Animals of Discovery
Posted by: Loren Coleman on September 26th, 2006
Intriguingly, the Toronto Star’s Rick Sznajder compiled and published a list on September 26, 2006, of animals, which were thought once extinct and rediscovered in recent years. These species are available in several books, of course, but it’s fun to see someone in the media highlighting these “animals of discovery.” Here’s Sznajder’s list:
Northern bald ibis rediscovered in Syria in 2002.
Giant Palouse earthworm, last seen in 1987, rediscovered 2006. Found along the Washington-Idaho border.
Laotian rock rat, believed extinct for 11 million years, first seen by a western scientist in 2005.
Chinese crested tern, thought extinct from 1937 to 2000.
Slater’s skink, a type of lizard, rediscovered in 2004 in Australia.
Coelacanth, thought extinct for 80 million years, first seen in 1938 off South Africa.
Black-footed ferret, believed extinct by 1978, rediscovered 1981 in Wyoming.
New Zealand storm petrel, last seen in 19th century, rediscovered in 2003.
Long-legged warbler, last seen in 1894, rediscovered in Fiji in 2003.
Rusty-throated wren-babbler, not seen for 60 years, rediscovered in the Himalayas in 2004.
Takahe, a bird believed extinct for 50 years, rediscovered in 1948 in New Zealand.
North Pacific right whale, thought extinct until the mid- ’90s. Lives in the waters around Alaska.
High Range dwarf cattle, rediscovered in India in 2004.
Asian grey whale, believed extinct since the turn of the century, rediscovered in 1973 near Russia’s far east coast.
White-winged guan, believed extinct for 100 years, rediscovered in 1977 in Peru.
Southern white rhino, thought extinct throughout 19th century, rediscovered in South Africa in 1895.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
Isn’t it wonderful!
Wonder what else is hidden in the forests of the world?
I’m sure there are many more to come.
i am very happy to see all the old animals being rediscover after a long time
Don’t ya’ll just love how the western science thinks. Just because they don’t see it, it doesn’t exist. We even are talking about earthworms here.
A couple of whales on there. Just goes to show what kind of large animals could be lurking out there in the depths. Hope to see some more on the list sometime. Thylacine anyone?
I think it’s amazing how diverse the list is – birds, fish, lizards, land and sea mammals. Wow…
If we could only add “thylacine” to that list!
If whales and rhinos can go so long undetected that surely debunks any of the arguments about how any large air breathing animals “must have been spotted” by now…
Let me also say that this reaffirms my own personal belief that life in general is far more resilient than we give it credit for.
Hey Big Guy, come out, come out, wherever you are! 😉
Unfortunately, for the same given time period, the list of animals that have disappeared and not reappeared is most likely quite a bit longer.
Yes, a lot more creatures have dissappeared. Sad but true. But this kind of list is still good to see.
Oddly, he did not mention some sizable mammals, like Roosevelt’s muntjac. And I wonder where he got 80 million years for the coelacanth, as opposed to ~60MY. Still, not a bad item on a subject too often overlooked.
Some great comments guys. I hope we will be able to add many more animals to this list before the decade is out, in particular would love to see the thylacine added!
Yes I can’t wait to see THYLACINE added to the list. And DODO. And QUAGGA. And Passenger Pigeon. AND the wish list goes on and on…