Island endemic - Artensterben

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)

17. February 2026 Doreen Fräßdorf

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

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

One of the few museum specimens of the extinct Guadeloupe ameiva. (© Laure Pierre, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

15. January 2026 Doreen Fräßdorf

Guadeloupe ameiva—isolation, colonization & the end of an island species

Islands under pressure The West Indies—including the Lesser Antilles—are among the most species-rich regions in the world. Many lizard and snake species are found exclusively there. These endemic species have adapted over millennia to the conditions of individual islands. Yet this very specialization makes them particularly vulnerable: when habitats are

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

Bismarck kingfisher (Ceyx websteri) rediscovered

The Bismarck kingfisher, long considered lost, was documented on New Ireland in May 2025. (© Kai Squires, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

13. September 2025 Doreen Fräßdorf

Rediscovery: Rare kingfisher reappears after 13 years

The Bismarck kingfisher (Ceyx websteri) was considered lost for almost 13 years. Since the last confirmed record in 2012, the species had gone unobserved, raising fears that it might already be extinct. In May 2025, however, the species was confirmed again in Papua New Guinea: researcher John Lamaris documented a

Truffles (Gallacea scleroderma) and moas

Gallacea scleroderma: a truffle-like fungus endemic to New Zealand whose spores were once dispersed by moas and which plays a central role in the forest ecosystem. (© Zac Sanson, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

17. January 2025 Doreen Fräßdorf

What links extinct moas, colorful truffles, and climate change?

New Zealand, known for its unique wildlife and flora, holds many secrets from the past. One of them was revealed by a recent study in Biology Letters: the extinct upland moas (Megalapteryx didinus) were not only majestic birds, but also played a central role in dispersing colorful, truffle-like fungi such

The Lyall’s wren extinct less than ten years after humans settled Stephens Island. It is considered a classic example of the extinction of an island endemic with no natural defense mechanisms against invasive predators. (© Vertebrate Zoology Curator, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)

5. October 2024 Doreen Fräßdorf

Human-Caused Species Loss: Global Impact Far Greater Than Expected

A study published in early October in the journal Science suggests that human-caused species loss has far-reaching consequences that were previously underestimated. The scientists highlight the fact that the extinction of bird species has not only wiped out ecological roles but also billions of years of unique evolutionary history. In

Zwergflusspferde und Zwergelefanten auf Zypern durch Menschen vor 14.000 Jahren ausgerottet

The dwarf elephant species Palaeoloxodon cypriotes, found only on Cyprus, weighed about 500 kilograms, while the dwarf hippo Phanourios minor (pictured) reached only 130 kilograms. (© GeorgeLyras at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

20. September 2024 Doreen Fräßdorf

New Study: Dwarf Hippopotamuses and Elephants in Cyprus Driven to Extinction by a Few Thousand People

New research reveals that dwarf elephants (Palaeoloxodon cypriotes) and dwarf hippopotamuses (Phanourios minor) on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus were driven to extinction after the arrival of Paleolithic humans around 14,000 years ago. A small population of possibly just 3,000 people was enough to wipe out these animals within a

A taxidermied huia pair (female right, male left) at the Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum. This specimen is not up for auction. (© Dr Mirko Junge, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

15. September 2024 Doreen Fräßdorf

Taxidermied Huia Pair Expected to Fetch Up to NZ$128,000 at London Auction

A rare taxidermied pair of huia birds could fetch up to NZ$128,000 at an auction in London. Organized by Roseberys London, the auction is scheduled for October 2024. The huia pair, consisting of a male and a female, dates back to the late 19th century and is considered extremely rare.