Earth is home to an amazing variety of species, with the vast majority undiscovered and yet to be described by scientists. Despite the vast diversity of life that currently exists, many more species existed in that past that are now extinct. In fact, more than 99% of all species that have ever existed have already died out.
A species is extinct when the last remaining member of a species dies out. However, it’s not unusual for a species to be declared extinct only to pop up decades – or even centuries – later. It can be hard to say for sure whether a species is really extinct or just hard to find.
Some animals live in such secluded areas that they go unnoticed by researchers for a long time and others are seemingly destroyed by factors like habitat loss and the introduction of predators.
We’ve rounded up some creatures who eluded scientists for years before being spotted alive and well. Click below to check them out!
