(snaps teeth)
- Yeah, that's right.
The wild bongo don't play.
Every year a new species goes extinct on our planet.
Sometimes naturally and sometimes due to human interference
and it's a shame
because many of these creatures are amazing.
But as it turns out, some of those amazing creatures
that we once thought were extinct are actually still alive.
Here are 10 amazing animals
we thought were extinct but aren't.
Number 10 is the coelacanth.
Some animals just don't know when to quit and the coelacanth
is one of them.
This slippery two meter long fish was thought
to be a dead relic of from The Cretaceous Period.
For your reference,
that was between 66 and 145 million years ago.
It wasn't until 1938 that the scientific community
discovered that the coelacanth was alive and well
off the coast of South Africa.
And with its three lobed carpal fin and a secondary tail
protruding out from underneath its primary tail,
this fish is a true living fossil.
In fact, other populations of this fish have been found
off the Comoro Islands near Indonesia.
In fact, while the modern world was scratching its head
at finding the coelacanth alive, indigenous populations
knew of its existence all along.
Look at that thing.
Isn't that just something
you'd want to take home and snuggle?
Okay, maybe not.
Number nine is the Giant Palouse earthworm.
Its clear that there are all sorts of things creeping around
under the earth.
Especially when something as big
as the Giant Palouse earthworm can go unnoticed.
Originally discovered in 1897 in eastern Washington state,
the last confirmed sightings of this animal
were in the 1980s.
Due to pesticides and other ecological pressures,
the Giant Palouse earthworm was thought extinct.
Fast forward to 2010 and scientists discover that this huge
wriggling earthworm is still alive.
Its called giant for a reason.
Growing up to a massive one meter in length
and some believing that there may be even bigger
specimens out there.
Burrowing to a depth of 4.6 meters,
the Giant Palouse earthworm moves through layers
of volcanic ash deep underground feeding on rich deposits
of rotting organic matter.
Well, just in case you needed another reason
to stay above ground, it's nightmares.
Number eight is the Madagascan Serpent Eagle.
The Eutriorchis astur or the Madagascan Serpent Eagle
has one of the coolest and yet demonic sounding middle names
that I've ever heard.
But it also has some ninja level hiding skills.
So much so that this secretive forest eagle was able
to elude researchers for almost 70 years.
That's pretty impressive when you consider
that it has a wingspan of over one meter in length.
This is not a small birdie.
Before 1996, the Serpent Eagle hadn't been conclusively seen
since 1930 and was believed
by many to have died out completely.
However, it had in fact managed to evade prying eyes
by hiding in the thick forest canopy
of Northeastern Madagascar using its piercing yellow eyes
to identify prey, swooping down
on anything it could get its long sharp talons into.
This includes snake, lizards, and even mammals.
Yeah, even you if you're not careful.
It's gonna take a bite out of your face.
Number seven is the Tree Lobster.
Don't mind me I'm just the Tree Lobster.
You thought I was gone.
Australia is one of the most ecologically
interesting places on the planet.
The continent is vast with a sparse population
so it's no wonder there's new discoveries
or rediscoveries that keep popping up.
In October of 2017, scientists discovered tantalizing DNA
evidence which suggest that the Tree Lobster
is alive and well.
Well, okay, it's not really a lobster.
It's in fact a type of stick insect.
It can grow up to 15.2 centimeters in length
and with its armor plated shell,
it's far more robust than related species.
The Tree Lobster inhabited Lord Howe Island
east of the Australian mainland.
But in 1918 when a ship crashed into the rocks there
it released a plague of rats which wiped the species out.
Well, nearly.
Recently in 2017 it was discovered that the Tree Lobster
had actually adapted under pressure and managed to survive.
Well done little guy.
Number six is the La Gomera Giant Lizard.
Okay, so the La Gomera Giant Lizard
isn't actually that huge.
It grows to be around half a meter in length.
But in lizard terms that's a pretty big lizard.
What's more remarkable about this lizard
is that it was last documented during the 19th century.
Thought extinct it then popped up again in 1999.
The La Gomera Giant Lizard is understudied simply
because there aren't that many left of them.
On the island of La Gomera, a part of the Canary Islands,
it's estimated that only 90 individuals live in the wild.
They have been found on two inaccessible cliffs
two kilometers apart.
Largely herbivorous, these lizards are easy prey
for feral cats and rats and have been put under
further pressure from overgrazing and hunting.
