Extinct News

Museum has been sitting on real elephant bird egg since 1939 By Karen Graham Buffalo - The Buffalo Museum of Science in New York has been sitting on a very rare find. A collections manager with the museum discovered an elephant bird egg nestled away in a cabinet for more than half a century and erroneously labeled as a replica, or cast.

U.S. scientists hope prehistoric fish can solve modern problem By Nathan Salant Chicago - A giant prehistoric fish once thought to be extinct could be the solution to the worsening invasion of non-native Asian carp that is choking U.S. rivers and crowding out local species.

Sumatran rhino declared extinct in Malaysia By Owen Weldon The Sumatran rhino has been declared extinct by a recently published study and now their survival depends on fewer than 100 rhinos in Indonesia.

40,000-year-old bracelet made by extinct human species found By Stephen Morgan In what is quite an amazing discovery, scientists have confirmed that a bracelet found in Siberia is 40,000 years old. This makes it the oldest piece of jewelry ever discovered, and archeologists have been taken aback by the level of its sophistication.

Op-Ed: The world should mourn: San Diego Zoo loses Northern white rhino By Karen Graham San Diego - The extinction clock is ticking ever-closer to the day when the world will see the very last Northern white rhino pass into extinction. The San Diego Zoo lost Angalifu, a 44-year old Northern white rhino who died of old age on Sunday.

Gilbert's potoroo once thought to be extinct, making a comeback By Karen Graham The Gilbert's potoroo, or rat-kangaroo is Australia's most endangered animal and one of the world's most endangered mammals. Thought to be extinct in the, 30 of the animals were rediscovered in 1994. With careful conservation, there are now 100.

Op-Ed: When is 'extinct' really 'extinct'? The missing snail row By Tim Sandle The Aldabra banded snail was last sighted in 1996 and declared extinct in 2007, with the blame placed squarely on climate change. However, it has since been "rediscovered." This has led to a debate about the accuracy of the original research.

Seven European bison to be released in Romania By Karen Graham The European bison is the heaviest surviving wild animal in Europe today. The animals went extinct in the wild in 1927 when the last one was killed by poachers in the western Caucasus. The only bison left were to be found in zoos across Europe.

Documenting the loss of the Sahara's 'mega-fauna' By Karen Graham Covering most of North Africa, the Sahara Desert is the world's largest tropical desert, covering 3.6 million sq. miles, about the size of Brazil. Largely undeveloped, the Sahara has one of the harshest ecosystems to survive in, for humans and wildlife.

Western black rhino has been declared extinct By Nancy Houser Johannesburg - The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s largest conservation network, has declared the western black rhino subspecies as extinct. From 2007 to 2012, rhino poaching has increased 5000%.

Corpse-eating fly comes 'back from the dead' after 160 years By Leigh Goessl A fly that was declared extinct over a century ago appears to have come 'back from the dead'. Researchers in Europe were interested to find it had not vanished after all.

Rare old elephant bird egg could fetch $45K on auction By Leigh Goessl London - An egg, belonging to an extinct elephant bird is going up for auction in London. The rare egg is anticipated to fetch up to $45,000 when it goes on sale.

Is that a monkey in your pants or are you just happy to see me? By Darren Weir Delhi - Three men have been arrested at Delhi's International Airport trying to smuggle rare primates, called "slender lorises," in their underwear. Apparently, the bulge is what gave them away.

Post-Mortem of famous tortoise Lonesome George By Jack Goldenberg Guayaquil - The famous Pinta Island tortoise (Chelonoidis abingdoni) known to the international nature community and all environmentalists as "Lonesome George" died on Sunday, under unknown circumstances.

World's largest sperm bank turns down redheads due to low demand By Kim I. Hartman Aarhus - Citing a lack of demand for the sperm from redheaded donors, and a long waiting list of willing candidates, the world's largest sperm bank is no longer accepting donations from anyone with red hair.

Oldest remains of Caspian Horse discovered in Iran By Lynn Herrmann Gohar - A team of archaeologists working in Gohar Tappeh, situated in the northern Iranian province of Mazandaran, have discovered the oldest known remains of the Caspian Horse, the oldest horse breed in the world still in existence.

Tigers in the wild may be extinct in 12 years By Ken Wightman Stockholm - The WWF estimates there are 5000 tigers in American backyards, truck stops, urban apartments and private breeding facilities. This is more than the 3200 wild tigers in the wild. Sadly, the "King of the Jungle" may be extinct in as little as 12 years.

Some mammals thought to be extinct have been rediscovered By Lynn Curwin Some animals which had been believed to be extinct for many years have been sighted in the wild, and it is hoped that more of these species are waiting to be rediscovered.

Scientists find out why spotted hyena vanished from Europe By Subir Ghosh Climate change in the past was not directly responsible for the extinction of the spotted hyena in southern Europe, but it was certainly a factor in its disappearance, scientists have concurred.

Scientists: Blobfish on brink of extinction By David Silverberg Dubbed the world's ugliest animal, the rare blobfish may soon face extinction due to overfishing, scientists warn. It lives in the same depth as popular fisherman prey such as lobsters and crabs.

Goodbye Prairie Chicken And Uh, We're Sorry By Lenny Stoute Prairie Chickens had good taste. Too bad we didn’t. Last week it was formally confirmed that not a single Prairie Chicken had been sighted within Canada since 1987. If you want to see one, you’ll have to go to the US.

Study: 10 percent of world's species endangered by climate change By Kevin Jess The world's only catalogue of known plants and animals has so far listed 1.9 million species but according to a new report almost 10 per cent of the world's animals are in danger of extinction due to climate change and other factors.

Naturalist: Let the Pandas Die Out By Kevin Jess Naturalist and BBC presenter Chris Packham says that Pandas should be let to die out as a species as they are in an "evolutionary cul-de-sac" and the money spent on protecting them would be better spent elsewhere.

Prehistoric tuatara found alive and well By Bart B. Van Bockstaele Tuatara are lizard-like reptiles that can be traced back to the time of the dinosaurs. For the first time in 200 years, researchers have discovered a baby tuatara on mainland New Zealand.

Extinct bird seen but sold as food in Philippines By Chris V. Thangham The rare quail that was last observed several decades ago was seen for the first time recently but it was sold as food at a poultry market.

UN Report: Cheetahs on the brink of extinction By Chris V. Thangham The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) reports that the cheetah population is declining rapidly and may become another extinct species if not controlled.

British Bumblebees in Danger By Bob Ewing The British bumblebee appears to be in trouble with three species being extinct and the population on the decline. The bumblebee plays a role in crop pollination.

Extinct Frog Found Thriving in Australia By Bob Ewing A frog species, the Armoured Mist Frog , not seen for the past 17 years, has been found in a remote location in Far North Queensland.

Hundreds Of Fish Species Endangered By Debra Myers In a new report published in Fisheries, researchers have listed 700 fish species as being vulnerable, threatened, endangered or even extinct. The causes are listed as habitat loss, their ranges decreasing, invasive species and perhaps climate changes.

Scientist discovers an extinct insect on eBay By Chris V. Thangham A scientist saw a curious item on eBay and decided to purchase it for £20 ($37.51). It ended up being an extinct insect encased in amber.

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