HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

In
paleontology Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...
, a Lazarus taxon (plural ''taxa'') is a
taxon In biology, a taxon ( back-formation from '' taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular n ...
that disappears for one or more periods from the
fossil record A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
, only to appear again later. Likewise in
conservation biology Conservation biology is the study of the conservation of nature and of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction and the erosion of biotic interactions. It is an in ...
and
ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overl ...
, it can refer to species or populations that were thought to be extinct, and are rediscovered. The term Lazarus taxon was coined by Karl W. Flessa &
David Jablonski David Ira Jablonski (born 1953) is an American professor of geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago. His research focuses upon the ecology and biogeography of the origin of major novelties, the evolutionary role of mass extinctions—i ...
in 1983 and was then expanded by Jablonski in 1986.
Paul Wignall Paul Barry Wignall is a British palaeontologist and sedimentologist. He is best known for his research on mass extinctions in the marine realm., particularly via the interpretation of black shales. Biography Wignall obtained an undergraduate ...
and
Michael Benton Michael James Benton One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from the royalsociety.org website where: (born 8 April 1956) is a British palaeontologist, and professor of vertebrate palaeontology in the School of Earth Sciences ...
defined Lazarus taxa as, "At times of biotic crisis many taxa go extinct, but others only temporarily disappeared from the fossil record, often for intervals measured in millions of years, before reappearing unchanged". Earlier work also supports the concept though without using the name Lazarus taxon, like work by Christopher R. C. Paul. The term refers to the story in the Christian biblical
Gospel of John The Gospel of John ( grc, Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, translit=Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "sig ...
, in which
Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...
raised Lazarus from the dead.


Potential explanations

Lazarus taxa are observational artifacts that appear to occur either because of (local)
extinction Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the Endling, last individual of the species, although the Functional ext ...
, later resupplied, or as a sampling artifact. The
fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
record is inherently sporadic (only a very small fraction of organisms become fossilized, and an even smaller fraction are discovered before destruction) and contains gaps not necessarily caused by extinction, particularly when the number of individuals in a taxon is very low. After
mass extinction An extinction event (also known as a mass extinction or biotic crisis) is a widespread and rapid decrease in the biodiversity on Earth. Such an event is identified by a sharp change in the diversity and abundance of multicellular organisms. I ...
s, such as the
Permian–Triassic extinction event The Permian–Triassic (P–T, P–Tr) extinction event, also known as the Latest Permian extinction event, the End-Permian Extinction and colloquially as the Great Dying, formed the boundary between the Permian and Triassic geologic periods, ...
, the Lazarus effect occurred for many taxa. However, there appears to be no link with the abundance of fossiliferous sites and the proportion of Lazarus taxa, and no missing taxa have been found in potential refuges. Therefore, reappearance of Lazarus taxa probably reflects the rebound after a period of extreme rarity during the aftermath of such extinctions.


Related but distinct concepts

An Elvis taxon is a look-alike that has supplanted an extinct taxon through
convergent evolution Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different periods or epochs in time. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the last com ...
. A zombie taxon is a taxon that contains specimens that have been collected from strata younger than the extinction of the taxon. Later such fossils turn out to be freed from the original seam and refossilized in a younger sediment. For example, a
trilobite Trilobites (; meaning "three lobes") are extinct marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. Trilobites form one of the earliest-known groups of arthropods. The first appearance of trilobites in the fossil record defines the base of the ...
that gets eroded out of its Cambrian-aged limestone matrix, and reworked into
Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
-aged siltstone. A
living fossil A living fossil is an extant taxon that cosmetically resembles related species known only from the fossil record. To be considered a living fossil, the fossil species must be old relative to the time of origin of the extant clade. Living foss ...
is an
extant taxon Neontology is a part of biology that, in contrast to paleontology, deals with living (or, more generally, '' recent'') organisms. It is the study of extant taxa (singular: extant taxon): taxa (such as species, genera and families) with member ...
that appears to have changed so little compared with fossil remains, that it is considered identical. Living fossils may occur regularly in the fossil record, such as the lampshell '' Lingula'', though the living species in this genus are not identical to fossil brachiopods. Other living fossils however are also Lazarus taxa if these have been missing from the fossil record for substantial periods of time, such as applies for coelacanths. Finally, the term "Lazarus species" is applied to organisms that have been rediscovered as being still alive after having been widely considered extinct for years, without ever having appeared in the fossil record. In this last case, the term Lazarus taxon is applied in neontology.


