Dogs have been around for as long as humans have been able to tame and work together with wolves, making them one of the oldest species to be domesticated.

Of course, they weren’t exactly domesticated, as they are the result of selectively breeding the wolf, and there have been tons of breeds over the past 14,000-29,000 years.

Unfortunately, some dog breeds have come and gone, and their like has never been successfully re-bred into existence. The ten dog breeds on this list were once popular for various reasons but have since disappeared.

10 People Killed By Their Dogs

10 Talbot

The Talbot was a once-popular hunting hound found throughout England during the Middle Ages. It’s believed that William the Conqueror brought the breed to England in 1066, though this has never been confirmed. The Earls of Shrewsbury, whose family name is Talbot, feature the dog on their crest. Interestingly, the Talbot and Greyhound are the only hounds used in English heraldry.

Talbots were small to medium-sized white dogs with short legs, long drooping ears, and a long curled tail. Records indicate it was prized for its sense of smell, though it’s unknown what it was primarily used to hunt (deer, boar, fox, rabbit, etc.).

There is evidence of the Talbot existing as early as the 15th century before becoming more popular throughout England in the 17th century. It was favored by hunters for its accurate tracking abilities.

Ultimately, the Talbot began to disappear around the end of the 18th century. At that time, the Northern Hound and Southern Hound supplanted it. The Talbot was likely bred out of existence with breeders favoring some aspects of the breed over others. It eventually gave rise to the Beagle, Bloodhound, and Coonhound.

9 St. John’s Water Dog

St. John’s water dog was a breed found in Newfoundland, which likely came into existence sometime in the late-16th century. They were hard-working dogs with a good temperament and were prized by fishermen for their qualities. They were excellent swimmers and retrievers, making them especially helpful in fishing communities.

Their precise genetic makeup is unknown, but it’s believed that they were a natural mixture of different working dogs found and brought to the province of Labrador. St. John’s water dogs were highly prized throughout the 16th and early 17th centuries. They were exported to England, but they went extinct due to two primary factors.

Canada began restricting dog breeding to encourage sheep farming, reducing their numbers. Around the same time, a measure meant to prevent a rabies epidemic in England forced their quarantine and ended their importation to the country. This resulted in far less breeding throughout the 19th century.

By the mid-20th century, the St. John’s water dog was rarely bred, and their numbers declined significantly. By the 1980s, the breed was extinct. Still, it left its mark, as it was one of the primary ancestors to all modern Retrievers, including the Labrador and Golden Retriever.

8 Grand Fauve De Bretagne

The Grand Fauve de Bretagne was a breed of scenthound used to hunt wolves and wild boars throughout Brittany. They were fairly large dogs with short, dense coats, and they were a pale golden-brown in color. They had a considerably difficult temperament, which made them ideally suited for hunting dangerous game.

Their temperament could be erratic, and they were hard to control. Grand Fauves de Bretagne were known to kill goats and sheep while tracking other game, which was problematic. Grand Fauves de Bretagne existed as early as the 1520s when they were prized for their excellent hunting abilities.

They continued to hunt alongside their human companions well into the 19th century, but they ultimately went extinct for an interesting reason. When wolves were extirpated from the vast majority of France, the breed was no longer desirable.

Since there were no wolves to hunt, breeders stopped breeding the Grand Fauve de Bretagne. By the early 20th century, the breed was considered extinct. Before that happened, it was crossbred with Briquet Griffon Vendéens to create the Griffon Fauve de Bretagne, a breed that remains popular in France.

7 Russian Tracker

For centuries, the Russian Tracker was used to herd flocks of sheep throughout the Caucasus Mountains. These large dogs were fast and well-suited to chasing off wolves to protect their charges. They were also considered highly intelligent and capable of keeping a flock alive without any human involvement for long periods of time.

The Russian Tracker weighed around 100 lbs. (45 kg) and sported a thick coat that protected it from the harsh cold weather of its homeland. The coat was also helpful in protecting the dogs from predators, which came in handy whenever wolves strayed too close to their flocks.

