Christmas Island Pipistrelle: Silenced Echo
This tiny bat weighed less than a penny and called Christmas Island home. Scientists first noticed their decline in the 1990s. Introduced yellow crazy ants and wolf snakes likely predated on them relentlessly. Their forest habitat deteriorated rapidly. Researchers recorded the final echolocation calls of the last known individual in August 2009, then silence. Despite last-minute capture attempts, the species vanished forever.