Reappearing fossil taxa

*
Bush dog The bush dog (''Speothos venaticus'') is a canine found in Central and South America. In spite of its extensive range, it is very rare in most areas except in Suriname, Guyana and Peru; it was first identified by Peter Wilhelm Lund from foss ...
(''Speothos venaticus''), last surviving species of the genus ''
Speothos ''Speothos'' is a genus of canid found in Central and South America. The genus includes the living bush dog, '' Speothos venaticus'', and an extinct Pleistocene species, '' Speothos pacivorus''. Unusually, the fossil species was identified and ...
''; first described as an extinct taxon in 1842 by Peter Wilhelm Lund, based on fossils uncovered from
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
ian caves; Lund found and described living specimens in 1843 without realizing they were of the same species as the fossils, dubbing the living bush dogs as members of the genus "''Icticyon''"; this was not corrected until some time in the 20th century. * Chacoan peccary (''Catagonus wagneri''), last surviving species of the genus ''Catagonus''; believed to be the closest living relative to the extinct genus ''Platygonus''. First described as extinct in 1930 as fossils; live specimens found in 1974. * Coelacanth (''Latimeria''), a member of a subclass ( Actinistia) thought to have gone extinct 66 million years ago; live specimens found in 1938. * False killer whale, first described by the British paleontologist and biologist Richard Owen based on a skull discovered in 1843 found in Stamford, Lincolnshire in England and dated to the Middle Pleistocene around 126,000 years ago. The first carcasses washed up on the shores of Kiel Bay in Denmark in 1861; until this point the species was thought to be extinct. * Nightcap oak (''
Eidothea hardeniana ''Eidothea hardeniana'', commonly named nightcap oak, is a species of tree, up to 40 m (130 ft) tall, of the plant family Proteaceae, which botanist Robert Kooyman recognised as a new species only recently in 2002. It is found only in t ...
'' and ''
Eidothea zoexylocarya ''Eidothea zoexylocarya'' is a species of tall rainforest trees endemic to north-eastern Queensland, Australia and constituting part of the plant family Proteaceae. In European–Australian science, these trees were only recognised in recent de ...
''), representing a genus previously known only from fossils 15 to 20 million years old, were recognized in 2000 and 1995, respectively. * ''
Gracilidris ''Gracilidris'' is a genus of dolichoderine ants with nocturnal behaviour; thought to have gone extinct 15-20 million years ago, they have been found in Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina and were described in 2006. For the first time, It was rec ...
'', a genus of dolichoderine ants thought to have gone extinct 15–20 million years ago was found in
Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to t ...
,
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, and
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
and redescribed in 2006. * '' Alavesia'', a genus of Atelestid fly, originally discovered as a fossil in amber over 100 million years old in 1999, living species found in Namibia in 2010. * Laotian rock rat (''Laonastes aenigmamus''), a member of a family (
Diatomyidae Diatomyidae is a family of hystricomorph rodents. It is represented by a single living species, '' Laonastes aenigmamus,'' native to Laos in Southeast Asia. Fossil species are known from the Oligocene and Miocene of Asia and eastern Europe. "La ...
) thought to have gone extinct 11 million years ago; found in 1996. * The arboreal
chinchilla rat Chinchilla rats or ''chinchillones'' are members of the family Abrocomidae. This family has few members compared to most rodent families, with only nine known living species. They resemble chinchillas in appearance, with a similar soft fur and s ...
s (''
Cuscomys ''Cuscomys'' is a genus of rodents found in the Andes of Cusco in southern Peru. These relatively large chinchilla rats are dark grey with a distinct white line running from the crown to the nose. The genus was coined in 1999 when ''C. ashaninka' ...
'' spp.), which were originally described based on a single species (''
Cuscomys oblativus The Machu Picchu arboreal chinchilla rat (''Cuscomys oblativus'') is a large species of South American chinchilla rats, known from skeletal remains found by members of the Peruvian Expedition of 1912. The animals were buried alongside people in a ...
'') known only from archaeological remains discovered in ancient
Inca The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts",  "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The adm ...
tombs described in 1912 and believed to be extinct for almost a century. A second species (''
Cuscomys ashaninka ''Cuscomys'' is a genus of rodents found in the Andes of Cusco in southern Peru. These relatively large chinchilla rats are dark grey with a distinct white line running from the crown to the nose. The genus was coined in 1999 when ''C. ashani ...
'') was discovered alive in Peru in 1999, and photographs taken at
Machu Picchu Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru on a mountain range.UNESCO World Heritage Centre. It is located in the Machupicchu District within Urubamba Province above the Sacred Valley, whic ...
in 2009 suggest that ''C. oblativus'' is still alive as well. *
Majorcan midwife toad The Majorcan midwife toad (''Alytes muletensis'') (also Mallorcan midwife toad or ferreret in Balearic Catalan and Spanish) is a frog in the family Alytidae (formerly Discoglossidae). It is endemic to the Balearic Island of Majorca in the Medi ...
(''Alytes muletensis''), in the family Alytidae, described from fossil remains in 1977, discovered alive in 1979. * Dawn redwood (''Metasequoia''), a genus of
conifer Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All ext ...
, described as a fossil in 1941, rediscovered alive in 1944. * Monito del monte (''Dromiciops''), sole surviving member of the order Microbiotheria; first described in 1894, thought to have gone extinct 11 million years ago. * Bulmer's fruit bat (''Aproteles bulmerae''), originally described from a Pleistocene garbage pile, it was subsequently discovered alive elsewhere in its native New Guinea. *
Monoplacophora Monoplacophora , meaning "bearing one plate", is a polyphyletic superclass of molluscs with a cap-like shell inhabiting deep sea environments . Extant representatives were not recognized as such until 1952; previously they were known only from ...
, a class of molluscs believed to have gone extinct in the middle
Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, wh ...
Period (c. 380 million years ago) until living members were discovered in deep water off Costa Rica in 1952. * Mountain pygmy possum (''Burramys parvus''), first discovered in the fossil record in 1895; rediscovered alive in 1966. * ''
Schinderhannes bartelsi ''Schinderhannes bartelsi'' is a species of hurdiid radiodont (anomalocaridid) known from one specimen from the lower Devonian Hunsrück Slates. Its discovery was astonishing because previously, radiodonts were known only from exceptionally well ...
'', a Devonian member of the order Radiodonta, previously known only from
Cambrian The Cambrian Period ( ; sometimes symbolized Ꞓ) was the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cambrian lasted 53.4 million years from the end of the preceding Ediacaran Period 538.8 million years ago ...
fossils, 100 million years earlier. *''
Submyotodon ''Submyotodon'' is a genus of vespertilionid bats, published as a new taxon in 2003 to describe a Miocene fossil species. Extant species and subspecies previously included in ''Myotis'' were later transferred to this genus. Species in this genus ...
'', a genus of bat originally known from a single fossil species ('' S. petersbuchensis'') described in 2003 from the
Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
of
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
, about 11 to 16 million years ago. In 2015, a phylogenetic analysis of bats from
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...
and
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
found three species previously classified in '' Myotis'' ('' M. caliginosus'', '' M. latirostris'', and '' M. moupinensis'') to be wholly distinct from any other member of ''Myotis'', and instead more closely allied to the fossil ''Submyotodon'', and thus reclassified them in ''Submyotodon'', making the genus extant once more. * Wollemi pine (''Wollemia''), a genus of coniferous tree in the family Araucariaceae; previously known only from fossils from 2 to 90 million years ago, rediscovered in 1994. *''
Calliostoma bullatum ''Calliostoma bullatum'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Calliostomatidae. Distribution Fossil evidence indicates that this species formerly lived as far north as what is now the Mediterranean Sea, but ...
'', a species of deepwater
sea snail Sea snail is a common name for slow-moving marine gastropod molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguished from snails primarily by the a ...
; originally described in 1844 from fossil specimens in deep-water coral-related sediments from southern
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, until extant individuals were described in 2019 from deep-water coral reefs off the coast of
Mauritania Mauritania (; ar, موريتانيا, ', french: Mauritanie; Berber: ''Agawej'' or ''Cengit''; Pulaar: ''Moritani''; Wolof: ''Gànnaar''; Soninke:), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania ( ar, الجمهورية الإسلامية ...
.


