List of resurrected species

List of organisms that have been revived or recreated in modern times

This is a list of resurrected species. A previously extinct or lost species can be "revived" or recreated through various methods such as cloning, backbreeding, genome editing, thawing, and seed germination in plants.

## Plants

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### Seed germination

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#### York groundsel

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Further information: York groundsel

The York groundsel is a species of Senecio that was first discovered in York, England in 1979 and last seen in the wild in 1991.[1] A survey by UK government advisory body Natural England found it was driven to extinction by 2000, partly due to the use of weedkiller.[2] Seeds of the plant were stored at the Millennium Seed Bank, successfully germinated, and reintroduced to York in 2023, marking the first time an extinct species has been revived and successfully reintroduced into its native range.[3]

Methuselah, a revived Judean date palm

#### Judean date palm

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Further information: Judean date palm

The Judean date palm is a cultivar of the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) that is historically endemic to ancient Judea (modern-day Israel and Palestine). It is genetically unique, and closely related to modern Iraqi and Moroccan varieties.[4] Between 1963 and 1991, archaeologists discovered Judean date seeds in excavation sites. Through radiocarbon dating, they were determined to be between 1,900 and 2,300 years old. In 2008, researchers at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies began to germinate the seeds.[4]

As of 2023[update], seven Judean date palms have successfully germinated. In 2020, researchers began to harvest dates from these trees. Experiments to revive this cultivar are ongoing.[5]

#### Montreal melon

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Further information: Montreal melon

The Montreal melon, also known as the Montreal market muskmelon, Montreal nutmeg melon, and melon de Montréal (Melon of/from Montreal) in French is a commercial cultivar of melon native to Canada. It was traditionally grown around the Montreal area, hence its namesake. The fruit was known for being the largest melon in North America during its initial cultivation.[6] It disappeared entirely from family farms and cultivation in the region by the 1920s due to industrialisation in Canada and being ill-suited for agribusiness. In 1997, seeds of the melon were discovered in a seed bank in the American state of Iowa. Since then, the Montreal melon has been reintroduced to its former range by local gardeners.[7]

#### Unknown Commiphora

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In September 2024, a specimen of a never-before-seen Commiphora by the name of Sheba reached maturity. In the 1980s, Sheba was found in excavations of a cave in the Judean desert as seed but was not germinated until recent times. Sheba is estimated to be over 1000 years old through radiocarbon dating, and researchers suspect that Sheba may be the tsori or Judean balsam, two plants stated to have healing properties in the Bible.[8][9]

## Animals

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### Breeding

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#### Rastreador Brasileiro

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Further information: Rastreador Brasileiro

The Rastreador Brasileiro (Brazilian Tracker) is a dog breed that was bred in the 1950s to aid in hunting jaguars and wild pigs in Brazil. In the early 2000s, a group named Grupo de Apoio ao Resgate do Rastreador Brasileiro (Brazilian Tracker Rescue Support Group) dedicated to reviving the breed and having it relisted by Confederação Brasileira de Cinofilia located dogs in Brazil that had genetics of the extinct breed to recreate a purebred.[10] In 2013, the breed was de-extinct through successful preservation breeding from descendants of the final original members and was relisted by the FCI.[11]

#### Floreana giant tortoise

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Further information: Floreana giant tortoise

The Floreana giant tortoise (Chelonoidis niger niger) is a subspecies of the Galápagos tortoise endemic to Floreana Island, Ecuador. In 2012, Floreana and Volcán Wolf tortoise hybrids were discovered on Isabela Island. Allegedly, these tortoises were imported or abandoned on the island in the early 19th century prior to the initial extinction of the subspecies in 1850, allowing them to hybridise with the native subspecies.[12] In 2017, a breeding programme was established to revive the subspecies through back breeding the hybrids to regain their genetic purity.[13] As of 2025, 400 Floreana giant tortoises have been hatched on Santa Cruz Island with plans to release them into the wild on Floreana Island following the successful removal of invasive species.[14][15] However, the IUCN has yet to update the status of the subspecies from extinct to extinct in the wild or critically endangered due to lack of a genetically pure specimen and the de-extinct subspecies has yet to reproduce naturally in the wild.[16]

### Cloning

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#### Pyrenean Ibex

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Further information: Pyrenean ibex

The Pyrenean ibex (Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica) is an Iberian ibex subspecies that was the first animal to go extinct twice. Endemic to the Pyrenees and Cantabrian Mountains, this ibex was driven to extinction by the year 2000 due to competition with livestock and introduced wild ungulates, and solidified by the death of Celia, the endling of the subspecies. Several attempts were made to clone the Pyrenean ibex, and one individual was born to a domestic goat mother in 2003. However, this newborn died seven minutes after birth due to a lung defect.[17]

## Viruses & worms

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### Thawing

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* Pithovirus sibericum: A 30,000-year-old giant virus resurrected in a sample of Siberian permafrost, buried below the surface of a late Pleistocene sediment.[18]
* Panagrolaimus kolymaensis: This novel species of nematode was resurrected from cryptobiosis in 2023. The nematodes had been frozen in the Siberian permafrost since the Pleistocene, approximately 46,000 years ago.[19]

## See also

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* Lazarus taxon
* Rewilding
* Oldest viable seed