But thankfully, the population
seems to have been growing since 2001.
Though with so few left, the entire species' future
is on the line as we speak.
Number five is the Caspian Horse.
Historical descriptions of the Caspian Horse
led researchers to believe that it died out
during just after the 7th century.
But somebody forgot to tell
the Caspian Horse that as a breeding population
was found in Northern Iran in 1965.
Following this, fossils dating back to 3400 BC
support the claim that the Caspian is the oldest breed
of domesticated horse on the planet.
A small breed of horse,
they only grow to be around one meter to 1.2 meters tall.
Although larger specimens have been produced.
While the Caspian has a spirited strong willed disposition
it's famous for being gentle and understanding too.
With Caspian stallions even allowing children to ride
on their backs without too much persuasion.
Despite its size, it is a handy species and is still bred
today continuing a tradition
which goes back thousands of years.
Extinction is now well and truly (neighing) off the table.
Number four are Monoplacophora Mollusks.
This squelchy creature supposedly went extinct
500 million years ago.
But you can't keep a good mollusk down.
In 1952, living specimens
of the Monoplacophora were discovered.
You'd be forgiven for thinking Monoplacophora are related
to snails due to their gelatinous insides and shell on top.
But they're actually a great example of parallel evolution.
Where two unrelated species evolve similar traits.
Living in the very depths of the sea,
moving over the ocean floor in search of food,
their remote habitat may explain
how they survived for so long.
This is because they were less affected by climactic change
on the surface of the planet across millions of years.
And there are at least 20 existing species of Monoplacophora
with shell sizes varying from three millimeters
to 37 millimeters in diameter.
And every single one of them possesses nightmarish mouths
full of tentacles, blah.
Number three is the Chacoan Peccary.
Is it a pig?
Is it a plane?
Well, it's obviously not a plane but you might be fooled
into thinking that the Chacoan Peccary is in fact a pig.
These animals live in Paraguay, Bolivia in Argentina
and were assumed extinct until 1971.
Discovered in the Argentinian province of Salta,
the Chacoan Peccary grows over a meter in length
standing nearly 70 centimeters at the shoulder.
Although they have large snouts and strong teeth,
peccaries behave more like herd animals
when they're under threat.
They spray secretions from dorsal glands if attacked
which may act as a signal to other peccaries in the group
to stay together.
But this animal has another interesting defense strategy.
When faced by a predator, a herd may huddle together
to create a wall against an attack.
Man, these things belong in the movie 300.
Just stacking bodies on top of each other.
Number two is the Vanzolini Bald-faced Sakiit.
Oh, look at that, I got a new nickname: Bald-faced Sakiit.
It took 80 years but in 2017,
the scientific community finally discovered proof
that the Vanzolini Bald-faced Sakiit was still alive.
In remote parts of South America,
conservationist Laura Marsh diligently cataloged species
until she finally discovered the Vanzolini.
Thought to be extinct for over 80 years
in its natural habitat.
Unlike other new world monkeys,
the Vanzolini doesn't use its tail to move around trees.
Instead, it runs on all fours
across thin branches like a cat.
Its unusual appearance has made it the stuff of legend.
With a large hood of hair draped around the head
and bright golden legs.
Now, almost nothing is known about this species.
Though one curious trait has been observed.
Male Vanzolini monkeys will encourage predators
to chase them.
An act of altruism to protect nearby offspring.
Ah, don't hurt my babies.
Look at my behind, it's a big piece of juicy meat.
Come get me.
And number one is the Javan Elephant.
You'd probably think it's difficult to hide an elephant
but until 2003 it was believed that the Javan Elephant
population was hunted to extinction during the 1800s.
But a case of mistaken identity
may have brought them back from oblivion.
In Borneo there's a breeding population of pygmy elephants
considered a smaller distinct species of elephant
on their own.
Locals in Borneo however have insisted for decades
that the elephants in their homeland are not indigenous
but were in fact brought to Borneo
by the Sultan of Sulu centuries ago.
After Columbia University and the World Wildlife Federation
carried out some genetic testing,
it turns out that the Borneo elephant
isn't even a thing at all.
The Sultan of Sulu did indeed transport Javan Elephants
to his land centuries ago,
saving an entire species of elephant from extinction.
That's what you call a happy ending.
Those were 10 amazing animals
that we thought were extinct but aren't.
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Thank you guys for watching
and I'll see you on the next one (squawks), bye.