Reappearing IUCN red list species


Plants

* ''
Afrothismia pachyantha ''Afrothismia pachyantha'' is a species of plant in the family Burmanniaceae. It is endemic to Cameroon. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland evergreen forests ca. 700 m alt. It is threatened by habitat loss. The s ...
,'' in the family Burmanniaceae; first discovered in 1905, rediscovered in 1995. * ''
Antirhea tomentosa ''Stenostomum tomentosum'', synonym ''Antirhea tomentosa'', is a species of plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is endemic to Jamaica. It is threatened by habitat loss. The species was first discovered in 1780 and rediscovered in 1975, making ...
'', in the family
Rubiaceae The Rubiaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with interpetiolar stipules a ...
; first discovered in 1780, rediscovered in 1975. * ''
Asplundia clementinae ''Asplundia clementinae'' is a species of plant in the Cyclanthaceae Cyclanthaceae is a family of flowering plants. Taxonomy Earlier systems, such as the Cronquist system and the Takhtajan system, placed it as the sole family in the order Cy ...
,'' a species of plant in the family Cyclanthaceae. * ''
Astragalus nitidiflorus ''Astragalus nitidiflorus'' is a species of legume in the family Fabaceae. It is endemic to Cartagena, southeast of Spain. It was refound after about 100 years of extinction and "the reappearance of this species has awakened the interest of env ...
'' * ''
Badula platyphylla ''Badula platyphylla'' is a species of plant in the family Primulaceae The Primulaceae , commonly known as the primrose family (but not related to the evening primrose family), are a family of herbaceous and woody flowering plants including ...
,'' a species of plant in the family Primulaceae. *
Blunt chaff flower ''Achyranthes mutica'' (also called blunt chaff flower) is a species of plant in the family Amaranthaceae. It is endemic to Hawaii. It is a perennial shrub that grows up to tall. Its natural habitats are dry forests and subtropical or tropical ...
(''Achyranthes mutica''), a species of plant in the family
Amaranthaceae Amaranthaceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus ''Amaranthus''. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, making i ...
. * ''
Bulbophyllum filiforme ''Bulbophyllum filiforme'' is a species of epiphytic plant in the family Orchidaceae, found in Cameroon and Nigeria, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry, lowland evergreen forests. It was botanically described in 1895, and i ...
,'' a species of epiphytic plant in the family
Orchidaceae Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...
; first botanically described in 1895. * ''
Bulbostylis neglecta ''Bulbostylis neglecta'', neglected tuft sedge locally, is an endemism, endemic member of the Cyperaceae of Saint Helena in the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic. ''Bulbostylis neglecta'' was first collected by William John Burchell in 1806, alth ...
,'' an endemic member of the family
Cyperaceae The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus '' Carex'' ...
; first collected in 1806, rediscovered in 2008. * Café marron (''Ramosmania rodriguesii''), thought extinct in the 1950s but rediscovered in 1980. * '' Camellia piquetiana'', in the family Theaceae; discovered in the 19th century, rediscovered in 2003. * Climbing alsinidendron (''Alsinidendron viscosum''), in the family
Caryophyllaceae Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactacea ...
. * ''
Coffea stenophylla ''Coffea stenophylla'', also known as highland coffee or Sierra Leone coffee, is a species of ''Coffea'' originating from West Africa. It is currently not commercially cultivated due to its low yield and small berries, which makes it inferior to ...
'' * ''
Cyanea dunbariae ''Cyanea dunbariae'' (often misspelled ''dunbarii'')USFWS''Cyanea dunbariae'' Five-year Review.January 2008. is a rare species of flowering plant in the bellflower family known by the common name ravine cyanea. It is endemic to Molokai, where ...
,'' in the bellflower family; rediscovered in 1992. * ''
Cyanea kuhihewa ''Cyanea kuhihewa'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the bellflower family known by the common name Limahuli Valley cyanea. It is endemic to Kauai, where only two mature plants are known from a single wild population. Like other '' Cyan ...
'' * ''
Cyanea procera ''Cyanea procera'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the bellflower family known by the common name Molokai cyanea. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the island of Molokai. It is a federally listed endangered species ...
,'' in the bellflower family. * Pygmy goosefoot (''Dysphania pusilla''), thought extinct since 1959, but rediscovered in 2015. * ''
Eidothea hardeniana ''Eidothea hardeniana'', commonly named nightcap oak, is a species of tree, up to 40 m (130 ft) tall, of the plant family Proteaceae, which botanist Robert Kooyman recognised as a new species only recently in 2002. It is found only in t ...
'' (Nightcap oak) * ''
Eugenia bojeri ''Eugenia bojeri'' is a species of plant in the family Myrtaceae. It is endemic to Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the I ...
,'' a species of plant in the family
Myrtaceae Myrtaceae, the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All sp ...
. * '' Euphrasia arguta'', a plant from the genus '' Euphrasia'', in the family
Orobanchaceae Orobanchaceae, the broomrapes, is a family of mostly parasitic plants of the order Lamiales, with about 90 genera and more than 2000 species. Many of these genera (e.g., ''Pedicularis'', ''Rhinanthus'', '' Striga'') were formerly included in ...
; thought extinct since 1904, rediscovered 2008. * Franciscan manzanita (''Arctostaphylos hookeri''), thought to be extinct in the wild since 1942, rediscovered in 2009. * Furbish's lousewort (''Pedicularis furbishiae''), Canadian species identified as an extinct species in 1880, rediscovered in the 1970s. * ''
Hibiscadelphus woodii ''Hibiscadelphus woodii'', or "Wood's hau kuahiwi", is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae, endemic to Kauai, Hawaii. It is a small tree, reaching a height of . It was discovered in 1991 and described as a new species in 199 ...
'', a species of flowering plant in the family
Malvaceae Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familia ...
, declared extinct in 2016 and rediscovered three years later. * Jellyfish tree (''Medusagyne oppositifolia''), the only member of the genus ''Medusagyne'', of the family Ochnaceae; thought extinct until 1970. * ''
Mammillaria schwarzii ''Mammillaria schwarzii'' is a species of plant in the family Cactaceae A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryo ...
,'' a species of plant in the family
Cactaceae A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Gre ...
; thought to be extinct for some time, until rediscovered in 1987. * ''
Ligusticum albanicum ''Ligusticum'' (lovage, licorice root) is a genus of about 60 species of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, native to cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Its name is believed to derive from the Italian region of Liguria.Hu ...
'' * ''
Medemia argun ''Medemia argun'' is a rare species of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) native to Egypt and Sudan. It is the only species in the genus ''Medemia''. The palm's dried dates have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs. Description ''Medemia argun'' ...
'' in the family
Arecaceae The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm trees ...
, it is the only species in the genus ''Medemia''. * ''
Metasequoia ''Metasequoia'', or dawn redwoods, is a genus of fast-growing deciduous trees, one of three species of conifers known as redwoods. The living species ''Metasequoia glyptostroboides'' is native to Lichuan county in Hubei province, China. Althou ...
'' (Dawn redwood) * Mount Diablo buckwheat (''Eriogonom truncatum''), in the family
Polygonaceae The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the United States. The name is based on the genus ''Polygonum'', and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in ...
; thought to be extinct around 1935 but found again in 2005, then again in 2016. * ''
Madhuca diplostemon ''Madhuca diplostemon'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Sapotaceae, endemic to India. It is a threatened tree species of the Western Ghats whose original specimens were collected in 1835, and it was considered extinct for 184 ye ...
'', a tree in the family Sapotaceae; first collected in 1835, rediscovered in 2019. * ''
Pittosporum tanianum ''Pittosporum tanianum'' is a species of plant in the Pittosporaceae family. It is endemic to New Caledonia. Its natural habitat is temperate forests. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habit ...
'', a species of plant in the family Pittosporaceae. * ''
Ranunculus mutinensis ''Ranunculus'' is a large genus of about almost 1700 to more than 1800 species of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus are known as buttercups, spearworts and water crowfoots. The genus is distributed in Europe ...
'' * ''
Rhaphidospora cavernarum ''Rhaphidospora cavernarum'' is a plant species in the family Acanthaceae. The species was thought to be extinct in Queensland until rediscovered on Cape York, between Cooktown Cooktown is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Co ...
'', a plant species in the family
Acanthaceae Acanthaceae is a family (the acanthus family) of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epiphytes. Only a few species are distributed in tem ...
; thought to be extinct since 1873 but relocated in 2008. * She cabbage tree (''Lachanodes arborea'') a small tree in the family
Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae ...
. *
Sicilian fir ''Abies nebrodensis'', the Sicilian fir, is a fir native to the Madonie mountains in northern Sicily. Taxonomy It is closely related to silver fir, ''Abies alba'', which replaces it in the Apennine Mountains of Italy and elsewhere further ...
(''Abies nebrodensis''), in the family Pinaceae. * ''
Takhtajania perrieri ''Takhtajania'' is a genus of flowering plants of the family Winteraceae, which contains a single species, ''Takhtajania perrieri''. It is endemic to Madagascar. ''Takhtajania'' is found in a small area of the Madagascar subhumid forests. It ...
,'' a genus of flowering plants in the family
Winteraceae Winteraceae is a primitive family of tropical trees and shrubs including 93 species in five genera. It is of particular interest because it is such a primitive angiosperm family, distantly related to Magnoliaceae, though it has a much more s ...
; first collected in 1909, rediscovered and reclassified multiple times between 1963–1997. * ''
Turbinicarpus gielsdorfianus ''Turbinicarpus gielsdorfianus'' is a species of plant in the family Cactaceae. It is endemic to San Luis Potosí state in northeastern Mexico. Its natural habitat is hot deserts. It was thought to be extinct for some time until it was redisco ...
,'' a species of plant in the family Cactaceae. * Virginia round-leaf birch (''Betula uber''), a rare species of tree in the
birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' cont ...
family; first discovered in 1914, thought to be extinct until 1975 * Yellow fatu (''Abutilon pitcairnense''), a species of plant in the family
Malvaceae Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familia ...
. The plant was once considered extinct until 2003.


Cultivars

* Judean date palm, found as a seed dated from between 155 BC to 64 AD, replanted in 2005. *
Montreal melon The Montreal melon, also known as the Montreal market muskmelon or the Montreal nutmeg melon (french: melon de Montréal), is a variety of melon recently rediscovered and cultivated in the Montreal, Quebec, Canada, area. Scientifically, it is a ...
, a common plant in the 19th century that disappeared but was rediscovered after a couple of generations in 1996.


Sponges

* Neptune's Cup (''Cliona patera''), a species of
demosponge Demosponges (Demospongiae) are the most diverse class in the phylum Porifera. They include 76.2% of all species of sponges with nearly 8,800 species worldwide (World Porifera Database). They are sponges with a soft body that covers a har ...
in the family
Clionaidae Clionaidae is a family of demosponges which are found worldwide. This family is known for parasitically boring holes in calcareous material such as mollusc shells and corals, using both chemical and mechanical processes.Brusca, R.C. & Brusca, G. ...
; thought to be extinct from overharvesting in 1908, rediscovered in 2011.


