South Africa - Artensterben

Blaubock: Colossal plant die Wiederauferstehung

One of the few known bluebuck specimens at the Muséum national d’histoire naturelle in Paris—none is preserved intact, which makes genetic reconstruction considerably more difficult. Image: Doreen Fräßdorf

1. May 2026 Doreen Fräßdorf

The resurrection of the Bluebuck?—New plans from Colossal Biosciences

More than 200 years ago, the bluebuck disappeared from southern Africa. Now the US biotech company Colossal Biosciences is working to bring this extinct species back to life, at least in part. The approach is known as de-extinction. The bluebuck (Hippotragus leucophaeus) was an antelope found exclusively in the open

Only three specimens of Morant's blue have survived — all of them males.

21. March 2026 Doreen Fräßdorf

Morant’s blue – What the females looked like remains uncertain

Three male specimens remain Walter Morant, probably a dedicated collector and observer of nature in what was then the British colony of Natal in southern Africa, was among the early members of the Natural History Association of Natal, founded in 1868. There he gave lectures and exhibited insects—with a particular

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

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

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

The only known photograph of the Cape lion, which went extinct in the mid-19th century. (© See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

17. October 2024 Doreen Fräßdorf

Study Questions the Myth of the Extinct Cape Lion as a Distinct Subspecies

A study published yesterday in Scientific Reports questions the taxonomic status of the Cape lion (Panthera leo melanochaita), which was driven to extinction around 1860. For a long time, this large cat was considered a distinct subspecies, characterized by its striking black mane that extended over its shoulders and belly,

An illustration of the bluebuck, created between October 1777 and March 1786. Image: Robert Jacob Gordon, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

14. May 2021 Doreen Fräßdorf

Bluebuck

Rarer in museums than previously thought “Also running on the high mountains are many kinds of wild bucks and goats, such as gemsbok, blue bucks, pied bucks, roe bucks, klipspringers, ibexes, wild bucks,” it says in Johann Schreyer’s Neue Ost-Indianische Reisz-Beschreibung from 1681. This is the first time that “blue