List of megafauna recently discovered

List of megafauna recently discovered

The following is a list of megafauna discovered by science (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.

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

Megafauna believed extinct, but rediscovered

* Pygmy Hippopotamus "Hexaprotodon liberiensis" (1849)
* Coelacanth "Latimeria menadoensis" (1938 [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/302368.stm] )
* Takahē "Porphyrio mantelli" (1948)
* Wood Bison "Bison bison athabascae" (1957)
* Chacoan Peccary "Catagonus wagneri", (1975)

Megafauna previously unknown from fossil record

* Seven-arm Octopus "Haliphron Atlanticus" [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1898313.stm] [http://www.tonmo.com/science/public/haliphron.pdf] (1861)
* Indo-chinese Warty Pig "Sus bucculentus" (1892)
* Mountain Gorilla "Gorilla beringei" (1902)
* Komodo Dragon "Varanus komodoensis" (1910)
* Glass squid "Galiteuthis phyllura" (1911)
* Colossal squid "Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni" (1925)
* Bonobo "Pan paniscus" (1928)
* Dana Octopus Squid "Taningia danae" (1931)
* Vo Quy's pheasant "Lophura hatinhensis" (1964)
* Megamouth shark "Megachasma pelagios" (1976)
* Bigfin squid several in the genus "Magnapinna" (1998)
* Saola / Vu Quang ox "Pseudoryx nghetinhensis" [http://www.redlist.org/search/details.php?species=18597] (1992)
* Nangchen Horse (1993)
* Giant Muntjac "Megamuntiacus vuquangensis" (1994)
* Riwoche Horse (1995)
* Truong Son Muntjac "Muntiacus truongsonensis" (1997)
* Leaf muntjac (1997)

Megafauna initially believed to have been fictitious or hoaxes

* Giant squid "Architeuthis dux" (1878) (first [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4288772.stm seen] live 2005)
* Okapi "Okapia johnstoni" (1901)
* Hoan Kiem Turtle "Rafetus leloii" (1967)

References

* Karl Shuker (2002). "The New Zoo: New and Rediscovered Animals of the Twentieth Century." House of Stratus, Thirsk. ISBN 1-84232-561-2


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