The extinction of Steller's sea cow and the passenger pigeon in the last 500 years is primarily attributed to which of the following causes among 'The Evil Quartet'?

Step-by-step solution

According to NCERT, when human 'need' turns into 'greed', it leads to the over-exploitation of natural resources. Many species extinctions in the last 500 years, such as Steller's sea cow and the passenger pigeon, were directly caused by over-exploitation by humans. While habitat loss is the most important overall cause of extinction, it is not the primary cause for these specific examples. Alien species invasions and co-extinctions are other components of the Evil Quartet but do not apply to Steller's sea cow and