Africa - Artensterben

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)

19. February 2026 Doreen Fräßdorf

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

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)

12. February 2026 Doreen Fräßdorf

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

Historical depiction of Aepyornis maximus. Our knowledge of the elephant birds’ external appearance is incomplete: there are no preserved specimens, only bone finds and eggshells. Reconstructions therefore rely on anatomical inferences and comparisons with modern ratites. (© http://www.50birds.com/gextinct5.htm, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

3. February 2026 Doreen Fräßdorf

Aepyornis maximus – the largest elephant bird and the mystery of when it went extinct

There wasn’t just one elephant bird The elephant bird is probably one of the best-known of all extinct birds. Hardly any other animal so strongly embodies gigantism, enigmatic traditions, and the fascination of a world of animals that humans now know only in fragments. But the name already misleads: there

Dodo reconstruction at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France

This replica of the dodo is the result of interpretative work based on historical and scientific research: accounts, depictions and bones. No taxidermied specimen of the species exists. The bird was created by the artist Camille Renversade and realised in collaboration with the museum’s taxidermy workshops. (© Doreen Fräßdorf, photographed at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris, France, 2024)

17. January 2026 Doreen Fräßdorf

Dodo – Dead as a dodo

The dodo, related to pigeons (Columbidae), is probably the best-known example of an animal species exterminated by humans. References to the bird in literature and painting are common—for example in chapter three of the children’s book Alice in Wonderland (1865) by Lewis Carroll or in the paintings of the Flemish

Prostalia granulata - rediscovered after 45 years

Prostalia granulata – male individual, photographed at Beacon Hill in the Umtamvuna Nature Reserve. Characteristic are the numerous tiny raised granules (“granula”) covering the body surface. (© Adrian Armstrong, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife)

16. January 2026 Doreen Fräßdorf

South Africa: Rediscovered after 45 years – a nearly forgotten grasshopper species is still alive

For more than four decades, Prostalia granulata, also known as the granulate bladder grasshopper, was considered lost. The rare grasshopper species was last scientifically documented in 1980. Since then, no verified records had been available—raising serious doubts about its continued existence. Then, in early December 2025, came the surprise: the

Rediscoveries in 2025: Animal species believed to be lost and extinct

In 2025, several animal species returned to the focus of scientific attention after having long been considered lost or even thought to be extinct. (© Shrews: Tatiana Petrova, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons / Snake: Photo courtesy of Professor Blair Hedges)

3. January 2026 Doreen Fräßdorf

Rediscoveries in 2025: These animal species were considered lost or extinct

Species do not simply disappear just because no one has seen them for a long time. And they are just as little “saved” just because they suddenly reappear. Rediscoveries mark a narrow line between hope and uncertainty: they show that life can endure – often, however, only barely. In 2025,

First rediscovered in 1983 and now critically endangered (CR): the blue-eyed black lemur (Eulemur flavifrons). Its habitat has almost completely disappeared, and targeted hunting is placing additional pressure on this rare species. (© Mathias Appel, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)

4. December 2025 Doreen Fräßdorf

Lemurs on the brink of extinction: why 95% of species are threatened – and how the meat trade is accelerating their decline

For more than 50 million years, lemurs have lived exclusively on Madagascar, where they evolved in complete isolation into more than 100 species known today – from the tiny mouse lemur to the imposing indri. Nowhere else on any continent or island do they exist in the wild. Yet in

Lipochromis (Haplochromis) microdon Wiederentdeckung

Haplochromis microdon, an endemic cichlid from Lake Victoria, was considered lost for decades. The species can reach a length of up to 14.8 cm and is one of the specialized fish fry predators in the lake's ecosystem. (© Dr. Anna Mahulu, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern)

11. May 2025 Doreen Fräßdorf

Lost in Lake Victoria: Cichlid Haplochromis microdon Rediscovered After 40 Years

For decades, it was considered lost — perhaps even extinct. But now there is new hope for Haplochromis microdon, an endemic cichlid species from Lake Victoria: As reported by the organization SHOAL in an article by Anna Mahulu, the species was detected for the first time since 1985 during targeted

Eyprepocprifas insularis Monte Gordo grasshopper

A male Monte Gordo grasshopper, photographed in January 2023. The rare species was last recorded in 1980 and was considered extinct thereafter. Males reach a body length of around two centimetres, while females can grow to over three centimetres. (© Rob Felix, from: Felix et al. (2025), Journal of Orthoptera Research, CC BY 4.0)

8. May 2025 Doreen Fräßdorf

Rediscovery on São Nicolau: the Monte Gordo grasshopper is no longer considered extinct

After more than four decades without a single confirmed record, it was considered extinct. But in January 2023, Dutch entomologists Rob Felix and Annelies Jacobs made a surprising discovery in Monte Gordo Natural Park on the Cape Verde island of São Nicolau: in the beam of their flashlight, a grasshopper

The extinct quagga was about 257 centimeters long and reached a shoulder height of 125 to 135 centimeters. Unlike other zebras, its brown and white stripes were located on the front part of its body, while the rear part of the body was unstriped. (© Nicolas Marechal, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

17. November 2024 Doreen Fräßdorf

Quagga

Half zebra, half horse The British naturalist William Burchell is often regarded as the discoverer of the animal that travelers described as “half zebra, half horse” or “unfinished zebra“—the quagga. However, the species had already been mentioned earlier by explorers. Even before Burchell’s “discovery” in 1812, the English naturalist George