Michigan's Extinct Animals

Wolverines have been scarce in Michigan since 2010 when the last known one was found dead. That doesn't mean there aren't more in our state...there are definitely more around the world.

Aside from wolverines, and except for prehistoric animals, there are a handful of animal species that have been marked extinct over the last 140 years...ones that were formerly found in Michigan and are believed to no longer exist on Earth.

Here's a short list of some of the well-known ones:
EASTERN ELK
The last one was shot in 1877 and declared extinct in 1880.
HEATH HEN A type of grouse or prairie chicken, used as a food source. Disease wiped out an enormous amount of heath hens. Declared extinct in 1932
PASSENGER PIGEON Declared extinct in 1914 after the last one in captivity died.

There are a number of fish that have been marked as extinct, but many fishermen disagree with those findings. The fish said to be extinct include:
BLUE PIKE 1983
HARELIP SUCKER 1900

Cisco fish are a type of salmon. The ones believed to be extinct are:
BLACKFIN 1960s
DEEPWATER 1960s
LONGJAW 1983
SHORTNOSE 1985

Some fishermen claim to have caught these, especially the Blue Pike. So I guess time will tell if they actually no longer exist. In the meantime, keep lookin' for those wolverines...I hope we still have a few, hiding out somewhere deep in the forests.