The speciality of this case. 

Scientists have found two previously thought to be extinct animals! Finding one extinct animal is already rare in itself, especially one that has been assumed to be extinct for more than 6-7,000 years but to not only find one but two including a new genus is truly something else!

Scientists only had fossil records that dated to from the Ice age or left over skeletal remains in caves that proved they even existed on our earth. However, in the early march of this year, these two little critters were officially confirmed by Bishop Museum and the Australian Museum to be still alive and freely roaming on the island of New Guinea, (Vogelkop Peninsula to be more precise). The Marsupials, the Pygmy long fingered and the Ring-tailed glider were found again through a joint effort between Scientists, institutions, and the Indigenous communities. Without the Indigenous knowledge and their contributions to the search, the extremely rare rediscovery wouldn’t have been possible to achieve. 

  The Pygmy and the Ring tail are what many scientists considered to be Lazarus taxa, which by definition means an organism is believed to be extinct and had disappeared from the fossil record only for it to be found again years later. This makes their discovery even more fascinating. 

What started the long search?

 The discovery ties all the way back to the 1990s, precisely 30 years ago, when during an archaeological dig in a cave, fossilized teeth were found. These little fossils started the long and uncertain journey to figure out whether or not they were still alive and breathing.  

Extra information

Interested in a more in-depth explanation about the rediscovery  of these animals? Learn more about these “back from the death” creatures on the provided  links below.

Learn more when you visit the “2 ‘Lazarus’ animals thought to be extinct for over” on the NBC News website, by Isbael Yipe.

Check out “Scientists find 2 marsupial species, thought to have gone extinct 6,000 years ago, living in the forests of New Guinea”  on LIVESCIENCE, written by Sascha Pare. 

Visit “PHOTOS: Hawaiʻi team discovers mammals thought extinct for 7,000 years” on Hawaii News to gain more knowledge , by Sandy Harjo Livingston.

Read more on the Australian Museum website, “ Marsupials found alive after 6,000 years of extinction.”