10 Amazing Animals That Re-Emerged from Extinction

The world is full of amazing creatures. However, with the effect of habitat loss and human activity, several species are becoming extinct. Efforts are then implemented to locate the lost species. Scientists and conservationists are examining ways to preserve what remains of the species that are rediscovered. Here are some of the species that were thought to be dead but resurfaced from extinction.

Related: 10 Remains Of Extinct Species With Rare New Ideas

10 Chapman’s Pygmy Chameleon

Chapman’s pygmy chameleon (Rhampholeon chapmanorum), which grows to about 2.2 inches (5.5 centimeters), was first detected in 1992 and was not seen again in the wild until 2016. Researchers from South Africa’s National Biodiversity Institute and the Malawi Museums were able to Locate the chameleon in the jungle.

In the last 40 years, about 80% of the tropical rainforests in the Malawi Hills, where chameleons live, have been destroyed, mainly for agricultural purposes. The chameleon is critically endangered and the remaining populations are isolated, putting genetic diversity at risk. The researchers call for more surveys and monitoring of the chameleon population, as well as conservation action to protect what remains of the chameleon’s habitat.^[1]

9 Black-browed Chatter

The only specimen of the black-browed babbler (Malacocincla perspicillata) that was collected was between 1843 and 1848 by the German naturalist Carl ALM Schwaner. The specimen is currently on display at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in the Netherlands. It is considered the longest known lost period for any Asian species, having been lost to science for 170 years. However, the unique bird has been detected in the forest of South Kalimantan, Indonesia by two locals after frequent sightings. The collected photographs of the sighting were then sent to ornithologists, who confirmed that it was indeed the black-browed babbler.

The bird has a stocky appearance with a relatively short tail and stout bill. The upperparts were dark brown, while the underparts were greyish with fine white streaks up to the breast. The bird has a distinct facial appearance, with the crown chestnut-brown and bounded by a broad black eye stripe that extends across the cheeks to the sides of the nape and neck.^[2]

8 Sierra Leone crab

Since 1955, there have been no sightings of this colorful little crab. In 2021, Pierre Mvogo Ndongo, a professor and researcher at the University of Douala in Cameroon, traveled to Sierra Leone, West Africa, to search for the crab. The expedition lasted three weeks. He discovered six of the Sierra Leone crabs (Afrithelphusa leonensis) with the assistance of the residents of the neighborhood who collaborated in the search.

The Sierra Leone crabs that were discovered live inland, in holes in the rainforest floor far from water sources, and have adapted to breathing air. Male Sierra Leone crabs have pinkish-purple claws and orange legs, while females have purple bodies with yellow-orange legs.^[3]

7 coelacanth

It was believed that the coelacanth (latimery) perished 65 million years ago with the dinosaurs. However, the world was fascinated by this strange lobe-finned fish when it was discovered in 1938 in South Africa, sparking a discussion about how it fits into the development of land animals.

The coelacanth and the closely related Indonesian coelacanth share several morphological traits unique to other species. The most notable aspect of the coelacanth is its pair of lobed fins, which protrude from its body-like legs and reciprocate at a horse’s trot. Other distinctive features include a hinged joint in the skull that allows the fish to open its mouth wide for large prey, an oil-filled tube called a notochord that serves as its backbone, thick scales found only in extinct fish, and a system electrosensory. rostral organ on its snout probably used to detect prey.^[4]

6 Wallace’s Giant Bee

In 1859, British naturalist Alfred Russell Wallace discovered the world’s largest bee, a huge black wasp-like insect that is the length of an adult thumb. It was considered extinct until, in 1981, the entomologist Adam Messer found specimens of megachile pluto which are now in museums.

Years after the last sighting, an international group of conservationists traveled to Indonesia in January 2019 and followed Wallace’s route in an effort to locate the bee again. After the difficult journey, the group was able to document the living specimen, reviving hope for the species’ survival.^[5]

5 Fernandina Giant Tortoise

The giant tortoise Fernandina (Chelonoidis phantasticus) was last seen 112 years ago and was long believed to be extinct. The female giant tortoise was discovered in 2019 during an exploration led by Animal Planet host Forrest Galante, the Galapagos Conservancy and the Galapagos National Park Directorate (DGNP).

