6 Animals That Came Back From Extinction

I've spent my life tracking down rare species and rediscovering animals that were believed extinct. Not the typical mission of a wildlife biologist, but in those rare instances where we can actually find something that the whole world has given up on, it inspires hope for conservation of incredible creatures. From 65 million year old dinosaur fish to tiny primates with huge eyes, here's six animals that came back from extinction. First up, the American alligator. You might be surprised to see the alligator at the top of this list, but they have an interesting story. These creatures are true icons of swamps, marshes, and rivers in states like Florida, Louisiana, and Georgia. When I visit the glades for shows and field work, I see tons of them and I absolutely love working with them. Alligators are the biggest reptiles in North America, growing up to 15 feet long and weighing up to a thousand pounds. What's special about American alligators isn't just their size, but their toughness. They have super strong jaws with a bite force of around 3,000 psi, which is even stronger than a jaguar's. Even though they look fierce, American alligators were in big trouble in the early 1900s. They were almost extinct. It's hard to believe because they look like prehistoric killing machines. So how did they get so close to disappearing? Well, the answer is the same as always, humans. Starting in the 1800s, people over-hunted alligators for their valuable hides and destroyed their habitats for development. This, along with pollution from pesticides like DDT, caused their numbers to drop. By the 1950s, there were only about 100,000 alligators left in 10 southern states. Thankfully, people realized they needed to help. In 1962, Florida banned alligator hunting and in 1966, they were listed as an endangered species. This was a big step in saving them. Laws were changed to protect them and stop illegal trading of alligator products. In 1972, the U.S. banned DDT, which also helped. These efforts paid off and by 1987, the alligator was no longer endangered. Today, there are over 5 million alligators in the southeastern U.S. This shows how determined conservation efforts can save a species, ensuring these incredible reptiles continue to thrive. Next up, a dinosaur fish that is believed to be extinct for 66 million years. The coelacanth are living fossils from over 400 million years ago. They can grow to over 6.5 feet long and weigh around 200 pounds. What makes them special is their lobe fin structure, which looks more like limbs than fins. They have a cool blue color and live deep in the ocean between 600 and 650 feet. For a long time, we only knew about coelacanths from fossils, thinking they went extinct ages ago. But in 1938, a massive discovery just before Christmas. A living coelacanth was caught near South Africa by Marjorie Courtney Latimer, a museum curator. This was a massive surprise. I also have a special connection to the coelacanth. My grandfather actually found one of the first ever non-rotten whole specimens while on vacation in the Camorras. He saw this dinosaur-looking fish in a fish market, knew it was something special, got it frozen, and brought it back to Zimbabwe. And it's still in the Harare Natural Museum today, or so I'm told. I haven't been there in a while. In 1998, another species was found off Indonesia, expanding our knowledge of these amazing creatures. Today, coelacanths are considered critically endangered and efforts are ongoing to protect them. However, we know very, very little about them, know very little about their population or where they hang out. It's just amazing to know that these dinosaur fish are still around. Next up, North America's bird with the longest wingspan that nearly got eradicated. The California condor is one of the largest flying birds in North America, with a wingspan of up to 9.8 feet. They play a crucial role in their ecosystem by eating dead animals, which helps keep the environment clean and free of disease. In the 1980s, there were only 22 California condor left due to habitat loss, lead poisoning, and poaching. To save them, scientists decided to capture the remaining birds and start a breeding program. It was a tough choice, but it worked. The program helped the population grow, and in 1992, the first captive bred condors were released back into the wild. Today, there are 561 California condors, with 347 in the wild and 214 in captivity. They've been released in places like Arizona, Utah, and even down in Baja, California. This success story shows just how important it is to protect endangered species and work together to save such incredible, iconic creatures like the California condor. Next up, a brown, stripy zebra that you may not even know exists. The quagga was a type of zebra that lived in South Africa. It had stripes only on the front part of its body, making it look like a mix between a zebra and a horse, also known as a zorse. Sadly, in the late 1800s, the quagga was hunted to extinction. But in the 1980s, scientists started the Quagga Project to bring them back. They used selective breeding with plain zebras that had fewer stripes. Over several generations, the offspring started to look more and more like quaggas. By 2005, they had a foal that closely resembled the extinct quagga. Although not identical, these new quaggas are visually and behaviorally similar to the old quagga, and what scientists have discovered is that they were actually just a subspecies of plain zebra, and now by breeding back in these patterns and re-releasing them, they've actually been able to breed back quagga from extinction. Next up, a howling singing dog from the highlands of New Guinea. The New Guinea singing dog is a small, unique dog from Papua New Guinea. They stand about 12 to 18 inches tall and weigh 20 to 30 pounds. What sets them apart is their singing. They have a howl that sounds like a song. These dogs are also incredibly agile, which helps them navigate their rugged, mountainous homes. First discovered in 1897, they quickly became rare due to habitat loss and interbreeding with domestic dogs. By the 1970s, they were thought to be extinct in the wild, but in 2012, one was photographed in the wild, and in 2016, a small population was rediscovered in Papua New Guinea. This gave conservationists hope and efforts are now focused on protecting their habitat. In fact, there are entire organizations in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, dedicated to tracking and studying the highland singing dog and breeders have even imported highland singing dog to the UK and United States to breed the species and introduce it into the domestic dog trade so that those animals have insurance colonies in the pet trade. So if the ones in the highlands ever do go extinct, at least we know there will still be some singing dogs around, but I have heard that they have terrible, very shy, difficult dispositions when it comes to being a house pet. And finally, a ghoulish-looking primate with giant eyes. The pygmy tarsier is a tiny primate from central Sulawesi in Indonesia. They weigh just 1.8 ounces and are about four inches long, not including their long tails. They have huge eyes for excellent night vision and are amazing climbers. For many years, pygmy tarsiers were thought to be extinct, with the last sighting in 1921. This was massively sad for such an incredible tiny little primate. But crazily, in the year 2000, scientists accidentally killed one while trapping rats, which proved their existence. This was a huge deal when people all of a sudden found this tiny little primate in a rat trap, leading to the idea that this animal still existed. But given it was only one and it was in a single rat trap, people were very skeptical as to the ongoing survival of the species. Then, in 2008, a small population was found alive, sparking huge interest in their conservation and ongoing efforts to focus on protecting their habitat and studying their behavior to ensure these cute little primates survive. These are six animals that came this close to facing extinction. There are hundreds more. If you like this video, let me know in the comments and I'll break down a couple more. Please make sure you like and subscribe so I can keep teaching you guys about these incredible creatures.