Annelids

*
Giant Palouse earthworm The giant Palouse earthworm or Washington giant earthworm (''Driloleirus americanus'', meaning ''lily-like worm'') is a species of earthworm belonging to the genus '' Driloleirus'' inhabiting the Palouse region of Eastern Washington and North Id ...
(''
Driloleirus ''Driloleirus'' is an earthworm genus in the family Megascolecidae. This genus includes at least two species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as ...
americanus''), a species of
earthworm An earthworm is a terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. They exhibit a tube-within-a-tube body plan; they are externally segmented with corresponding internal segmentation; and they usually have setae on all segments. T ...
belonging to the genus ''Driloleirus;'' thought extinct in the 1980s, but found again in 2006.


Insects

* Lord Howe Island stick insect (''Dryococelus australis''); a species of stick insect in the family Phasmatodae; thought to be extinct by 1930, rediscovered in 2001. * Canterbury knobbed weevil (''Hadramphus tuberculatus''), in the family
Curculionidae The Curculionidae are a family of weevils, commonly called snout beetles or true weevils. They are one of the largest animal families, with 6,800 genera and 83,000 species described worldwide. They are the sister group to the family Brentidae. ...
; first discovered in 1877, last seen in 1922 until it was rediscovered in 2004. * The cloaked bee ''( Pharohylaeus lactiferus)''; a bee in the subfamily Hylaeinae which had not been found since 1923 and was rediscovered in 2018. * ''
Lestes patricia ''Lestes patricia'' is a species of damselfly in the family Lestidae. It is native to Western Ghats in India. Fraser described this species from a single male specimen collected from Kodagu district of Karnataka. In 2020, A colony was redis ...
'' * '' Megachile pluto'', the world's largest
bee Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfami ...
. Not seen after 1858, when it was first collected, until it was rediscovered in 1981. * Dinosaur ant (''Nothomyrmecia macrops''), a rare genus of ants consisting of a single species, discovered in 1931, not seen again until 1977. * '' Petasida ephippigera'', a species of grasshopper in the family Pyrgomorphidae; thought to be extinct from 1900 until 1971, when a single male specimen was spotted, followed by a breeding pair shortly afterwards. * ''
Schizodactylus inexspectatus ''Schizodactylus inexspectatus'' (often misspelled "''inexpectatus''") is a species of dune cricket ( Schizodactylidae) endemic to sand dunes of Çukurova and Göksu Deltas, Turkey. Taxonomic history ''Schizodactylus inexspectatus'' was first ...
'', a dune-inhabiting cricket from
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
, known from a single specimen seen in 1901 and presumed extinct until it was found again in 2005. * Bone skipper fly (''Thyreophora cynophila''), in the family
Piophilidae The Piophilidae are a family of "true flies", in the order Diptera. The so-called cheese flies are the best-known members, but most species of the Piophilidae are scavengers in animal products, carrion, and fungi. They may accordingly be import ...
; first described (1794) and last seen in Central Europe (1850), before being photographed in Spain in 2009. * Pitt Island longhorn beetle (''Xylotoles costatus''), is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae; last seen on Pitt Island in 1910, and found again on a nearby island in the
Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ) (Moriori: ''Rēkohu'', 'Misty Sun'; mi, Wharekauri) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island. They are administered as part of New Zealand. The archipelago consists of about t ...
in 1987.


Crustaceans

* Short-tailed rain crayfish (''Ombrastacoides parvicaudatus'')


Arachnids

* ''
Alopecosa fabrilis ''Alopecosa fabrilis'', known as the great fox-spider, is a species of wolf spider in the family Lycosidae. It is predominantly found in Europe and was rediscovered in the United Kingdom in 2020 after being thought extinct. Description ''Alope ...
''


Fish

* Batman River Loach, a loach species not seen since 1970s. Rediscovered in 2021. * Black kokanee (''Oncorhynchus nerka kawamurae''), a Japanese species of salmon in the family Salmonidae; believed extinct in 1940 after attempts at conservation seemingly failed. The species was rediscovered in
Lake Saiko A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larg ...
in 2010, having survived after prior conservation efforts had introduced it there.


Shark

* Smoothtooth blacktip shark (''Carcharhinus leiodon''), a
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...
of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae; known only from a specimen caught in 1902, the shark was rediscovered at a fish market in 2008. * Pondicherry shark *
Whitetip weasel shark The whitetip weasel shark ''(Paragaleus leucolomatus)'' is a weasel shark of the family Hemigaleidae. Only one specimen, caught off Kosi Bay, South Africa, has been caught. That specimen was 96 cm long. In 2020, a fuzzy image believed t ...
*
Flapnose houndshark The flapnose houndshark (''Scylliogaleus quecketti'') is a houndshark of the family Triakidae, and the only member of the genus ''Scylliogaleus''. It is found in the waters off subtropical South Africa, in the western Indian Ocean between latitu ...
*
Ornate sleeper-ray The ornate sleeper-ray (''Electrolux addisoni'') is a species of electric ray in the family Narkidae, and the only member of the genus ''Electrolux''. It lives on reefs feeding on polychaete worms and small crustaceans, it has only been seen by ...


