North America - Artensterben

Mono-Lake-Tauchkaefer / Mono Lake diving beetle (Hygrotus artus)

Until its rediscovery in 2017, the Mono Lake diving beetle was known only from the male holotype collected in June 1917 (photo), which is now housed in the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (© Loggi at German Wikipedia., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

13. April 2026 Doreen Fräßdorf

Mono Lake diving beetle: missing for 100 years—and sought in the wrong place

A mistake with consequences For a long time, the case seemed clear: the Mono Lake diving beetle lived—so it was assumed—in Mono Lake in California’s Sierra Nevada. A lake that could hardly be more inhospitable: highly alkaline, extremely saline, and with conditions to which only a few specialized organisms can

Extremely rare species: northern sportive lemur, Devils Hole pupfish, and cherry-throated tanager (© Wikimedia Commons – Lemur: Edward E. Louis, Jr, CC BY-SA 4.0 / Fish: Olin Feuerbacher, Public Domain / Bird: Jens Bokelaar, CC BY-SA 4.0)

7. April 2026 Doreen Fräßdorf

Which animals are threatened with extinction? These 8 species have fewer than 100 individuals

Species extinction is rarely an abrupt event. In many cases, the decline stretches over decades until only small, isolated remnant populations remain. Some of these species now survive with fewer than 100 individuals worldwide. Such extremely small populations are especially vulnerable to chance events, genetic impoverishment, and ongoing habitat loss.

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)

6. March 2026 Doreen Fräßdorf

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

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,

Female morphotype specimen of Franklin's bumblebee: collected on May 20, 1972 west of Oregon City. The specimen is preserved in the entomology collection of the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. (© USNMENT01006817 - Bombus franklini (Frison, 1921) Collected in United States of America, CC0 1.0, via GBIF)

24. October 2025 Doreen Fräßdorf

Franklin’s Bumblebee—the first extinct bumblebee in North America?

Franklin’s bumblebee had the unfortunate distinction of having the smallest range of all bumblebee species in North America—and probably even worldwide. It occurred only in a narrow strip between the Pacific coast and the mountain ranges of the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range to the east, in southern Oregon

The grasshopper species Appalachia hebardi, long believed to be extinct, is flightless, measures about 2.5 to 3.8 centimeters in length, and has so far been recorded in only three U.S. states. (© Nicholas Gilchenok, courtesy of the photographer, via iNaturalist)

11. February 2025 Doreen Fräßdorf

USA: Appalachian grasshopper thought to be extinct rediscovered

In Augusta County, Virginia, USA, an interesting discovery was made: The Appalachian grasshopper (Appalachia hebardi), a species belonging to the family of Acrididae that had been considered extinct for decades, has been rediscovered. The last confirmed sighting of this rare species dates back—depending on the source—either to the 1960s or

Omilteme cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus insonus) rediscovered

A camera-trap photo of an Omilteme cottontail in the Sierra Madre del Sur. (© Photo by Joe Figel, provided by Re:wild)

23. January 2025 Doreen Fräßdorf

Mexico: Omilteme cottontail rediscovered after more than 120 years

The organization Re:wild announced that the Omilteme cottontail (Sylvilagus insonus), a species lost for more than a century, has been rediscovered in Mexico’s Sierra Madre del Sur. This find is of great significance for conservation and research. A team led by José Alberto Almazán-Catalán, president of the Instituto para el

Socorrotaube - ausgestorben in der Wildnis

The Socorro dove has been extinct on its home island of Socorro since the 1970s. Its current population amounts to fewer than 200 individuals in human care. (© Ltshears, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

20. January 2025 Doreen Fräßdorf

The Socorro dove and the race to reintroduce it on Socorro

Originally, the Socorro dove was widespread on the remote volcanic Pacific island of Socorro, part of the Revillagigedo Islands. But human influences such as introduced predators and the destruction of its habitat wiped it out in the wild. Today, only about 189 individuals still exist worldwide, kept in zoos and

Wiederentdeckung der Kurznasen-Maräne im Lake Superior (Oberer See)

It was here in Lake Superior that the shortnose cisco, believed extinct for 40 years, was surprisingly rediscovered recently. (© Yinan Chen, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

10. December 2024 Doreen Fräßdorf

Surprise find: The rediscovery of the shortnose cisco in Lake Superior

The shortnose cisco, a freshwater fish from the salmon family, had been considered extinct since 1985. After almost 40 years, it has now been rediscovered in a place where no one expected it: Lake Superior, the largest of North America’s five Great Lakes. Once, the shortnose cisco (Coregonus reighardi) was

The passenger pigeon was once the most common bird in North America. Today, it exists only in historical records and museum samples. Now modern gene-editing technologies are supposed to help bring the species back. (© Hayashi and Toda (artists), Charles Otis Whitman (author)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

25. October 2024 Doreen Fräßdorf

The Revival of the Passenger Pigeon: A Project by Revive & Restore

The passenger pigeon, once the most common bird in North America, has been extinct for more than a century. Now, biologists from the nonprofit organization Revive & Restore have set a goal to bring the species back using cutting-edge gene-editing technologies. Under the leadership of Ben Novak, efforts are underway