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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteLazarus species are animals or lineages once missing from scientific records and later found alive or recognized in living animals. They were not resurrected: rediscovery corrects what people knew about survival. This list brings together documented rediscoveries, a disputed sighting, and fossil-lineage cases, which are not all the same kind of evidence.
The 12 examples are a selection from a 2022 Treehugger article, not an official or exhaustive list. Current population counts and conservation assessments are not consistently available across the group, so historical figures below are labeled as such rather than presented as current totals.
What is a Lazarus species?
Lazarus species is a popular conservation term for a species that disappears from scientific observation and is later found alive. The related term Lazarus taxon can refer to a broader group known from fossils that later has living representatives. Neither term means that a species returned after its last individual died.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) notes that taxa previously listed as Extinct may be moved to another Red List category when living individuals are found. It also warns that an incorrect extinction declaration can lead to protection being withdrawn while a species is still alive—a mistake sometimes called the “Romeo” error. A long gap in records is not, by itself, proof of extinction.
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Evidence varies from a documented living population to a single reported sighting or a taxonomic reinterpretation of fossils. A rediscovery also does not establish that a population is abundant, secure, or recovering.
The 12 animals at a glance
| Animal | What the evidence shows | Type of case |
|---|---|---|
| Bermuda petrel | Nesting pairs were found in Bermuda in 1951 after a long historical gap | Documented living rediscovery |
| Chacoan peccary | Known from fossils before living animals were reported in Paraguay in the 1970s | Living rediscovery |
| Coelacanth | A living fish was caught off South Africa in 1938; the case concerns an ancient lineage known from fossils | Lineage rediscovery |
| Lord Howe Island stick insect | A surviving population was found on Ball’s Pyramid in 2001 | Documented living rediscovery |
| La Palma giant lizard | Possible animals were reported in 2007, but survival was not conclusively verified in the source account | Disputed candidate |
| South Island takahē | Rediscovered in New Zealand in 1948 after being believed extinct | Documented living rediscovery |
| Cuban solenodon | Recorded again after a long gap; accounts differ in which later observations they emphasize | Living rediscovery |
| New Caledonian crested gecko | Rediscovered in 1994 after a long absence from records | Living rediscovery |
| New Holland mouse | Rediscovered in 1967 after more than a century without records | Living rediscovery |
| Giant Palouse earthworm | Later records followed a long gap, but the reviewed sources do not establish a formal extinction declaration | Long-gap case |
| Large-billed reed-warbler | A bird identified in Thailand in 2006 matched a species known from an 1867 specimen | Documented rediscovery |
| Laotian rock rat | Found in 1996 and later linked to a fossil-known rodent family | Taxonomic Lazarus case |
Documented rediscoveries
1. Bermuda petrel, or cahow (Pterodroma cahow)
The Bermuda petrel disappeared from historical records and was believed extinct for centuries. Conservationists found 18 nesting pairs in Bermuda in 1951, according to the 2022 Treehugger account. That is a historical discovery figure, not a current population estimate.
The rediscovery led to conservation work, but finding a surviving population is not the same as securing its future. The species remains a prominent example of how a remnant can persist outside ordinary observation.
2. Chacoan peccary (Catagonus wagneri)
The Chacoan peccary was described from fossil material in 1930. Living animals were later recognized in Paraguay in the 1970s; the Treehugger account gives 1975. The animal’s presence in the difficult-to-survey Gran Chaco showed that a species known from fossils could still survive in a remote region.
The Treehugger article also gives an estimate of around 3,000 known individuals, but it does not provide a clear estimate date. Do not treat that figure as a current count.
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3. Coelacanth (Latimeria species)
A living coelacanth was caught off South Africa in 1938 after the lineage was known from fossils. The discovery is a famous Lazarus story, but it is more accurate to describe it as the rediscovery of living representatives of an ancient lineage than to imply that the exact modern species had been declared extinct and returned.
“Living fossil” is an informal phrase; it does not mean that coelacanths stopped evolving or are identical to their fossil relatives.
4. Lord Howe Island stick insect, or land lobster (Dryococelus australis)
The Lord Howe Island stick insect was considered lost from its namesake island after invasive rats devastated its population. A surviving population was found on nearby Ball’s Pyramid in 2001. The rocky sea stack provided a refuge, though the rediscovery did not by itself remove the species’ conservation challenges.
5. South Island takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri)
New Zealand’s Department of Conservation says the takahē was believed extinct in 1898 and rediscovered in the Murchison Mountains on 20 November 1948. It is a well-documented case of a living bird found after decades without confirmed records.
Rediscovery does not mean a species is safe. The Department of Conservation describes ongoing recovery work. Avoid giving a current population number without a dated assessment.