Despite their usefulness and popularity in the region, the Russian Tracker disappeared around the late-19th century. They were phased out as other dogs were brought into the area, and conserving the breed wasn’t a high priority for the people who used them.

Instead of conservation, the Russian Tracker was bred with bloodhounds and other breeds to create something new and capable of replacing them. Eventually, they all disappeared, but it is believed that they may have been the ancestors of the Golden Retriever, along with several other breeds.

6 Blue Paul Terrier

The Blue Paul Terrier was a Scottish breed with a violent history. The dogs were bred primarily for fighting, though their exact origin remains something of a mystery. What is known is that they were introduced sometime in the late 18th century and are likely the result of crossing an Irish Blue Terrier with a White Bull and Terrier, which is also extinct.

The Blue Paul Terrier had a dark blue color and a smooth coat, making their appearance similar to some Greyhounds. They had a large head with a flat forehead with small ears that were usually cropped.

The breed was incredibly popular in Scotland throughout much of the 19th century. They were prized for their strength and courage, which made them perfect candidates for dogfighting. They were considered cunning and highly capable of taking down their opponents.

The Blue Paul Terrier was aggressive when fighting. This ultimately led to its downfall, as it didn’t make for a healthy home companion. The breed became extinct by the early 20th century, mainly due to the criminalization of dogfighting in Scotland. The remaining dogs were likely crossbred out of existence.

5 Rastreador Brasileiro

The Rastreador Brasileiro was a large Brazillian breed first recognized in 1967, making it one of the newest breeds to go extinct. They varied in color from bluish to black, with many variations of spots or speckles on their short, smooth coat. In appearance, they looked like the American Coonhound.

They were first developed in the 1950s to aid in hunting peccaries, which are medium-sized wild pigs found in Central and South America. They were bred from American and European breeds to create the desired outcome. Still, the Rastreador Brasileiro was not long for this world.

Soon after it was introduced, the Rastreador Brasileiro went extinct following a double whammy. An outbreak of disease coupled with an overdose of insecticide completely destroyed the entire breeding stock. By 1973, the breed was delisted, as it was considered extinct.

Fortunately, efforts have been underway to recreate the breed. This is being done by identifying mixed-breed dogs and crossbreeding them to try and return the first Brazillian breed to be recognized back into the world. While it hasn’t been fully reintroduced, the Brazillian Kennel Club officially re-recognized it in 2019.

4 Turnspit Dog

While many dogs were bred in the Middle Ages for specific purposes, they were most often used for hunting. The Turnspit Dog is something else entirely, as it was bred for one purpose and one purpose only: to help out in the kitchen! These dogs were first described in the 16th century and have been called Kitchen Dogs and Cooking Dogs.

Their specific purpose in the kitchen was to run on a wheel. This would turn a spit (hence the name) and cook meat. It wasn’t uncommon for a kitchen to employ two Turnspit Dogs, which would work in shifts. The breed was well-adapted to its role, and they remained in the employ of English cottages for centuries.

Unfortunately, the Turnspit Dog became the victim of automation or the 19th-century kitchen equivalent. The invention of the spinning jenny, a multi-spindle spinning frame, made the dogs obsolete. Of course, it took some time, but eventually, they were no longer needed in English kitchens.

Their presence eventually “became a stigma of poverty,” and they weren’t desirable. Without their specifically bred need, Turnspit Dogs went extinct around the turn of the 20th century. Interestingly, there exists only one known taxidermied turnspit dog named Whiskey at the Abergavenny Museum in Wales.

3 Argentine Polar Dog

The Argentine Polar Dog is not a breed many were familiar with while it was around. However, it was nonetheless popular and essential for a select group of people. The dogs were bred by the Argentine Army in the 1950s as sled dogs for its bases in Antarctica.

These working dogs were powerful and skillful dogs derived from crossbreeding the Siberian Husky, Greenland dog, Alaskan Malamute, and a Manchurian Spitz. They were fairly large, reaching around 132 lbs. (60 kg) for males. Their triple coat made them considerably well-adapted to the polar temperatures.

