Japanese Sea Lion The Japanese sea lion, native to the coastal areas of Japanese Archipelago and the Korean peninsula, was a species of the otariidae family of sea lions and fur seals. Although, these sea lions preferred the flat open sandy beaches for breeding, they used to also bred in rocky areas in the vicinity. Japanese sea lion was exploited in large scale owing to the high value for its skin and oil in the international market. Some internal organs of this animal were also used in Oriental medicine and thus were in great demand. Overfishing of the species brought their number to less than 300 in 1915 and eventually to just a few dozens by 1930. Other reasons for the extinction of Japanese sea lion were loss of habitat due to submarine warfare in World War II and capturing of the species for circus trade. The last colony of these sea lions was sighted in 1950s, while the last confirmed sighting of an individual of this species was in 1974.
Javan Tiger Javan tiger was a small subspecies of tiger endemic to Java in Indonesia. The Javan tiger was small compared to most of the tiger species. Excessive hunting and loss of habitat led to the extinction of the Javan tiger in the 1980s. Increase in human settlements on these islands led to habitat destruction for the Javan tiger as well as the Bali tiger. This reduction in habitat eventually resulted in competition with leopards and wild dogs for the available prey species. Excessive hunting also added to the woes of this animal. By 1950s, only around 25 tigers were surviving in the wild. The number went declining and soon resulted in extinction of the Javan tiger with the last confirmed sighting coming way back in 1972.
