Floreana-Riesenschildkröte
Illustration of the Floreana giant tortoise — once one of the most distinctive giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands, today probably extinct in its original form.

Floreana giant tortoise: From extinction to return

A subspecies of the Galapagos tortoise When the Floreana giant tortoise was still alive, it was part of the extraordinary tortoise fauna of the Galapagos Islands. Hardly anywhere else on Earth did a comparable diversity of giant land tortoises evolve—adapted to different islands, volcanoes, climate zones, and food resources. Today,

Continue reading
Hinter dem Peitschenrochen (Hemitrygon akajei) verbergen sich mehrere kryptische Arten - sogenannte Kryptospezies.
The red stingray (Hemitrygon akajei) was long considered a single species. However, a 2025 study revealed that two outwardly nearly indistinguishable cryptic species were hiding behind the name. One of them was described as the new species Hemitrygon ariakensis—this lineage had remained unrecognized for more than 160 years until molecular genetic analyses confirmed its distinctiveness. (© Naturalis Biodiversity Center, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Invisible biodiversity: When one species turns out to be many

The Chinese giant salamander was long considered a single species. The animal, which can grow to nearly two meters in length, is one of the largest amphibians on Earth and was regarded as the same species throughout China under the name Andrias davidianus. But genetic analyses brought a surprise to

Continue reading
Flusspferd als eingeschleppte Süßwasser-Megafauna
Hippopotamus – This mammal, weighing up to three tons, is one of the largest freshwater inhabitants on Earth. In Colombia, feral populations exist today after animals escaped from a private collection and spread along the Magdalena River. (© Joachim Huber, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Introduced freshwater megafauna: Benefits and risks of large animals in rivers and lakes

Rivers and lakes are home to some of the largest animals in inland waters—from giant catfish, sturgeons, salmon, and carp to turtles and crocodiles. However, many of these species have been deliberately introduced by humans into new regions. A new global study in the journal One Earth systematically examines for

Continue reading
Dactylonax kambuayai – eine von zwei Beuteltierarten, die wiederentdeckt wurden
A female Dactylonax kambuayai from the Klalik area on the Vogelkop Peninsula. The species is one of two marsupial species recently rediscovered alive after being known only from fossils for a long time. (© Foto: Carlos Bocos, edited, aus: Flannery et al. 2026, Records of the Australian Museum, CC BY 4.0)

New Guinea: Two marsupials lost for 6,000 years rediscovered

In March 2026, an Australian research team led by zoologist Tim Flannery published two studies with surprising results: On the remote Vogelkop Peninsula in northwestern New Guinea, two marsupial species were found alive that had previously been known only from fossils approximately 6,000 to 7,500 years old. Such rediscoveries are

Continue reading
EIner der Vögel Nordamerikas, dessen Bestandsrückgang sich beschleunigt: der Rotflügelstärling (Agelaius phoeniceus)
The red-winged blackbird is one of the most recognizable birds of North American wetlands and agricultural landscapes. Yet even for this once very common species, the decline in populations is accelerating. (© Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Bird populations in North America: Decline accelerating—nearly every second species affected

Bird populations in North America have been declining for decades. But a new study now shows that not only are bird numbers falling, the speed of this decline is also increasing. This is the conclusion of a study published in the journal Science by researchers from Ohio State University and

Continue reading
Singvögel im Museum
Museum bird specimens as scientific reference objects—and as a mirror of historical collecting practices. (© Doreen Fräßdorf, Naturkundemuseum Berlin, 2025)

The invisible half of biodiversity — How male-biased collections skew research and species conservation

We will probably never find out what the females of Schomburgk’s deer (Rucervus schomburgki) looked like. In historical drawings, travel reports, and museum collections, only remains of males are found—with their unique, many-branched antlers. Females likely carried none, and apparently collectors in the 19th century considered them too inconspicuous to

Continue reading
Qutang-Schlucht am Jangtse (Changjiang) in der Drei-Schluchten-Region in China
The Qutang Gorge on the Yangtze (Three Gorges region): heavily burdened for decades—a study now shows the first signs of ecological recovery. (© Tan Wei Liang Byorn, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Hope for the Yangtze: study shows how a fishing ban is reviving the river

The Yangtze River is Asia’s longest river at over 6,300 kilometers and the third-longest river in the world. For millennia it was among the world’s most species-rich freshwater ecosystems. It supplied people, animals, and entire cultures with water, food, and habitat—and formed the ecological backbone of large parts of China.

Continue reading
Moth Drepanogynis insciata (Axiodes insciata) rediscovered after more than 140 years
For almost 150 years it was considered lost: this photo by Cameron Scott shows a male specimen of Drepanogynis insciata in January 2022 in Mossel Bay (South Africa) – alive, emerald-green, and back in the focus of science for the first time. (© cyamscott via iNaturalist, CC BY-NC 4.0)

South Africa: Moth thought extinct rediscovered after 147 years

Until a few years ago, the geometrid moth Drepanogynis insciata, which for a long time was listed under the name Axiodes insciata, was little more than a footnote in entomology. For nearly 150 years, only two historical museum specimens from the vicinity of the South African town of Swellendam and

Continue reading
Threatened by invasive species: Partula radiolata
The endangered tree snail Partula radiolata from the island of Guam. A recent study shows that snails are particularly often victims of invasive species: since the 1970s, the introduction of the rosy wolfsnail has led to the extinction of more than 50 Partula species on Pacific islands. (© USFWS - Pacific Region, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Invasive species & extinction: What role do non-native animals and plants play?

Whether rats on tropical islands, introduced snails in the Pacific, or feral cats in remote bird colonies – invasive alien species (IAS) can throw entire ecosystems off balance and push animal and plant species to the brink of extinction. In 2023, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

Continue reading
rediscovery of the rusty bush lark (Calendulauda rufa)
The image shows the rusty bush lark rediscovered in early February 2026 — one of the first photographs of the species ever taken. (© Pierre Defos du Rau, Idriss Dapsia, Julien Birard)

Rediscovery in Africa: rusty bush lark documented for the first time in 94 years

Africa: A bird species that has so far been little studied and had been considered missing for almost a century has now been rediscovered. In early February 2026, the rusty bush lark (Calendulauda rufa) was recorded alive again in Chad for the first time in decades. The rusty bush lark

Continue reading