It took 11 Argentine Polar Dogs to drag a sled weighing 1.1 tons, and they could move it quickly. On flat terrain, they could move at 22 mph (35 km/h), making them perfect for the needs of the Argentine Army. Unfortunately, they were extinct by 1994.

In accordance with the Protocol on Environment Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, every Argentine Polar Dog was removed from the continent. This was done due to the threat they were believed to pose to the native wildlife. After they were removed, they died out, as they lost the ability to fight off common canine diseases due to their isolation in Antarctica.

2 English White Terrier

In the 1860s, an eager group of breeders dubbed the name “English White Terrier” for a new breed of dog they hoped to popularize. The English White Terrier is a pricked-ear version of the white terriers common during that time. Ultimately, the goal was to create a new show ring breed, but the plan didn’t come to fruition.

For about three decades, the English White Terrier was bred and sold throughout Britain with the goal of having them outperform the other terriers of the day. They were likely crossbred from a fox terrier and a White Italian Greyhound, and they were first recognized in 1874.

The English White Terrier was far from a working dog, as it had no characteristics that made it helpful in hunting or any other task common to dog breeds. They were meant entirely for show, but they did make for loving companion dogs that require “a considerable amount of cuddling and care.”

After about 30 years, the English White Terrier was extinct, but its genealogy lives on in modern breeds. It was crossbred with the Old English Bulldog. This pairing eventually led to the Bull and Boston Terriers.

1 Molossus

The Molossus was an ancient breed of dog favored by the Greek tribe and Kingdom of the Molossians, which is where it gets its name. These dogs were bred for their great size and ferocity, which made them ideal working dogs in the realm of hunting, fighting, and herding.

Molossus were exceptionally large dogs, and they were written about by some of antiquity’s greatest poets and scholars, including Aristotle, Horace, Virgil, and many others. The precise origin of the Molossus breed has been lost to history, though there are some surviving stories.

Some say that Alexander the Great brought the dogs back from Asia, while others believe they were initially bred by the Romans, who used them as guard dogs for the Roman Army. None of these stories have ever been confirmed, but they speak to the awe and majesty of the Molossus.

The Molossus went extinct, though it’s not known how this happened. Crossbreeding may have bred them out of existence, which isn’t an uncommon end for a dog breed. The Molossus is the ancestor of numerous modern breeds, including the American Bulldog, Rottweiler, Great Dane, Mastiff-type dogs, and many more.

10 Lies About Dogs We All Believe

The American Kennel Club recognizes 195 dog breeds. The French equivalent, the Federation Cynologique Internationale, recognizes 360. So it’s safe to say, no matter whose guidelines you follow, there are a lot of dogs in the world. And that’s just dogs. There are anywhere from 40 to 70 breeds of cats, depending on who you ask. There are more than 3,000 species of snakes, and 14,000 kinds of ants. And while the vast majority of these different breeds and species are kind of mundane, there are always a few standouts, a few extremely unusual ones that we never see even when their more common cousins are hanging out around us all the time. Let’s take a look at 10 of the most unusual breeds of fairly common creatures.

10. The Manx Loaghtan Sheep Have Multiple Horns

If you’re not up to speed on the wool or lamb industries, it’s forgivable to not be all that well versed in sheep variants. Most of us know sheep and maybe longhorn sheep. But it turns out there are actually over 200 breeds of sheep in the world. 

Of all the breeds out there, few make as much of a visual impact as the Manx Loaghtan sheep. You can find these little guys on the Isle of Man. The breed nearly went extinct in the 1950s but breeders have managed to build those numbers back up somewhat. 

Full grown ewes weigh around 40 kilograms, or about 88 pounds, while rams get up to 55 kilograms (121 pounds). That’s about half the size of some of the larger sheep breeds.

The most significant feature of a Manx Loaghtan is, of course, the horns. Unlike most sheep where the females may have no horns at all and the rams might have a pair of curled horns, the Loaghtan breed typically all have four horns. Some may only have two, but some may have as many as six, and they stick out fairly dramatically like a crown from their heads. 

