Author: Doreen Fräßdorf

Doreen Fräßdorf ist Autorin und Betreiberin von artensterben.de. Sie recherchiert und schreibt über ausgestorbene und vom Aussterben bedrohte Arten in der Neuzeit – mit Schwerpunkt auf Roten Listen, wissenschaftlichen Studien, historischen Quellen und aktuellen Schutzbemühungen. Ziel ist eine verständliche, faktenbasierte Einordnung komplexer Entwicklungen rund um Biodiversitätsverlust und Artenschutz. Sie ist außerdem Autorin eines Sachbuchs über ausgestorbene Säugetiere der Neuzeit.
Zyklopenralle (Gallirallus mayri) - Kamerafallenaufnahme von 2023
A camera trap documented Mayr's forest rail (Rallicula mayri) in the Cyclops Mountains of New Guinea in September 2023. The arrow marks the bird on the forest floor. Image: Expedition Cyclops, from Kempton et al. (2026), Fig. 2D, CC BY 4.0; cropped
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Western New Guinea: Mayr’s Forest Rail Recorded for the First Time Since 2007

Camera traps have photographed the rare Mayr’s forest rail (Rallicula mayri) in the Indonesian part of New Guinea. The poorly studied bird species had last been recorded in the Foja Mountains in 2007. The images were captured in September 2023 as part of Expedition Cyclops, an international research project led

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Invasive Arten im Globalen Süden: Wasserhyazinthen auf dem Viktoriasee
Dense stands of water hyacinth cover part of Lake Victoria in Kenya. The floating mats alter habitats and can obstruct fishing, shipping, and access to the water. Image: Mwe17, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped
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New study: Invasive Species Cause Significantly Greater Damage in the Global South

Invasive alien species are considered one of the most important drivers of global biodiversity loss. Yet the regions for which particularly large numbers of scientific reports are available are not necessarily those where invasive species cause the most severe ecological damage. The journal Science published a study showing that many

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Zoologische Sammlung in Halle
Natural history collections often preserve the last known evidence of lost animal species. Without targeted, comprehensive searches, it is often impossible to say for sure whether some of them may still survive somewhere. Image: Doreen Fräßdorf
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7 Lost Animal Species—No One Knows Whether They Still Exist

There are numerous lost animal species, and to this day it remains unclear whether they still exist or have long since gone extinct. Some are known only from a single museum specimen or a few specimens collected decades or even centuries ago. There have been no further records—not always because

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Orangebauch-Raupenfänger wiederentdeckt
Female (left) and male Ghana cuckooshrikes (Lobotos lobatus) in a historical illustration. In 2026, the rare species was conclusively documented for the first time in 13 years. Images: Nicolas Huet, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Two “Lost Birds” Rediscovered—in the Rainforest and in a Photo Archive

The Ghana cuckooshrike has been photographed—and even filmed—for the first time in 13 years. In the case of the Mindoro imperial pigeon, however, a previously unpublished photo was enough for the species to lose its “lost” status. Both cases show how important accessible documentation of rare species is. Within a

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Riesenalk (Pinguinus impennis) von John James Audubon
The extinct great auk was flightless; its vestigial wings served as flippers when diving, while its feet acted as rudders. Image: John James Audubon, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Birds

Great Auk—the Extinct Penguin of the North

“Today the original penguin is extinct.” Robert Silverberg, 1967, p. 84 The great auk was a large, flightless seabird of the North Atlantic. Its population may once have numbered several million individuals. With its black-and-white plumage, upright posture, and short, flipper-like wings, it bore a striking resemblance to today’s penguins

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Bettongia penicillata ?
With the 2026 IUCN update, the brush-tailed bettong (Bettongia penicillata), which has not been recorded since the 1920s, is listed as extinct for the first time. Whether Lydekker's 1896 illustration actually depicts this species remains unclear because B. penicillata and B. ogilbyi were not distinguished until later. Image: Lydekker, Richard, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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2026: IUCN lists 15 more animal species as extinct

The IUCN has updated its Red List. Version 2026-1, published on July 9, 2026, lists a total of 15 more animal species in the “Extinct” (EX) category: six mammals, four fish, one insect species, and four snail species. Most of these are not recent extinctions; many of the species disappeared

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Mehr Pflanzenarten sind nicht automatisch gut
More greenery does not necessarily mean more intact nature: many of Europe’s plant communities are shifting in favor of robust generalists. Image: Doreen Fräßdorf
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Biodiversity: When more plant species are not a good sign

At first glance, it sounds like good news: in many European habitats, there are now locally more plant species than in the past. An international study led by Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg analyzed 57,390 vegetation time series from across Europe. In total, 199,282 individual vegetation surveys were included; some time

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Stieglitz auf Löwenzahn
European goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) among dandelions: species of everyday landscapes are often right in front of us, yet not all of them are consciously noticed or named. Image: Depositphotos (Cooperation)
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Nature on the doorstep: Why we hardly know many species anymore

Dandelions, daisies, stinging nettles or sparrows—many people can still name these species. But what about the plants and birds that are typical of meadows, pastures, field edges and arable fields? A new study by the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) on species knowledge shows that many characteristic species

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Rotbindiger Samtfalter (Arethusana arethusa)
The false grayling (Arethusana arethusa) occurs in dry, warm open habitats in southern and south-eastern Europe. According to the respective Red Lists, it is now regionally extinct in Germany and Switzerland; the last records date from 1977 and 1974 respectively. Image: Gilles San Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Europe’s butterflies: What Red Lists reveal about their decline

Many people are now reporting something similar: where numerous butterflies still flew over meadows, gardens, roadside verges or embankments in summer a few years ago, today there are often only a few—or none at all—to be seen. Such observations are initially personal and local; they depend on the weather, the

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