A. hebardi

USA: Rediscovered Grasshopper Once Thought to Be Extinct

An intriguing discovery was made in Augusta County, Virginia, USA: Appalachia hebardi, a species belonging to the family of short-horned grasshoppers (Acrididae), which was believed to be extinct for decades, has been rediscovered. The last confirmed sighting of this rare species dates back – depending on the source – to

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

Mexico: Omilteme Cottontail Rediscovered After Over 120 Years

Re:wild has announced the rediscovery of the Omilteme cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus insonus), a species thought to be lost for over a century, in the Sierra Madre del Sur, Mexico. This finding is a significant milestone for conservation and research efforts. A team led by José Alberto Almazán-Catalán, president of the

Continue reading
Ectopistes migratorius

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

Continue reading
Reviving the ivory-billed woodpecker?
Ivory-billed woodpeckers were primarily found in the southern United States. The main causes for their population decline are attributed to hunting and the loss of their habitat due to widespread deforestation. (© Doreen Fräßdorf, photographed at the Natural History Museum in London, England, 2024)

Biotech Company Plans to Revive the Ivory-billed Woodpecker by 2025

The U.S. biotechnology company Colossal Biosciences announced on October 1st its plan to revive the ivory-billed woodpecker by 2025, amidst the ongoing debate about whether this iconic bird species is truly extinct. The ivory-billed woodpecker was once a keystone species in the forests of the southern United States, playing a

Continue reading

Rocky Mountain Locust

Record: A swarm of 12.5 trillion locusts The correct biological term for animals that form large groups is “swarm,” but when it comes to large assemblies of migratory locusts, the term “plague” is used because they not only migrate but also devastate entire regions. Migratory locusts differ from ordinary grasshoppers

Continue reading
Key Largo tree cactus Pilosocereus millspaughii

Loss in the USA: Key Largo Tree Cactus Eradicated by Climate Change

Scientists have documented the first local extinction of a species caused by climate change and the associated rise in sea levels. The up-to-seven-meter-tall Key Largo tree cactus (Pilosocereus millspaughii), which was found only in the Florida Keys in the USA, has disappeared. The rare tree-like cactus species has gone extinct

Continue reading
Chestnut casebearer moth (Coleophora leucochrysella)

Chestnut casebearer moth

Chestnut blight from East Asia devastated more than just the American chestnut The American chestnut casebearer moth relied on the native American chestnut (Castanea dentata) for survival. This hardwood tree was the sole host plant for its larvae, ultimately leading to the highly specialized moth species’ downfall. Once one of

Continue reading
Polar Bears could go extinct by the 2030s

Global warming: Polar bears could become extinct as early as the 2030s

The future of polar bears in Hudson Bay, Canada, looks bleak: a new study warns that polar bears could become regionally extinct as early as the 2030s if global warming continues to rise and surpass critical thresholds. Researchers from several North American and international institutions caution that a global temperature

Continue reading
Ciridops anna
The Ula-ai-hawane in the book Birds of the Sandwich Islands (1890-1899) by F. W. Frohawk. Frederick William Frohawk, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Ula-ai-hawane

The Hawaiian Islands once hosted 57 species of honeycreepers Honeycreepers (Drepanidini), a tribe within the finch family (Fringillidae), are found only on the Hawaiian Island chain. Honeycreepers are closely related as sister species to the rosefinches (Carpodacus), yet many species have developed characteristics that differ from those of finches. Honeycreepers

Continue reading