Amphibians

*
Armoured frog The armoured frog (''Ranoidea lorica''), or armoured mist frog, is a species of tree frog in the torrent frog complex, a group restricted to north-eastern Queensland, Australia. Taxonomy The armoured mist frog is one of the four species of A ...
(''Litoria lorica''), a species of frog in the family Hylidae; first discovered in 1976, until its rediscovery in 2008. * ''
Ansonia latidisca ''Ansonia latidisca'', commonly called the Sambas stream toad or Bornean rainbow toad, is a small true toad rediscovered in 2011 after being unseen since 1924. It is endemic to Borneo ( Indonesia and Malaysia). Its natural habitats are tropi ...
'' (Sambas stream toad, Borneo rainbow toad) in the family Bufonidae; first discovered in 1924, until its rediscovery in 2011. *
Starry night toad The starry night toad (''Atelopus arsyecue'') is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae endemic to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Its natural habitats are sub-Andean and Andean forests, sub-páramo and páramo at above sea l ...
(''Atelopus arsyecue''), not seen for over 30 years until rediscovery in 2019. * Painted frog (''Atelopus ebenoides marinkellei''), a species of true toad in the family Bufonidae, believed to be extinct since 1995, until it was rediscovered in 2006. * ''
Atelopus ignescens ''Atelopus ignescens'', the Jambato toad or Quito stubfoot toad or Jambato harlequin frog, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to the northern Andes of Ecuador. This once abundant species was believed to be extinct unti ...
'' (Jambato toad, Quito stubfoot toad), a species of toad in the family Bufonidae; thought to be extinct since its last recorded sighting in 1988, until its rediscovery in 2016. * ''
Atelopus laetissimus ''Atelopus laetissimus'' is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to Colombia and only known from the area of its Type locality (biology), type locality in the northwestern part of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, in the Magda ...
,'' a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. * ''
Atelopus longirostris ''Atelopus longirostris'' is a species of harlequin frog, a member of the family of true toads (Bufonidae). It has been recorded only in northern Ecuador. Records from Colombia probably represent different species. As of mid-2017, it is liste ...
'' * Mindo harlequin frog (''Atelopus mindoensis'') * San Lorenzo harlequin frog (''Atelopus nahumae),'' a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. * ''
Atelopus varius ''Atelopus varius'', the Costa Rican variable harlequin toad or clown frog, is a small Neotropical true toad from the family Bufonidae (Crump 1986). Once ranging from Costa Rica to Panama, ''A. varius'' is now listed as critically endangered an ...
'' a toad endemic to the
Talamancan montane forests The Talamancan montane forests ecoregion, in the tropical moist broadleaf forest biome, are in montane Costa Rica and western Panama in Central America. Setting The Talamancan montane forests cover a discontinuous area of in Cordilleran mounta ...
, between Costa Rica and Panama. *
Booroolong frog The Booroolong frog (''Litoria booroolongensis'') is a species of stream-dwelling frog native to the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales, Australia. It is a member of the Hylidae, or the "tree frog" family. The Booroolong frog is classified ...
(''Ranoidea booroolongensis'') *
Hula painted frog The Hula painted frog (''Latonia nigriventer'') is an amphibian and the only living member of the genus '' Latonia,'' which was originally described from several fossil species from the Oligocene to Early Pleistocene of Europe. The Hula painted f ...
(''Discoglossus nigriventer''), the only living member of the genus '' Latonia;'' thought to be extinct in the 1950s, until it was rediscovered in 2011. * American cinchona plantation treefrog (''Isthmohyla rivularis''), a rare species of frog in the family Hylidae; thought to have become extinct, until its rediscovery in 2007. * Bolivian Cochran frog (''Nymphargus bejaranoi''), not seen for over 18 years until its rediscovery in early 2020. *
Black jumping salamander ''Ixalotriton niger'', the black jumping salamander, is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to Mexico. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and rocky areas and it is threatened ...
(''Ixalotriton niger''), a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae; believed to be extinct, until rediscovered in 2000 and again in 2006 and 2007. * ''
Confusing rocket frog In medicine, confusion is the quality or state of being bewildered or unclear. The term "acute mental confusion"
'' *
Large-crested toad Large-crested toad is a common name for several amphibians and may refer to: *'' Incilius cristatus'', native to Puebla and Veracruz in Mexico *'' Incilius macrocristatus'', native to Guatemala and Chiapas in Mexico {{Animal common name Incilius ...
(''Bufo cristatus''), a critically endangered species of true toad in the family Bufonidae. *
Majorcan midwife toad The Majorcan midwife toad (''Alytes muletensis'') (also Mallorcan midwife toad or ferreret in Balearic Catalan and Spanish) is a frog in the family Alytidae (formerly Discoglossidae). It is endemic to the Balearic Island of Majorca in the Medi ...
(Alytes muletensis) * ''
Taudactylus rheophilus The northern tinker frog, northern timber frog, or tinkling frog (''Taudactylus rheophilus'') is a species of frog in the family Myobatrachidae. It is endemic to humid mountainous areas of north-eastern Queensland in Australia. It lives among ...
'' (northern tinker frog, tinkling frog), a species of frog in the family Myobatrachidae. * ''
Philautus chalazodes ''Raorchestes chalazodes'' (Chalazodes bubble-nest frog, white-spotted bush frog, or Günther's bush frog) is a species of critically endangered frog in the family Rhacophoridae. ''Raorchestes chalazode''s is a nocturnal and arboreal species fo ...
'' (chalazodes bubble-nest frog, white-spotted bush frog or Günther's bush frog), a species of frog in the family
Rhacophoridae The Rhacophoridae are a family of frogs that occur in tropical sub-Saharan Africa, South India and Sri Lanka, Japan, northeastern India to eastern China and Taiwan, south through the Philippines and Greater Sundas, and Sulawesi. They ar ...
; no verifiable reports of this species, until its rediscovery in 2011. * Guttman's Stream frog (''Pulchrana guttmani'') *
Sumatra toad The Sumatra toad (''Duttaphrynus sumatranus'') is a species of toad endemic to Sumatra, Indonesia, and only known from Lubuk Selasi. It has been found along a small, clear stream in secondary forest. It is locally common but listed as a criticall ...
(''Bufo sumatranus''), a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. * '' Telmatobufo venustus'', a species of frog in the family Calyptocephalellidae, not seen from 1899 until 1999. * ''
Thorius minutissimus ''Thorius minutissimus'' is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae Plethodontidae, or lungless salamanders, are a family of salamanders. Most species are native to the Western Hemisphere, from British Columbia to Brazil, althou ...
'', a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae.


