pinko fibers

Escarpment cycad (Encephalartos brevifoliolatus), Woolly cycad (E. heenanii), Cloud mountain cycad (E. nubimontanus), Parlota cycad (E. relictus), Wood's cycad (E. woodii)

this collective of cycad species once grew across various parts of South Africa and Eswatini

all were extirpated from the wild due to overharvesting and poaching by plant collectors

individuals only persist in the very ornamental plant trade that caused their extinction in the first place, leaving a thread of hope for future reintroduction

[Piet Vorster , $.Msiyane , Winfred Ngwenya , George James Mann , mtomazic]

Laffan's fern (Diplazium laffanianum)

formerly endemic to the island of Bermuda, in the Atlantic Ocean

only grew in a restricted area of cave mouths and rocky crevices

no wild individuals have been observed for the past several decades

ex situ safety populations are retained by conservation entities, with hopes for reintroduction someday

[Alison Copeland]

Simandoa cave roach (Simandoa conserfariam)

only known from a single cave in the Simandou range of Guinea

industrial mining imperiled the guano-dependent cave specialists

collection in the 90s and 00s created a safety-net captive population

these roaches remain a staple of the insect pet trade today, despite disappearing from their true home

[Paul's Pills]

Kihansi spray toad (Nectophrynoides asperginis)

formerly endemic to the falls of the Kihansi river gorge in Tanzania

its waterfall spray habitat was heavily impacted by the construction of a dam upriver

no wild individuals were reported after 2005

captive ex-situ breeding populations gave the species a safety net, and reintroduction is underway

[Julie Larsen Maher]

Thermal rudd (Scardinius racovitzai)

formerly endemic to a single lake, Pețea, in Bihor County, Romania

increasing water use led to their lake drying out in 2014, rendering them extinct in the wild, on top of increased competition with and predation from introduced fish species

captive populations are maintained at several sites across Europe

[Müller et al 2018]

Christmas Island blue-tailed shining-skink (Cryptoblepharus egeriae)

once endemic to Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean

last recorded in the wild in 2010

like the previous species, populations severely declined following the introduction of invasive predators to the island

many individuals were taken into captivity before their disappearance on the island, and a successful breeding program has been ongoing

[Catalina Tong]

Christmas Island chained gecko (Lepidodactylus listeri)

formely endemic to Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean

predation by the invasive wolf snake and other introduced predators decimated their population

last recorded in the wild in 2012

43 individuals were taken from the wild into captivity, and a successful captive breeding program has been ongoing

[johnboy]

Milu / Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus)

once ranged across much of the eastern portion of China, in wetlands and river valleys

population and range began to shrink as human degraded their habitat and hunted them to the brink, with the last wild individuals known from Hainan island in 1868

a captive "royal" herd was kept for sport hunting during the Qing dynasty, but the last of these were killed in the Boxer Rebellion

conservation in ex situ collections in Europe kept the species on life support, and reintroduction has been underway since the late 20th century, with over 50 small herds now roaming China once again

[Hanyang Ye]

Changjiang sturgeon / Yangtze sturgeon (Sinosturio dabryanus)

formerly endemic to the Yangtze river system in eastern China

population sharply declined in recent centuries from overfishing and habitat degredation

captive-bred individuals have been released back into the upper and middle stretches of the river since 2007, but wild breeding has yet to be recorded

[Calliston3 / CAFS]

Kunimasu / black kokanee (Oncorhynchus kawamurae)

formerly endemic to Lake Tazawa, Japan

believed to be fully extinct for many years

a population was rediscovered in Lake Saiko, the descendants of a batch of eggs translocated there in the 1930s for commercial fishing

plans for reintroduction back to Lake Tazawa are underway

[Mainichi/Kosuke Yamamoto]

Sihek / Guam kingfisher (Todiramphus cinamominus)

formerly found on the island of Guåhan (Guam) in the west Pacific

extirpated from the island by the late 1980s due to the introduction of invasive brown tree snakes

ex situ reintroduction is underway on the nearby, snake-free Palmyra atoll, where wild breeding has since been recorded

[Martin Kastner]

ʻAlalā / Hawai'ian crow (Corvus hawaiiensis)

previously found in the forests of the island of Hawai'i

they suffered from the whole range of American imperalistic threats: deforestation, habitat fragmentation & degradation, introduced livestock & predators, the introduction of avian malaria, persecution & hunting by settlers

reintroduction efforts are ongoing but slow, in the extinction capital of the world

[Jack Jeffrey]

Tree snails of Tōtaiete mā (Partula mirabilis, hebe, rosea, garrettii, mooreana, navigatoria, nodosa, suturalis, and varia)

once ranged across the Tōtaiete mā (Society Islands) of the South Pacific

caught in the crossfire of an attempt to control an invasive snail species, the predator introduced to hunt the invader decimated the native snails instead

[Joel Sartore (1, 2, 4, 6, 7) , Tengu84 (3), Geni (5, 9), Simon J. Tonge (8)]

Aylacostoma chloroticum

formely found in the Paraná River between Argentina and Paraguay

dam construction degraded its wild habitat

a captive population exists thanks to the Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum & the National University of Misiones in Argentina

[Roberto Eugenio Vogler]

Little blue macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii)

formely found in the forests of northeastern Brazil

population decline driven by colonial habitat destruction & degradation, introduction of invasive species, and the bird trade

last reliably sighted in 2000, and declared extinct in the wild by 2019

a small flock was released back into their native habitat in 2022, and were observed to have successfully bred the following year, bringing hope back to their rainforest home

[Etna 1984]

Alagoas curassow (Mitu mitu)

formerly endemic to the states of Pernambuco and Alagoas in northeastern Brazil

last wild reports come from the 1980s

extirpated due to deforestation for colonial plantations

roughly 100 individuals are in captive breeding programs

reintroduction efforts are slow due to a lack of knowledge about the species, but conservationists persevere

[Eduardo Jorge Cavalcante Vieira]