sheep. The last recorded animal was killed in 1876 at Shallow Bay, West Falkland. No introduced replacement fills the niche.

When / status

Extinct, 1876.

Human role

Colonial hunting and poisoning: a clear, dated island extinction.

Sources

IUCN Red List (Dusicyon australis, EX); Darwin’s 1834 account; 1876 last-kill record.