Mammals

* Bavarian pine vole (''Microtus bavaricus''), is a vole in the family Cricetidae; believed extinct in the 1960s, until it was rediscovered in 2000. *
Black-footed ferret The black-footed ferret (''Mustela nigripes''), also known as the American polecatHeptner, V. G. (Vladimir Georgievich); Nasimovich, A. A; Bannikov, Andrei Grigorovich; Hoffmann, Robert S. (2001)''Mammals of the Soviet Union''Volume: v. 2, pt. 1 ...
(''Mustela nigripes),'' a North American species presumed extinct in 1979 until it was rediscovered in 1981. A captive breeding program of the discovered ferrets successfully reintroduced the species into the wild. *
Brazilian arboreal mouse The Brazilian arboreal mouse (''Rhagomys rufescens'') is a South American rodent species of the family Cricetidae. It is found in the Atlantic Forest of southeast Brazil, often close to bamboo thickets. It can be distinguished from '' Rhagomys ...
(''Rhagomys rufescens''), a South American rodent species of the family Cricetidae; first described in 1886, was believed to be extinct for over one hundred years. *
Bouvier's red colobus Bouvier's red colobus (''Piliocolobus bouvieri'') is a species of colobus monkey rediscovered in the Republic of the Congo in 2015, after four decades without a confirmed sighting. Description Bouvier's red colobus has brownish-red fur on its b ...
(''Piliocolobus bouvieri''), a species of colobus monkey rediscovered in 2015. * '' Onychogalea fraenata'' (Bridled nail-tail wallaby, bridled nail-tailed wallaby, bridled nailtail wallaby, bridled wallaby, merrin or flashjack), a vulnerable species of macropod; thought to be extinct since the last confirmed sighting in 1937, but rediscovered in 1973. *
Caspian horse The Caspian is an Iranian breed of pony or small horse of Oriental type. The breed was created in 1965 by Louise Firouz, an American living in Iran, from a base stock of a small number of small horses found in the Elburz Mountains. In 201 ...
(Khazar horse), thought to be descended from Mesopotamian horses; remains dating back to 3400 B.C.E, but it was rediscovered in the 1960s. * '' Zyzomys pedunculatus'' (central rock rat, central thick-tailed rock-rat, Macdonnell Range rock-rat, Australian native mouse, rat à grosse queue or rata coligorda), a species of rodent in the family
Muridae The Muridae, or murids, are the largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 1,383 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerbils found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. The name Muridae comes ...
; thought to be extinct in 1990 and 1994, until a reappearance in 2001 and in 2002, then the species went unrecorded until 2013. * Cuban solenodon (''Atopogale cubana''), thought to have been extinct until a live specimen was found in 2003. *
Dinagat bushy-tailed cloud rat The Dinagat bushy-tailed cloud rat, Dinagat crateromys or Dinagat cloud rat (''Crateromys australis'') is a species of cloud rat in the family Muridae. It is one of the eight cloud rats found only in the Philippines, and is specifically endemic ...
, assumed extinct after discovery in 1974, but rediscovered in 2012. *
Eastern black crested gibbon The eastern black-crested gibbon (''Nomascus nasutus''), also known as the Cao-vit black crested gibbon or the Cao-vit crested gibbon, is a species of gibbon from southeast China and northern Vietnam. The term "Cao-vit" originated from the sounds ...
*
Fernandina rice rat ''Nesoryzomys fernandinae'', also known as the Fernandina nesoryzomys, Fernandina rice rat, or Fernandina Galápagos mouse, is a species of rodent in the genus ''Nesoryzomys'' of family Cricetidae. It is found only on Fernandina in the Galápag ...
(''Nesoryzomys fernandinae''), thought extinct in 1996 (last seen 1980) but found again in the late 1990s. * Gilbert's potoroo (''Potorous gilbertii''), extremely rare Australian mammal presumed extinct from the 19th century until 1994. *
Gould's mouse Gould's mouse (''Pseudomys gouldii''), also known as the Shark Bay mouse and djoongari in the Pintupi and Luritja languages, is a species of rodent in the murid family. Once ranging throughout Australia from Western Australia to New South Wales ...
(''Pseudomys gouldii'') *
Humboldt marten The Humboldt marten (''Martes caurina humboldtensis'') is an endangered, genetically distinct subspecies of the Pacific marten known from the old-growth coastal redwood forests, forests with dense shrub cover, areas with serpentine soils, and fo ...
(''Martes caurina humboldtensis''), subspecies of the Pacific marten thought to be extinct until rediscovered in 1996 on remote camera traps in the Six Rivers National Forest in northern California. * Julia Creek dunnart (''Sminthopsis douglasi''), thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in the 1990s. *
Miller's langur Miller's langur (''Presbytis canicrus''), also known as Miller's grizzled langur or Kutai grey langur, is a species of leaf monkey. It is endemic to East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo in Indonesia. It is one of the world's most endangere ...
(''Presbytis canicrus''), presumed extinct 2004, rediscovered 2012. * Leadbeater's possum (''Gymnobelideus leadbeateri''), thought to be extinct until 1965. * Machu Picchu arboreal chinchilla rat (''Cuscomys oblativus''), believed extinct since the 1400s or 1500s, but rediscovered in 2009 near
Machu Picchu Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru on a mountain range.UNESCO World Heritage Centre. It is located in the Machupicchu District within Urubamba Province above the Sacred Valley, whic ...
in
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
. * Mahogany glider (''Petaurus gracilis''), described in 1883 and not recorded between 1886 and 1973. An expedition by the Queensland Museum in 1989 found a living population. *
New Guinea big-eared bat The New Guinea big-eared bat or Papuan big-eared bat, (''Pharotis imogene''), is a vesper bat endemic to Papua New Guinea. It is listed as a critically endangered species due to ongoing habitat loss. It is the only known member of the genus ''Pha ...
(''Pharotis imogene''), previously, the species was believed to have been extinct since 1890, when it was last spotted. In 2012, researchers realised that a female bat collected near Kamali was a member of this species. *
New Holland mouse The New Holland mouse (''Pseudomys novaehollandiae'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It was first described by George Waterhouse in 1843. It vanished from view for over a century before its rediscovery in Ku-ring-gai Chase Nationa ...
(''Pseudomys novaehollandiae''), described by George Waterhouse in 1843, it was re-discovered in
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is a national park on the northern side of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The park is north of the Sydney central business district and generally comprises the land east of the M1 Pacific Motorway, sou ...
, North of Sydney, in 1967. *
Philippine naked-backed fruit bat The Philippine naked-backed fruit bat or Philippine bare-backed fruit bat (''Dobsonia chapmani'') is a megabat that mostly lives on Negros Island. Two small populations were also found on Cebu Island in the Philippines. Like other bare-backed fru ...
(''Dobsonia chapmani''), in 1996 the species was declared extinct by the IUCN, as none had been sighted since 1964, but the bat was rediscovered in 2000. *
Pinatubo volcano mouse Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano in the Zambales Mountains, located on the tripoint boundary of the Philippine provinces of Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga, all in Central Luzon on the northern island of Luzon. Its eruptive histor ...
* Roosevelt's muntjac (''Muntiacus rooseveltorum''), it was re-discovered in Xuan Lien Nature Reserve in Vietnam's Thanh Hoa province in 2014. * San Quintin kangaroo rat (''Dipodoys gravipes''), previously seen in 1986, feared extinct until rediscovery in 2017. * Santiago Galápagos mouse (''Nesoryzomys swarthi''), thought extinct and last recorded in 1906, but was rediscovered in 1997. * Short-footed Luzon tree rat (''Carpomys melanurus''), believed extinct since 1896, but rediscovered in 2008 on
Mount Pulag Mount Pulag ( fil, Bundok Pulag; ilo, Bantay Pulag) is Luzon's highest peak at above sea level, third-highest mountain in the Philippines, and the 26th-highest peak of an island on Earth. It is second-most prominent mountain in the Philippin ...
in northern
Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
. *
Tammar wallaby The tammar wallaby (''Notamacropus eugenii''), also known as the dama wallaby or darma wallaby, is a small macropod native to South and Western Australia. Though its geographical range has been severely reduced since European colonisation, the ...
(''Macropus eugenii''), the mainland
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
n subspecies was presumed extinct from 1925 until genetically matched with invasive wallabies in
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
in 1998. *
Vietnam mouse-deer The Vietnam mouse-deer (''Tragulus versicolor''), also known as the silver-backed chevrotain, is an even-toed ungulate in the family Tragulidae known only from Vietnam. It was first described in 1910 by British zoologist Oldfield Thomas, who ...
(''Tragulus versicolor''), last known from a specimen acquired from hunters in 1990, not seen again for nearly 30 years until multiple individuals were sighted with
camera-trap A camera trap is a camera that is automatically triggered by a change in some activity in its vicinity, like presence of an animal or a human being. It is typically equipped with a motion sensor – usually a passive infrared (PIR) sens ...
photographs in a 2019 survey of prospective habitat. *
Woolly flying squirrel ''Eupetaurus'' is a genus of rodent in the family Sciuridae. Members of this genus are known as woolly flying squirrels. They are large to very large flying squirrels found in the highest rocky cliffs near the treeline of the Himalayas and Tibeta ...
(''Eupetaurus cinereus''), known only from pelts collected in
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
in the late 19th century, until live specimens were collected in the 1990s. *
Wimmer's shrew Wimmer's shrew (''Crocidura wimmeri'') is a white-toothed shrew found only in Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its ca ...
(''Crocidura wimmeri''), believed extinct since 1976, but rediscovered in 2012 in
Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre ...
. * Yellow-tailed woolly monkey (''Lagothrix flavicauda''), first described from furs in 1812, live specimens not discovered until 1926.


Reptiles

*
Albany adder The Albany adder (''Bitis albanica'') is a viper species. It was previously considered a subspecies of '' Bitis cornuta''. Its range is restricted to eastern and southern Cape Province in South Africa. Like all vipers, it is venomous. It is ...
(''Bitis albanica''), rediscovered in 2016. *
Arakan forest turtle The Arakan forest turtle (''Heosemys depressa'') is a critically endangered turtle species native to the Arakan Hills in western Myanmar and the bordering Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh. The Arakan forest turtle is a semiterrestrial tu ...
(''Heosemys depressa''), last seen in 1908 but found again in 1994. * Cropan's boa (''Corallus cropanii''), endemic to the endangered
Atlantic forest The Atlantic Forest ( pt, Mata Atlântica) is a South American forest that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the northeast to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south and inland as far as Paraguay and th ...
ecosystem of Brazil, rediscovered in 2017. *
Cupola gecko The Cupola gecko (''Mokopirirakau'' "''cupola''") is a species of gecko. ''Cupola'' is not its official scientific name; it is yet to be authorised as a separate species, and this term, named after the Cupola Basin in the Nelson Lakes National Pa ...
(''Mokopirirakau cupola'') *
El Hierro giant lizard The El Hierro giant lizard (''Gallotia simonyi machadoi'') is a subspecies of lacertid (wall lizard) that can be found on the island of El Hierro, one of the Canary Islands. It is considered to be a subspecies of ''Gallotia simonyi'', Simony's ...
(''Gallotia simonyi''), rediscovered in 1974. * ''
Erythrolamprus ornatus '' ornatus'', also known commonly as the ornate ground snake and the Saint Lucia racer, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to the eastern Caribbean. It is the rarest snake on earth with fewer than 20 left in th ...
'' * Gray's monitor (''Varanus olivaceus''), described in 1845, and not seen again by scientists for 130 years. *
La Gomera giant lizard The La Gomera giant lizard (''Gallotia bravoana'') is a lacertid (wall lizard) species that can be found on the island of La Gomera, one of the Canary Islands. It is easily distinguishable from any other member of ''Gallotia'' by the intense wh ...
(''Gallotia bravoana''), rediscovered in 1999. *
La Palma giant lizard The La Palma giant lizard (''Gallotia auaritae'') is a giant lacertid historically living on the island of La Palma ( Canary Islands, Spain); its habitat ranged from sea level up to altitudes of 800 m. It probably lives in xerophytic vegetatio ...
(''Gallotia auaritae''), thought to have been extinct since 1500, but rediscovered in 2007. *
New Caledonian crested gecko The crested gecko or eyelash gecko (''Correlophus ciliatus'') is a species of gecko native to southern New Caledonia. In 1866, the crested gecko was species description, described by a French zoologist named Alphonse Guichenot. This species was t ...
(''Correlophus ciliatus'') rediscovered in 1994. * Rio Apaporis caiman *
Short-nosed sea snake ''Aipysurus apraefrontalis'', commonly known as the short-nosed sea snake or Sahul reef snake, is a critically endangered species of venomous sea snake in the family Elapidae, which occurs on reefs off the northern coast of Western Australia. En ...
(''Aipysurus apraefrontalis''), rediscovered in 2015, after parting with their original habitat of the Ashmore and Cartier Islands for unknown reasons. *
Terror skink The terror skink (''Phoboscincus bocourti''), also called commonly Bocourt's terrific skink, Bocourt's eyelid skink and Bocourt's skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the Île des Pins (Isle of Pi ...
(''Phoboscincus bocourti''), a 50-cm-long lizard, was previously known from a single specimen captured around 1870 and was long presumed extinct. In 2003, on a tiny islet, it was rediscovered. * Southern river terrapin (''Batagur affinis'') * Fernandina Island Galápagos tortoise (''Chelonoidis phantasticus''), only known from a single male specimen in 1906 and putative droppings and bite marks throughout the 20th century up to the 2010s. A female individual was rediscovered on the island on an expedition in 2019 for the
Animal Planet Animal Planet (stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American multinational pay television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. First established on June 1, 1996, the network is primarily ...
show '' Extinct or Alive''. *
Voeltzkow's chameleon Voeltzkow's chameleon (''Furcifer voeltzkowi'') is a species of chameleon that is endemic to Madagascar. The species was described by Oskar Boettger in 1893, from an adult male specimen collected by A. Voeltzkow. In 2018, it was rediscovered, ...
(''Furcifer voeltzkowi'')