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6. Cuban solenodon (Atopogale cubana)
The Cuban solenodon is an unusual mammal native to Cuba. Treehugger describes a gap in records from 1890 to 1974 and also notes a later sighting in 2003. These dates should be understood as that article’s account, not as a current population assessment.
The example illustrates why a long record gap and a small or poorly known population should not be turned into an unsupported claim about present abundance.
7. New Caledonian crested gecko (Correlophus ciliatus)
The New Caledonian crested gecko was rediscovered in 1994 after having been feared extinct. Its rediscovery is a clear reptile example, but the fact that the species is familiar in captivity does not establish the condition of its wild populations.
8. New Holland mouse, or pookila (Pseudomys novaehollandiae)
The New Holland mouse was rediscovered in 1967 after more than a century without records. The 2022 Treehugger account discusses threats including habitat loss, bushfires, cats, and foxes. Check a current conservation assessment before presenting status or threats as current; the reviewed sources do not provide a consistent current population dataset for all the animals in this list.
9. Large-billed reed-warbler (Acrocephalus orinus)
The large-billed reed-warbler was known from a single specimen collected in 1867. In 2006, a bird in Thailand was identified as the species, with DNA comparison to the original specimen supporting the identification.
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The rediscovery filled a major gap in scientific knowledge, but it did not by itself establish the species’ current population size or conservation status. Avoid repeating old status claims as if they were current.
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Long-gap, taxonomic, and disputed cases
10. Giant Palouse earthworm (Driloleirus americanus)
The giant Palouse earthworm became difficult to find after its description, and later records followed a long gap. The sources reviewed for this article do not independently verify the dates, counts, or size details sometimes repeated in popular accounts, nor do they establish a formal declaration of extinction. It is safest to call this a long-gap or presumed-extinct case rather than a confirmed return from extinction.
11. Laotian rock rat, or kha-nyou (Laonastes aenigmamus)
The Laotian rock rat came to scientific attention after specimens were found for sale at a food market in Laos in 1996. Researchers initially treated it as unusual among living rodents. Later comparisons linked it to Diatomyidae, a family previously known from fossils.
This is a taxonomic Lazarus case: a living animal represented a lineage known from the fossil record. It is not evidence that the exact modern species had been extinct for millions of years and then returned.
12. La Palma giant lizard (Gallotia auaritae): a disputed candidate
Reports of possible La Palma giant lizards in 2007 prompted renewed attention, but the Treehugger account describes the sightings as alleged and notes disagreement about whether they prove survival. It reported that no living individual had been captured at the time. Do not describe this as a confirmed rediscovery.
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A report or photograph may justify more searching, but it should not be treated as conclusive identification without evidence that rules out similar living species.
Newer examples show the list is not exhaustive
The twelve animals above follow a 2022 Treehugger selection. In 2026, the Australian Museum reported research identifying two Papuan marsupials—the pygmy long-fingered possum (Dactylonax kambuayai) and ring-tailed glider (Tous ayamaruensis)—as living species previously known from fossil evidence. The identification drew on a specimen collected in 1992 and misidentified at the time, rare photographs, fossil fragments, and collaboration with local researchers and Elders. These are further examples of living animals changing what scientists understand from the fossil record.
How to assess claims about animals thought extinct
- Ask what “extinct” means in the claim. Was the species formally assessed as Extinct, or was it simply missing from records or presumed extinct?
- Check the evidence type. A documented specimen or population is different from an unverified sighting.
- Check whether the claim is species-level or lineage-level. A fossil-known family or lineage being found alive is not the same as a species previously declared Extinct being rediscovered.
- Separate rediscovery from recovery. Finding living individuals does not prove that a population is stable or safe.
These distinctions matter for conservation. The IUCN warns that incorrectly treating a living species as extinct can result in its protection being withdrawn.
Frequently Asked Questions
Were Lazarus species really extinct?
Not necessarily. The term is often used for species missing from records and later found alive, while some cases involve a lineage known from fossils rather than a modern species formally listed as Extinct.
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Which Lazarus species are still disputed?
The La Palma giant lizard is the disputed candidate in this list. Reports in 2007 prompted attention, but the reviewed account does not establish a confirmed living specimen.
Does rediscovery mean a species is no longer endangered?
No. Rediscovery establishes that living individuals were found; it does not demonstrate that the population is abundant, stable, or secure. Current conservation status requires a current assessment.
Is the coelacanth a species that came back from extinction?
No. Its story is best described as the discovery of living representatives of an ancient lineage known from fossils, not the return of an extinct species.
The Bottom Line
Lazarus species are survivors hidden by gaps in observation or revealed by new taxonomic evidence—not animals resurrected after extinction. Their stories show why evidence and careful extinction assessments matter, and why rediscovery alone does not guarantee survival.
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