4. Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis)
The great auk was a large, flightless seabird that once thrived along the rocky coasts of the North Atlantic. Valued for its feathers, meat, and oil, it was relentlessly hunted, leading to its extinction by the mid-1800s. The fate of the great auk is a poignant example of how isolated island species are especially vulnerable to overexploitation by humans.
