List of megafauna discovered in modern times

The following is a list of megafauna discovered by science since the beginning of the 19th century (with their respective date of discovery). Some of these may have been known to native peoples or reported anecdotally but had not been generally acknowledged as confirmed by the scientific world, until conclusive evidence was obtained for formal studies. In other cases, certain animals were initially considered hoaxes – similar to the initial reception of mounted specimens of the duck-billed platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus [1] in late 18th-century Europe.

The definition of megafauna varies, but this list includes some of the more notable examples.

Megafauna believed extinct, but rediscovered

Megafauna previously unknown from the fossil record

Megafauna initially believed to have been fictitious or hoaxes

Status unclear

See also

References

  1. Duckbilled Platypus Museum of Hoaxes.
  2. "New 'living fossil' identified". Sci/Tech. BBC News. 1999-03-25. Retrieved 2009-01-03. The first living coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) was discovered in 1938 when marine biologists hailed the fish as a "living fossil" - an animal that has existed virtually unchanged since it first appeared over 400 million years ago.
  3. Wetzel, R. M., Dubos, R. E., Martin, R. L. & Myers, P. (1975). "Catagonus, an 'extinct' peccary alive in Paraguay." Science 189, 379-381.
  4. Groves, C.P. & Bell, H.B. 2004. New investigations on the taxonomy of the zebras genus Equus, subgenus Hippotigris. Mammalian Biology. 69: 182-196.
  5. "Giant octopus puzzles scientists". BBC News. 2002-03-28. Retrieved 2010-05-08.
  6. http://www.tonmo.com/science/public/haliphron.pdf
  7. King, Ruth Allen; Pianka, Eric R.; King, Dennis (2004). Varanoid Lizards of the World. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-34366-6.
  8. Mackal, Roy P. (1987). A Living Dinosaur?: In Search of Mokele-Mbembe. Leiden: E.J. Brill. ISBN 90-04-08543-2.
  9. Ciofi, Claudio (1999-03-01). "The Komodo Dragon". Scientific American. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
  10. "Crocodile Monitor". Saint Louis Zoo. Archived from the original on 2008-08-28. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
  11. http://www.redlist.org/search/details.php?species=18597
  12. http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20151030-there-is-a-whale-longer-than-any-orca-and-we-missed-it
  13. "Scientist Finds 'Genetically Distinct' Shark". PhysOrg.com. Retrieved 15 October 2008.
  14. "Live giant squid caught on camera". BBC News. 28 September 2005. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  15. "An extraordinary return from the brink of extinction for worlds last wild horse" Archived 2006-07-22 at the Wayback Machine ZSL Living Conservation, December 19, 2005.
  16. "Wild find: Half grizzly, half polar bear: Hunter bags what expert 'never thought would happen' in wild". NBC News. May 11, 2006. Retrieved 2006-05-14.
  17. "Tibetan discovery is 'horse of a different color'". CNN. November 17, 1995. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
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