Birds

*
Antioquia brushfinch The Antioquia brushfinch (''Atlapetes blancae'') is a poorly known species of bird from the family Passerellidae. It was scientifically described in 2007 on basis of three museum specimens from Antioquia, Colombia, which were previously labelle ...
(''Atlapetes blancae'') *
Bahia tapaculo The Bahia tapaculo (''Eleoscytalopus psychopompus'') is a species of bird in the family Rhinocryptidae. It is endemic to lowland Atlantic forest in Bahia, Brazil.Krabbe, N., T. S. Schulenberg, P. F. D. Boesman, and C. J. Sharpe (2020). Bah ...
(''Eleoscytalopus psychopompus'') * Banggai crow (''Corvus unicolor''), not recorded since 1884/1885, confirmed with a photograph in 2008. * Beck's petrel (''Pseudobulweria beckii''), not seen between 1929 and 2007. *
Berlepsch's parotia The bronze parotia (''Parotia berlepschi''), also known as the Foja parotia, Berlepsch's parotia or Berlepsch's six-wired bird-of-paradise, is a species of bird-of-paradise, in the family Paradisaeidae. It resembles and is often considered to be a ...
(''Parotia berlepschi'') *
Bermuda petrel The Bermuda petrel (''Pterodroma cahow'') is a gadfly petrel. Commonly known in Bermuda as the cahow, a name derived from its eerie cries, this nocturnal ground-nesting seabird is the national bird of Bermuda and can be found pictured on Bermudi ...
or "cahow" (''Pterodroma cahow''), thought extinct since 1620 until 18 nesting pairs were found in 1951 on an uninhabited rock outcropping in Bermuda. Bermudian
David B. Wingate David Balcombe Wingate Order of the British Empire, OBE, born October 11, 1935, is an ornithologist, natural history, naturalist and conservation movement, conservationist. He was born in Bermuda. In 1951 he helped Robert Cushman Murphy and Lo ...
has devoted his life to bringing the birds back, and in the 2011-12 breeding season they passed 100-pairs. *
Grand Comoro scops-owl The Karthala scops owl (''Otus pauliani''), also known as the Grand Comoro scops owl or Comoro scops owl, is a small scops owl endemic to the island of Grande Comore in the Comoro Islands. Taxonomy The Karthala scops owl was formerly considered ...
(''Otus pauliani'') *
Black-browed babbler The black-browed babbler (''Malacocincla perspicillata'') is a songbird species in the family (biology), family Pellorneidae. The species is Endemism, endemic to Borneo. Only a single specimen collected in the nineteenth century was known, until ...
(''Malacocincla perspicillata'') *
Black-naped pheasant pigeon The pheasant pigeon (''Otidiphaps nobilis'') is a species of large terrestrial pigeon. It is the only species of the monotypic genus ''Otidiphaps''. The pheasant pigeon is found in the primary rainforests of New Guinea and nearby islands. It r ...
(''Otidiphaps nobilis insularis''), not seen from 1882 to 2022 *
Blue-eyed ground dove The blue-eyed ground dove (''Columbina cyanopis'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to the Cerrado region of Brazil. Taxonomy and systematics The blue-eyed ground dove was for a time placed in the monotypic genu ...
(''Columbina cyanopis'') *
Bruijn's brush-turkey The Waigeo brushturkey (''Aepypodius bruijnii'') or Bruijn's brushturkey, is a large (approximately 43 cm long) brownish-black megapode with a bare red facial skin, red comb, maroon rump and chestnut brown below. There are two elongated red ...
(''Aepypodius bruijnii'') *
Cebu flowerpecker The Cebu flowerpecker (''Dicaeum quadricolor'') is a small passerine bird. It is endemic to Cebu Island in the Philippines. Feared to have become extinct early in the 20th century, it was rediscovered in 1992 in a small patch of limestone fore ...
(''Dicaeum quadricolor'') *
Chinese crested tern The Chinese crested tern (''Thalasseus bernsteini'') is a tern in the family Laridae. It is the county bird of Lienchiang County, Fuchien. Description It is closely related to the Sandwich tern, ''T. sandvicensis'', and the lesser crested te ...
(''Thalasseus bernsteini''), feared extinct in the mid-late 20th century for over 6 decades until a small breeding colony was found in 2000. *
Cone-billed tanager The cone-billed tanager (''Conothraupis mesoleuca'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is endemic to Brazil. It was described on the basis of a single male specimen collected in Mato Grosso, Brazil, in 1938. No other individu ...
(''Conothraupis mesoleuca''), undetected from 1938 to 2003, but rediscovered in gallery forest in
Emas National Park The Emas National Park ( pt, Parque Nacional das Emas, literally meaning " Rhea National Park") is a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the states of Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil. Description The National Park is locat ...
. *
Cuban kite The Cuban kite (''Chondrohierax wilsonii'') is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles and harriers. It is endemic to Cuba. This species is classified as critically enda ...
(''Chondrohierax wilsonii''), confirmed with a photograph in 2009. *
Dusky starfrontlet The dusky starfrontlet (''Coeligena orina''), also known as glittering starfrontlet, is an Endangered species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to a few small areas in western Colombi ...
(''Coeligena orina'') *
Edwards's pheasant Edwards's pheasant (''Lophura edwardsi'') is a bird of the pheasant family Phasianidae and is endemic to the rainforests of Vietnam. It is named after the French ornithologist Alphonse Milne-Edwards and first described to science in 1896. The bi ...
(''Lophura edwardii''), a
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...
ese pheasant presumed extinct from 1928 until it was rediscovered in 1998. *
Fiji petrel The Fiji petrel (''Pseudobulweria macgillivrayi''), also known as MacGillivray's petrel, is a small, dark gadfly petrel. The Fiji petrel was originally known from one immature specimen found in 1855 on Gau Island, Fiji by naturalist John MacG ...
(''Pseudobulweria macgillivrayi''), first rediscovered on land in 1983, and at sea in 2009. * Forest owlet (''Heteroglaux blewitti''), assumed extinct in the 19th century, but rediscovered in central
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
in 1997. *
Fuertes's parrot Fuertes's parrot (''Hapalopsittaca fuertesi''), also known as the indigo-winged parrot, is a parrot which has a highly restricted range on the west slope of the Central Andes of Colombia. It is classified by the IUCN as being critically endan ...
(''Hapalopsittaca fuertesi'') * Golden-fronted bowerbird (''Amblyornis flavifrons'') * Green broadbill (''Calyptomena viridis''), it was declared extinct since 1941 but it was rediscovered in June 27, 2021. * Gurney's pitta (''Hydrornis gurneyi'') * Ivory-billed woodpecker (''Campephilus principalis''), the "Lord God Bird," thought extinct circa 1987 before unconfirmed sightings in 1999, 2004, and 2006 in Arkansas and Florida. * Jerdon's courser (''Rhinoptilus bitorquatus''), a
wader 245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflat ...
from
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
, assumed extinct until 1986. *
Kaempfer's woodpecker Kaempfer's woodpecker (''Celeus obrieni''), also known as the Piauí woodpecker and previously as the caatinga woodpecker, is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is endemic to Brazil. Taxonomy and s ...
(''Celeus obrieni''), a
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
ian woodpecker feared extinct after no specimen had been found since its discovery in 1926. Rediscovered in 2006. * Kakapo *
Large-billed reed-warbler The large-billed reed warbler (''Acrocephalus orinus'') is an Old World warbler in the genus '' Acrocephalus''. The species has been dubbed as "the world's least known bird". It was known from a single specimen collected in India in 1867 and redi ...
(''Acrocephalus orinus''), a warbler rediscovered in
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
in 2006, previous known only from a specimen collected in
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
in 1867. *
Long-legged warbler The long-legged thicketbird (''Cincloramphus rufus'') is a small bird endemic to Fiji. The species is sometimes known as the long-legged warbler. It was formerly classified as the sole representative of the genus ''Trichocichla''. The long-le ...
(''Trichocichla rufa'') *
Madagascar serpent eagle The Madagascar serpent eagle (''Eutriorchis astur'') is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is placed in the monotypic genus ''Eutriorchis''. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist l ...
(''Eutriorchis astur''), rediscovered in 1993, sixty years since the previous sighting. * Madagascar pochard (''Aythya innotata''), thought extinct since 1991 until a small group were spotted in 2006. * Myanmar Jerdon's babbler (''Chrysomma altirostre altirostre''), last seen in 1941, rediscovered in 2015. *
New Zealand storm-petrel The New Zealand storm petrel (''Fregetta maoriana'') is a small seabird of the family Oceanitidae. Thought to be extinct since 1850, a series of sightings from 2003 to the present indicates the presence of a previously unknown colony. , it is ra ...
(''Oceanites maorianus''), believed extinct from 1850 but sighted again in 2003. * Night parrot (''Pezoporus occidentalis''), extremely rare Australian bird presumed extinct from the 1880s until 1990. *
Noisy scrub-bird The noisy scrubbird (''Atrichornis clamosus'') is a species of bird in the family Atrichornithidae. It is endemic to the coastal heaths of south-western Australia (east of Albany). Description The noisy scrubbird features a dark brown coloure ...
(''Atrichornis clamosus'') * São Tomé fiscal (''Lanius newtoni'') *
São Tomé grosbeak The São Tomé grosbeak (''Crithagra concolor'') is the largest member of the canary genus ''Crithagra'', 50% heavier than the next largest canary species, and possesses a massive bill for a member of that genus. It is endemic to the island of S ...
(''Neospiza concolor'') * Short-tailed albatross (''Phoebastria albatrus'') *
Silvery pigeon The silvery pigeon (''Columba argentina''), also known as silvery wood-pigeon or grey wood-pigeon is a species of pigeon found in Indonesia and Malaysia. It was thought to be extinct but wild populations rediscovered in 2008 near Masokut Island ...
(''Columba argentina''), confirmed photographically in 2008. * Stresemann's bristlefront (''Merulaxis stresemanni'') * Táchira antpitta (''Grallaria chthonia''), a
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
n antpitta feared extinct since its discovery in 1956, but rediscovered in 2017 in El Tamá National Park. * Takahe (''Porphyrio hochstetteri''), assumed extinct in 1898 but found again in 1948. * Utila chachalaca (''Ortalis vetula deschauenseei''), subspecies of the plain chachalaca from
Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
, not recorded between 1963 and 2000 and confirmed photographically in 2005. *
White-winged guan The white-winged guan (''Penelope albipennis'') is a bird in the chachalaca, guan and curassow family Cracidae. It is endemic to northwestern Peru. History The white-winged guan was originally known from three specimens collected in 1876 ...
(''Penelope albipennis'') *
White-collared kite The white-collared kite (''Leptodon forbesi'') is an Endangered species of bird in tribe Pernini and subfamily Perninae of family Accipitridae, the diurnal raptors. It is endemic to northeastern Brazil. Taxonomy and systematics Until the earl ...
(''Leptodon forbesi'') * Worcester's Buttonquail (''Turnix worcesteri'') *
Yellow-eared parrot The yellow-eared parrot (''Ognorhynchus icterotis'') is an endangered parrot of the tropics in South America. It is found in the Andes of Colombia. This species was thought to be extinct up until April 1999, when a group of researchers that we ...
(''Ognorhynchus icterotis'') *
Zapata rail The Zapata rail (''Cyanolimnas cerverai'') is a medium-sized, dark-coloured rail, the only member of the monotypic genus ''Cyanolimnas''. It has brown upperparts, greyish-blue underparts, a red-based yellow bill, white undertail coverts, and r ...
(''Cyanolimnas cerverai'')