A blood sample was sent to geneticists at Yale University. A team led by Dr. Gisella Caccone sought to understand the genetic background of the female tortoise and to determine to what extent it matched the only other tortoise discovered on Fernandina Island. Its discoverers gave it the nickname “Fernanda”. Since then, DNA tests have established that she is connected to the island native. Chelonoidis phantasticus tortoise species These results confirm the long-standing hopes of scientists from the Galapagos Conservancy and the DPNG.^[6]

4 Lane Aldabra

The Aldabra Lane (Dryolimnas cuvieri aldabranus It is indigenous to the Aldabra Islands Atoll, which is part of the Seychelles Islands in the southwestern Indian Ocean. Known as a flightless bird, the Aldabra rail disappeared entirely when its island habitat was submerged in water. The rail was able to evolve again when the sea level dropped. Fossils of the Aldabra rail have been found dating back 136,000 years and are compared to a specimen that is around 100,000 years old. The study showed that the fossils are similar to the bones of rails existing today.

The Aldabra rail revival is an example of a rare phenomenon of evolutionary iteration. Studies by Dr Julian Hume, an avian paleontologist at the Natural History Museum, and Professor David Martill, a paleobiologist at the University of Portsmouth, concluded that the phenomenon was unique to the Aldabra rail and not scientifically observed in other species of birds. . With this evidence, the possibility of a future iteration could be possible.^[7]

3 Somali elephant shrew

Also called sengis, the Somali elephant shrew (Elephantulus revoilii) was last scientifically recorded in the 1970s. The Somali sengi is an odd mix of creatures. While its body is similar in size and shape to a mouse, its legs are slender and gazelle-like, allowing it to run across rocks at high speeds. It also has a trunk-shaped nose similar to an elephant’s, which they use to suck in ants. Anteaters, elephants, and manatees are some of the closest living relatives of the Somali sengi.

While locals never considered it to be extinct, the last known scientific record dates from the 1970s. In 2019, Steven Heritage, a research scientist at the Duke University Lemur Center, and his colleague Galen Rathbun, a behavioral vertebra ecologist from the California Academy of Sciences, attended an expedition to the Horn of Africa, together with Djiboutian ecologist Houssien Rayaleh and local scientist Djama Awaleh, led to the rediscovery of the once-lost species. The researchers set more than 1,000 traps consisting of a mixture of peanut butter, oats, and yeast as bait in 12 locations. They were able to spot 12 sengi on their two-week expedition and obtain live scientific documentation.^[8]

2 Jackson’s climbing salamander

First discovered in 1975 by Jeremy Jackson, Jackson’s climbing salamander (Bolitoglossa jacksoni), also known as the golden wonder because of its bright yellow color, was thought to be extinct until Tomás Ramos León, a park ranger at a newly created amphibian reserve in the Cordillera de los Cuchumatanes, spotted the salamander. Later, Carlos Vásquez, curator of herpetology at the University of San Carlos in Guatemala, confirmed that the sighting was Jackson’s climbing salamander based on the images. This came after an educational campaign by FUNDAECO (Fundación para el Ecodesarrollo y la Conservación) was carried out to help park rangers identify these elusive animals.

The discovery of Jackson’s climbing salamander on the outskirts of the reserve sparked an expansion. The park also contains the Finca Chiblac salamander and the long-limbed salamander, both of which were rediscovered in 2014. Jackson’s climbing salamander is still critically endangered, despite having been detected for the first time in 42 years.^[9]

1 Tailor’s Santa Marta

The saber of Santa Marta (Campylopterus phainopeplus) is an emerald green hummingbird that is endemic to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in northeastern Colombia. Yurgen Vega, an experienced birder, unexpectedly saw a male Santa Marta saber-winged hummingbird in the mountains in 2010. This was only the second documented sighting of the critically endangered hummingbird since 1946, and it was long thought that the species had been lost to science.

Very little is known about the Santa Marta saberwing. It lives in humid tropical forests and is believed to be migratory. They feed on flowering plants during the rainy season. Only about 15% of the forests remain in the Santa Marta mountains, and the Santa Marta sable was discovered in unprotected forest. Experts call for more research and protection for this endangered bird.^[10]