9. Kharai Camels Thrive in the Water

Most people are aware that there are a couple of kinds of camels, the most famous being dromedary and bactrian. But those are species of camels and there are still breeds among them. There are nine breeds of dromedary camels recognized in India, and one of those is the Kharai camel. 

While we typically associate camels with dry deserts, there’s nothing about the animal specifically that demands arid climates, they just adapt well to them. The Kharai is the exact opposite of those desert-dwellers as it’s chiefly known for being highly aquatic. They’ll swim as far as three kilometers, or about 1.9 miles, to find suitable mangroves for grazing.

They feed on mangrove and other plants that grow near the saltwater in which they swim, and their numbers are fairly small. In 2010 it’s estimated there were 10,000 of the camels. That was down to 4,500 by 2020 thanks to habitat loss. 

8. Danish Protest Pigs Were Bred to Protest Prussian Rule

Americans eat over 66 pounds of pork per capita per year. If you don’t eat 70 pounds of pork per year, trust that someone else is taking up the slack for you. It’s the most widely consumed meat in the world and we produce tens of millions of tons of it globally, every year. Though few breeds are used for meat, there are apparently as many as 500 different breeds out there.

Undoubtedly many of those breeds are quirky and unique but only the Danish protest pig exists as a political statement. These little white-banded pigs were bred specifically to resemble the Danish flag as a snub against the Prussians during a border dispute. 

After two wars, the Prussians took over the disputed lands and were quick to squash anything remotely Danish. That included the Danish flag. But the land they took over was full of Danish people, so to protest this new rule banning their own identity they bred their own walking, snorting little flags in the form of the Danish protest pig whose markings feature a clearing white band on an orange background. 

Admittedly, the pigs don’t look a whole lot like the Danish flag which is red with a white cross set towards the left side, but hey, it’s a living pig, it’s close enough. 

7. Ayam Cemani Chickens are Black Inside and Out 

Estimates suggest that there are 25.9 billion chickens in the world right now. That’s a heck of a lot of clucking. Over 600 breeds of chickens are recognized worldwide with some of them looking remarkably exotic and even beautiful. But the Ayam Cemani chicken may take the prize for being the most truly unusual chicken and, if we’re being honest, just one of the strangest creatures in the world, period.

Thanks to a very unusual mutation, the Ayam Cemani breed is black through and through. Black eyes, black claws, black skin and black feathers. Even its tongue is black. But if that’s not dramatic enough for you, you can go deeper. The bones of this chicken are also black, as is the meat. 

The chickens come from Indonesia and demonstrate something called dermal hyperpigmentation as a result of fibromelanosis. Along with three other breeds of chickens that also have pigmented flesh, the mutation that links them seems to come from one single chicken that probably lived thousands of years ago; their common, dusky ancestor.

6. The Blue Calamintha Bee Is an Extremely Rare Blue Bee

Along with the buzzing sound, the most easily recognizable feature of any bee is the black and yellow striping. The blue calamintha really marches to the beat of its own buzzing drum though and is actually blue in color instead of the traditional yellow and black. While that sounds a little surprising, it’s worth noting that there are over 20,000 species of bees in the world and 4,000 of them can be found in the United States alone. Seems like at least one should have evolved to have a more fun color scheme. 

The little cerulean insects were only discovered in 2011 and were thought to have actually vanished by 2016. They only feed on a rare plant found in Florida so their habitat was not particularly widespread. But in 2021 a new nest of them was discovered raising hopes that there was a chance for the species to still thrive. They discovered that the bees also have a secondary food source, slightly improving their chances for survival. 

5. Bigfin Squid Were First Recorded on Camera in 2020

If you’re a fan of seafood, you’ve probably given calamari a try at least once. While it’s nowhere near as popular as tuna or lobster, it’s still featured in a lot of Asian cuisine and also holds its own as a deep-fried bar food alongside things like popcorn shrimp. And it’s also the fifth largest fishery industry by weight in the US, though most of it gets exported. 

