2025’s Most Unexpected Animal Rediscoveries
Pinta Island Tortoise Believed to be extinct after the death of its last known member, Lonesome George, in 2012, but rediscovered on Fernandina Island in 2019
Black Headed Shrike Babbler The Black-Headed Shrike Babbler, a rare songbird once thought to be extinct, was rediscovered in 2023, surprising in the dense forests of Southeast Asia
Yellow-Tailed Woolly Monkey The Yellow-Tailed Woolly Monkey, once believed to be extinct due to habitat loss, was rediscovered in the cloud forests of Peru
Chacoan Peccary The Chacoan Peccary, was rediscovered in the Gran Chaco region of South America
Coelacanth The Coelacanth, a deep-sea fish extinct 66 million years ago, was famously rediscovered off the coast of South Africa
Takahe The Takahe, a large flightless bird native to New Zealand, was thought to be extinct for over 50 years before being rediscovered in 1948 in South Island
Spix’s Macaw Spix’s Macaw, also known as the Little Blue Macaw, was declared extinct in the wild in the early 2000s. However, it was reintroduced to its native habitat in Brazil
European Bison The European Bison was successfully reintroduced through conservation efforts. Today, it roams freely in forests across Europe
New Guinea Singing Dog The New Guinea Singing Dog, was rediscovered in remote regions of Papua New Guinea in the 1970s
Tiger Quoll The Tiger Quoll, a carnivorous marsupial native to Australia, was thought to be extinct but recent sightings and conservation efforts have led to its rediscovery