Like many vulnerable island habitats, early European discovers were not the welcome redeemers they believed themselves to be. Instead, their arrival was a death sentence for much of the flora and fauna that had evolved over centuries to fill a very specific niche within the restricted range of an island habitat.
The West Indies in the Caribbean Sea was one of the first island habitats to be discovered by the early European voyages. In the last 3 centuries over 50 known species have been lost from these islands. They stand as a testament to this dubious honour.