A number of squid are caught for food like the Japanese flying squid or the Argentine shortfin. But when it comes down to unusual squid, you can count on the ocean to hold some remarkable secrets. For instance, the Bigfin squid is actually very small in the body. One description likens them to hot dog buns. But those buns have fins that make them look twice as wide as they are long. And, more noticeable, is that they can drag filaments behind them that grow to as much as seven meters, or 22.9 feet in length. That’s a heck of a trail for any hot dog bun. 

The living squid were recorded for the first time in 2020. Only three sightings in the southern hemisphere had even been reported before that. 

4. Lion-Tailed Macaques Really Look Like Lions

There are 160 species of Old World monkeys and 174 New World monkeys in the world, alongside the apes and other primates which are also often mistaken for monkeys. Only a handful of species are really widely known. One that is often overlooked is the lion-tailed macaque, a monkey that doesn’t just look like a lion from the back but from the front as well. 

They have non-prehensile tails with a tuft on the end, hence their name. But they also sport impressive manes around their heads like male lions as well. Their numbers in the wild are very low but they do seem to take well to captive breeding. The result is that there’s about 500 of them in the world now thanks to breeding programs in zoos.

3. Konik Horses Were Bred by Nazis

Like most other animals, there is an absolute plethora of horse breeds in the world. Based on one study that number is up around 784. Horses were not the first animal we domesticated, but they were clearly one of the most important thanks to their use or things like farming, travel and war. And as we’ve bred horses across the generations to serve those purposes, one of the most unusual horse breeds ever came to be – the Konik horse.

Konik horses don’t necessarily look weird, but their history is. A descendant of the Tarpan, a wild ancestor of the modern horse that died out in Neolithic times, the Konik was bred by Nazis in an effort to recreate a sort of prehistoric paradise. How many animals can say that?

The Nazis wanted to reintroduce extinct species, like the Tarpan and the Aurochs, as a strange parallel to their own beliefs about racial purity. They stole many of them from Poland and tried to start their own breeding program. The war squashed those plans, but the breed did manage to survive in Poland.

2. Tentacled Snakes Have Snout Tentacles 

For all the species of snakes that exist in the world, from the smallest little garden snakes to the massive pythons and anacondas that could swallow a human, their basic features are all pretty much the same and the species is pretty easy to recognize. They’re basically heads with tails, so it’s not like a snake has a lot of room for variation beyond size, color and pattern.But that doesn’t mean there’s no room and there is one kind of snake that noticeably stands out from the pack. The tentacled snake has two, finger-like projections that extend from its snout.

The snakes live almost exclusively in the water and are actually somewhat helpless on land. In their natural habitat they can remain perfectly stiff and still which, thanks to their shape and coloration, makes them look like branches in the water.

The tentacles on its face can be manipulated like an octopus or other creature might use them to feel around, but they are also full of dense nerve clusters. That allows the snake to use them to essentially see even in the murkiest of water, using signals gleaned from the tentacles to map out the area around them and find prey. 

Speaking of, the tentacled snake is highly adept at catching fish thanks to the fact it’s evolved to understand fish instincts. The snake is able to position its tail in a way that makes it seem like a threat, twisting its body into a question mark such that, when its tail startles a fish, the creature will flee in a predictable direction which is where the snake’s mouth is already waiting. It makes its prey run because it’s already waiting along its escape path. 

1. The Double-Nosed Andean Tiger Hound

We mentioned at the start that there are up to 360 recognized dog breeds in the world, depending on whose breed list you refer to. But, by any accounts, one of the most unusual dogs in the world is the Double-Nosed Andean Tiger Hound. It’s a dog with two noses. 

There are actually a couple of breeds in the world that have this unusual nose or something similar, like the Tarsus fork-nose dog, for instance. The Andean Tiger Hound, native to regions in South America like Bolivia, is arguably the most famous of these curiously snouted beasts though they aren’t generally recognized as a breed by the AKC, for instance.

If the dogs breed with single-snouted dogs, then the pups can turn out either way. It’s thought that maybe they’ve evolved from hunting dogs brought over with Conquistadors that also had double noses.