## References

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1. ^ Barkham, Patrick (2023-05-27). "York groundsel blooms again in Britain's first-ever de-extinction event". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
2. ^ "Weedkiller blamed for loss of York Groundsel". York Press. 2010-03-12. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
3. ^ Barkham, Patrick (2023-05-27). "York groundsel blooms again in Britain's first-ever de-extinction event". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
4. ^ a b Sallon S, Cherif E, Chabrillange N, Solowey E, Gros-Balthazard M, Ivorra S, Terral JF, Egli M, Aberlenc F. Origins and insights into the historic Judean date palm based on genetic analysis of germinated ancient seeds and morphometric stuhe holy land. Econ. Bot. 21, 320–340 (1967)
5. ^ "Six new ancient date trees". Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
6. ^ New York State Agricultural Experiment Station.; Station, New York State Agricultural Experiment; Hedrick, U. P.; Tapley, William Thorpe (1928). The vegetables of New York. Vol. v.1-4. Albany: J. B. Lyon company.
7. ^ "Montreal melon, once thought to be all but gone, makes long-awaited comeback | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
8. ^ Sallon, Sarah; Solowey, Elaine; Gostel, Morgan R.; Egli, Markus; Flematti, Gavin R.; Bohman, Björn; Schaeffer, Philippe; Adam, Pierre; Weeks, Andrea (2024-09-10). "Characterization and analysis of a Commiphora species germinated from an ancient seed suggests a possible connection to a species mentioned in the Bible". Communications Biology. 7 (1): 1109. doi:10.1038/s42003-024-06721-5. ISSN 2399-3642. PMC 11387840. PMID 39256474.
9. ^ Hunt, Katie (2024-10-03). "Lost biblical tree resurrected from 1,000 year-old seed". CNN. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
10. ^ "Materia Revista Mania de Bicho" (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2011-07-06. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
11. ^ "RASTREADOR BRASILEIRO". www.fci.be. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
12. ^ Garrick, Ryan C.; Benavides, Edgar; Russello, Michael A.; Gibbs, James P.; Poulakakis, Nikos; Dion, Kirstin B.; Hyseni, Chaz; Kajdacsi, Brittney; Márquez, Lady; Bahan, Sarah; Ciofi, Claudio; Tapia, Washington; Caccone, Adalgisa (2012-01-10). "Genetic rediscovery of an 'extinct' Galápagos giant tortoise species". Current Biology. 22 (1): R10 – R11. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2011.12.004. ISSN 0960-9822. PMID 22240469.
13. ^ Miller, Joshua M.; Quinzin, Maud C.; Poulakakis, Nikos; Gibbs, James P.; Beheregaray, Luciano B.; Garrick, Ryan C.; Russello, Michael A.; Ciofi, Claudio; Edwards, Danielle L.; Hunter, Elizabeth A.; Tapia, Washington; Rueda, Danny; Carrión, Jorge; Valdivieso, Andrés A.; Caccone, Adalgisa (2017-09-13). "Identification of Genetically Important Individuals of the Rediscovered Floreana Galápagos Giant Tortoise (Chelonoidis elephantopus) Provides Founders for Species Restoration Program". Scientific Reports. 7 (1): 11471. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-11516-2. hdl:2158/1116383. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 5597637.
14. ^ "12 missing species set to return to Floreana, Galápagos". Island Conservation. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
15. ^ Nicholls, Henry (2024-04-12). "The return of the Floreana giant tortoise". Galapagos Conservation Trust. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
16. ^ (N/A), Peter Paul van Dijk; Foundation), Anders Rhodin (Chelonian Research; Conservancy), Linda Cayot (Galapagos; University), Adalgisa Caccone (Yale (2017-01-25). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Chelonoidis niger". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Archived from the original on 2024-07-10.
17. ^ Folch, J.; Cocero, M. J.; Chesné, P.; Alabart, J. L.; Domínguez, V.; Cognié, Y.; Roche, A.; Fernández-Árias, A.; Martí, J. I.; Sánchez, P.; Echegoyen, E.; Beckers, J. F.; Bonastre, A. Sánchez; Vignon, X. (2009-04-01). "First birth of an animal from an extinct subspecies (Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica) by cloning". Theriogenology. 71 (6): 1026–1034\. doi:10.1016/j.theriogenology.2008.11.005. ISSN 0093-691X. PMID 19167744.
18. ^ Yong, Ed (3 March 2014). "Giant virus resurrected from 30,000-year-old ice". Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2014.14801. S2CID 87146458.
19. ^ Shatilovich, Anastasia; Gade, Vamshidhar R.; Pippel, Martin; Hoffmeyer, Tarja T.; Tchesunov, Alexei V.; Stevens, Lewis; Winkler, Sylke; Hughes, Graham M.; Traikov, Sofia; Hiller, Michael; Rivkina, Elizaveta; Schiffer, Philipp H.; Myers, Eugene W.; Kurzchalia, Teymuras V. (2023-07-27). "A novel nematode species from the Siberian permafrost shares adaptive mechanisms for cryptobiotic survival with C. elegans dauer larva". PLOS Genetics. 19 (7): e1010798. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1010798. ISSN 1553-7404. PMC 10374039. PMID 37498820.

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