Molluscs

* ''
Discus guerinianus ''Atlantica gueriniana'' is a species of small air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial gastropod mollusk presently in the family Gastrodontidae,MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Atlantica gueriniana (R. T. Lowe, 1852). Accessed through: Wo ...
'', a Madeiran land snail thought extinct in 1996 but found again in 1999. * Greater Bermuda land snail (''Poecilozonites bermudensis''), last recorded sighting made in the early 1970s, survey in 1988 and studies in 2000, 2002, and 2004 seemed to confirm extinction, rediscovered in City of Hamilton alleyway in 2014. * ''
Elliptio nigella ''Elliptio nigella'', the winged spike or recovery pearly mussel, is a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. This species is endemic to the United States. It was thought to be ex ...
'' (recovery pearly mussel) * ''
Endodonta christenseni ''Endodonta'' is a genus of small air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Endodontidae, an endemic family of land snails from the Hawaiian islands. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Endodont ...
'' * '' Medionidus walkeri'' * ''
Campanile A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tow ...
''


Discussions

Because its definition is ambiguous, some, like R. B. Rickards and A. J. Wright, reject the very concept of the Lazarus taxon. Rickards and Wright have questioned the usefulness of the concept, writing in "Lazarus taxa, refugia and relict faunas: evidence from graptolites" that anyone could argue that any gap in the fossil record could potentially be considered a Lazarus effect because the duration required for the Lazarus effect is not defined. They have argued that accurate plotting of biodiversity changes and species abundance through time, coupled with an appraisal of their palaeobiogeography, is more important than using this title to categorize species.


Communication and education

The lack of public engagement around environmental issues has led conservationists to attempt newer communication strategies. One of them is the focus on positive messages, of which Lazarus species are an important part. One conservation outreach project that has focused exclusively on species rediscoveries is the Lost & Found project which aims to tell the stories of species once thought extinct but that were subsequently rediscovered.


See also

* Elvis taxon *
List of fossil sites This list of fossil sites is a worldwide list of localities known well for the presence of fossils. Some entries in this list are notable for a single, unique find, while others are notable for the large number of fossils found there. Many of t ...
''(with link directory)'' * Lists of extinct animals *
Living fossil A living fossil is an extant taxon that cosmetically resembles related species known only from the fossil record. To be considered a living fossil, the fossil species must be old relative to the time of origin of the extant clade. Living foss ...
* Signor–Lipps effect * Transitional fossil * Zombie taxon


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lazarus Taxon 1983 neologisms Conservation biology Phylogenetics Ecology Gaps in the fossil record