7 ‘Extinct’ Animals That Made a Shocking Comeback from the Dead

Throughout history, scientists have declared many species extinct, either due to natural disasters, habitat loss or lack of sightings. Research suggests that around 99% of all plants and animals that once inhabited our planet are extinct. This could mean that until five billion species have disappeared from the Earth over time.

Yet nature occasionally provides unexpected surprises, with some creatures seemingly returning from the ‘dead’. This phenomenon, known as the Lazarus effectis named after the biblical figure Lazarus of Bethanywho is believed to have been resurrected by Jesus four days after his death. It represents the remarkable resurgence of species once thought extinct Lazarus taxa.

In this second part of our two-part series on species once thought extinct, let’s take a look at seven more creatures that have made a surprising comeback.

1. Fernandina Island Galápagos Tortoise

This gigantic reptile (Chelonoidis phantasticus) was thought to be long gone to a international research team sequenced the genome of the only known specimen, discovered in 1906, and compared it with that of a female turtle found on Fernandina Island in the Galápagos in 2019. The analysis, carried out in 2021, confirmed that both specimens belong to the same species.

“In fact, only two tortoises have been found on Fernandina Island, and here we have shown that they indeed belong to the same species, and are different from the other Galapagos tortoises,” says Evelyn Jensen, PhDlecturer in molecular ecology at Newcastle University’s School of Natural and Environmental Sciences and lead author of the study. “It is a truly exciting discovery that the species is not extinct, but is living on.”

The female tortoise was nicknamed Fernanda, after her home, and now lives at the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center of the Galápagos National Park on Santa Cruz Island, California, USA. Scientists estimate that she is probably well over 50 years old and is listed as the only known member of her species critically endangered on the IUCN red list. It is unknown whether other Fernandina Galapagos tortoises exist, but recent expeditions have found signs of at least three more tortoises on the island.

2. Vietnam mouse deer

The Vietnam mouse deer is comparable in size to a small rabbit (Tragulus versicolor), also known as the silverback chevrotain, was spotted in 2019 after being extinct for 28 years. It is the first mammal to be rediscovered Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC) top 25 most wanted animals lost species in the search for lost species.

This animal, native to Vietnam, was feared extinct after it was last seen near Dak Rong and Buon Luoi in Gia Lai province in 1990. However, scientists have incredible discovery five years ago, when they viewed CCTV footage of wild animals and saw them moving in the Annamese Mountains, shared between Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.

“We had no idea what to expect, so I was surprised and overjoyed when we checked the camera traps and saw pictures of a mouse deer with silver flanks,” says A NguenPhD candidate at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research and associate naturalist for GWC.

“For so long, this species has seemingly only existed as part of our imagination,” Nguen adds. “Discovering that it does indeed still exist is the first step in ensuring we don’t lose it again, and we’re now moving quickly to figure out how best to protect it.”

3. Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna

Named after the British broadcaster and biologist Sir David AttenboroughThis long-beaked echidna, also called Payangko, was last seen in 1961, before being photographed for the first time in a tropical forest more than sixty years later. In an effort to locate the egg-laying mammal, an international team of researchers and locals set up more than 80 camera traps in the Cyclops Mountains of Papua, Indonesia in 2023.

The team monitored the area for four weeks without finding any Attenborough echidna.Zaglossus attenboroughi). But on the final day they made an exciting discovery when they captured an individual in the final images on the final memory card.

“Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna has the spines of a hedgehog, the snout of an anteater and the legs of a mole,” says J.ames Kempton, PhDa biologist from the University of Oxford and leader of the expedition. “The discovery is the result of hard work and more than three and a half years of planning.”

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the species as critically endangered.

4. Wallace’s Giant Bee

With a wingspan of more than six centimeters (2.5 in), Wallace’s giant bee (Megachile Pluto) is considered the largest in the world. It was first scientifically documented in 1858 on the Moluccan island of Bacan by British naturalist Alfred Russell Wallacefrom whom it takes its name. However, despite its impressive size, it was considered lost since 1981. Then American and Australian conservationists observed for the first time in almost forty years in the North Moluccas archipelago in northeastern Indonesia in 2019.

“It was absolutely breathtaking to see this ‘flying bulldog’, an insect that we were no longer sure existed,” says Clay Bolta natural history photographer specialized in bees. “To actually see how beautiful and large the species is in life, to hear the sound of its gigantic wings beating as it flew past my head, was just incredible.”

The giant bee nests in active arboreal termite mounds and uses its large mandibles to collect sticky tree resin to line the nest and protect it from invading termites. It was found in a termite nest on the last day of the five-day expedition. “My dream is to now use this rediscovery to elevate it to a symbol of nature conservation in this part of Indonesia,” concludes Bolt.

5. Lord Howe Island Wood Feeding Cockroach

This large, wingless wood-eating cockroach, unique to Australia’s Lord Howe Island, was believed extinct since the 1930s, after rats were introduced to the island in 1918. This assumption lasted for almost 80 years until Maxim Adams, a biology student at the University of Sydneyfound him hidden under a rock in 2022. “For the first ten seconds I thought, ‘No, that can’t be right,’” Adams said. “I mean, I lifted the first stone under this huge banyan tree, and there it was.”

The insect (Panesthia lata) is between 22 and 40 millimeters long and has a metallic body color ranging from reddish to black. However, the rediscovered individual is genetically slightly different from the previously found individuals.

“Its survival is great news as it has been more than 80 years since it was last seen,” he says Lord Howe Island board chairman Atticus Fleming in one statement. “Lord Howe Island is a truly spectacular place, it is older than the Galápagos Islands and is home to 1,600 endemic species of invertebrates, half of which are found nowhere else in the world.”

6. San Quintin kangaroo rat

Endemic to Mexico, the San Quintin kangaroo rat (Dipodomys gravipes) lives in arid lowlands and sparse vegetation in western Baja California. It was first described by American zoologist Laurence Markham Huey in 1925, which reported on two existing colonies. This species was last seen in 1986 and has served as a modern example of extinction as the area it occupied has been converted to farmland.

But researchers rediscovered the six-inch rodent during routine monitoring of small mammal communities in 2018. Using traditional field techniques and live traps, they successfully located four individuals after reviewing the field notes of a person who had seen the animals. critically endangered kind of decades earlier.

“Not only is this discovery a perfect example of the importance of good old-fashioned natural history fieldwork, but we also have the opportunity to develop a conservation plan based on our findings,” says Scott Tremora mammalogist at the San Diego Natural History Museum (The Nat) in a statement. “The ability to translate our research into tangible conservation efforts is exciting.”

7. Voeltzkow’s chameleon

Endemic to Madagascar, the long-lost Voeltzkow’s chameleon (Furcifer feelszkowi) ranked sixth on GWC’s top 25 most wanted lost species. It was last seen in 1893 before being rediscovered in 2018. ​​But during a two-week expedition to the northwestern part of the island, an international team discovered three men and 15 women with particularly striking patterns of purple, orange, red, green, black and white.

“I thought we would have a good chance of rediscovering Voeltzkow’s chameleon, but I was surprised that it took so long and that it was so difficult,” says Frank Glaw, head of the Vertebrates Department of the Zoological State Collection Munich and leader of the expedition.

Madagascar is home to almost half of the world’s chameleon species, including 96 species found nowhere else on the planet. “Voeltzkow’s Chameleon adds color and beauty to the planet, and reminds us that even when all seems lost, a great adventure can rekindle hope, even for species we haven’t seen since Woodrow Wilson was president,” says Don Church. GWC president and conservation director.

“Now we still have so much to learn about this extraordinary reptile, including how best to save it from extinction.”