Scientists refer to these 350-odd species as the “Lazarus taxon,” having been raised from the supposed dead, much like their biblical namesake.
The black-browed babbler of Borneo mysteriously vanished for 170 years, before reappearing in an Indonesian forest in early 2021.
Although Varanus douarrha — a monitor lizard on the island of New Ireland in northern Papua New Guinea – was discovered in the early 19th century, the specimen was lost in a shipwreck.
Voeltzkow’s chameleon (Furcifer voeltzkowi) was MIA for 100 years.
According to a study published in 2021, this chameleon’s short lifespan — several months during the rainy season — could help explain why it went ‘missing’ for so many years.
The native Australian bee (Pharohylaeus lactiferus) was last seen in 1923 in Queensland. However, it was rediscovered in 2021.
The Fernandina giant tortoise (Chelonoidis phantasticus) was missing for 112 years.
But a female giant tortoise — likely more than 100 years old — was finally found in 2019, after rangers followed up on a trace of feces. Additional animal tracks suggest there may be more giant tortoises in the Galapagos National Park.
The Somali elephant shrew or Somali Sengi (‘Elephantulus’ revoilii) had been considered a “lost species” since the early 1970s.
But scientists rediscovered the tiny creature in 2020, finding that the animal had actually expanded its range from native Somalia to the Republic of Djibouti.
This peculiar, deer-like, rabbit-sized, hoofed mammal (Tragulus versicolor), was seemingly lost to the world in 1990 when a hunter killed the last-seen specimen.