1.Tapir. 2.Tiger. 3.Sperm Whale. 4.Seal 5.Hyenas 6.Orcas 7.Coelacanth. 8.Chimpanzee.

There are plenty of cases of megafauna-mutualisms in birds, with oxpeckers (Buphagus) in Africa being a classic example, and it is interesting to think about how living birds may have had a relationship with extinct large herbivores in the past. Perhaps the best example of this in the Holarctic is in the true magpies (Pica sp.), a group of corvids characterized by contrasting black-and white plumage and long tails. Like many corvids (e.g. crows - Corvus) magpies are intelligent and socially complex birds that can easily take advantage of human-dominated habitats, but their preferences within that characterization are interesting.

Magpies generally prefer short-grass communities where they can forage for insects and other small animals, habitats that are common in urban areas but which were originally (and still in many cases) predominantly created by grazing megafauna, first as wild ungulates and later as livestock. Magpies in North America were historically associated with bison herds, not only for this reason but also because herbivores flush small animals as they move and serve as a constant sources of food in the form of ectoparasites (ticks, botflies) and carrion- or dung-associated invertebrates.

It has been observed before that magpie’s share several qualities with an African corvid that is also strongly megafauna-associated - the piapiac (Ptilostomus afer). The two are not particularly close phylogenetically, but have developed similar traits - both have long and rigid tails that may allow them to better stabilize themselves on the backs of moving ungulates, both have bright underwing plumage at an angle that would alert their hosts to their approach while alighting, and both are more capable of running and hopping quickly across the ground.

Magpies as a group arose sometime between 4.1 and 6.2 mya, i.e. the former being the estimated split for the most basal species in the genus (Pica mauritanica) and the latter being the split for the genus and the most closely related corvids (Coloeus, Corvus, Nucifraga). The fact that the most basal magpies come from North Africa suggest that the genus may have originated there, but the fossil record for magpies is as poor as for most birds and all known fossils come from after the estimated split. I’ve attached a figure below that describes what we currently know about intrageneric magpie phylogeny and their limited fossil distribution. Notable is their current absence from much of eastern North America compared to their fossil presence.

The timing of magpie colonization of North America is interesting. The split between American and Eurasian magpies (Pica pica) occurred around 1.5 mya but the oldest magpie fossils from the continent are about 1.0 mya. Both substantially predate the estimated split for the two American species at 0.2 mya. It is likely that magpies were able to cross Beringia when it was exposed at some point during the Early Pleistocene. This predates the formation of what we now call the mammoth-steppe as a biome, and the landscape at the time might have more closely resembled the forest-steppe landscape that modern magpies find most appealing, with both short grasses and trees for nesting. The separation of mitochondrial lineages for magpies on either side of the bridge today may suggest they did not thrive in later Beringia, though it is worth noting that studies on magpie hybridization elsewhere suggest it is male-dominated.

An Early Pleistocene arrival of magpies in North America also suggest that their association with bison there is relatively recent, as bison arrived less than 0.2 mya. Instead, magpies may have been associating with mammoths, horses, sloths, etc.

https://doi.org/10.4081/rio.2017.295

https://doi.org/10.2108/zs160119

https://doi.org/10.1007/s13127-022-00568-6

https://doi.org/10.1093/cz/zoad048

https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.01612

With the recently announced Sumatran rhinoceros pregnancies I was curious how the captive population has (and is expected) to change through time so I crunched some data. I also fixed and updated the family tree graph I made the other year.

I had to make a small fix so I deleted the original post and reposted.

Sources

Graph 1:

Dr. Kees Rookmaaker. 2019. THE HISTORY OF THE CAPTIVE BREEDING PROGRAMS OF THE SUMATRAN RHINOCEROS 1984-2019. Report

International Rhino Foundation. 2026. Way Kambas Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary. Read 2026-10-14 from https://rhinos.org/our-work/where-we-work/sumatran-rhino-sanctuary/

Yovanda Noni. 2025. News article at https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/two-rare-pregnancies-spark-hope-for-sumatran-rhinos-but-also-concerns-about-inbreeding/

International Rhino Foundation. 2019. Mourning Iman: Malaysia’s Last Sumatran Rhino. From https://rhinos.org/blog/news-room/mourning-iman-malaysias-last-sumatran-rhino/

Yovanda Noni. 2025. Kalimantan Wildlife Officials Attempt to Rescue Second Bornean Rhino in the Wild. Jakartaglobe article from https://jakartaglobe.id/news/kalimantan-wildlife-officials-attempt-to-rescue-second-bornean-rhino-in-the-wild

Graph2:

JayHenry. 2007. Basemap adopted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumatran_rhinoceros#/media/File:Sumatran_Rhino_range.svg in 2023.

CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES

OF WILD FAUNA AND FLORA. 2022. Nineteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties

Panama City (Panama), 14 – 25 November 2022. From https://cites.org/sites/default/files/documents/E-CoP19-75-R1.pdf

Dr. Kees Rookmaaker. 2019. THE HISTORY OF THE CAPTIVE BREEDING PROGRAMS OF THE SUMATRAN RHINOCEROS 1984-2019. Report

International Rhino Foundation. 2026. Way Kambas Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary. Read 2026-10-14 from https://rhinos.org/our-work/where-we-work/sumatran-rhino-sanctuary/

International Rhino Foundation. 2019. Mourning Iman: Malaysia’s Last Sumatran Rhino. From https://rhinos.org/blog/news-room/mourning-iman-malaysias-last-sumatran-rhino/

Yovanda Noni. 2025. Mongabay article from https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/two-rare-pregnancies-spark-hope-for-sumatran-rhinos-but-also-concerns-about-inbreeding/

Yovanda Noni. 2025. Kalimantan Wildlife Officials Attempt to Rescue Second Bornean Rhino in the Wild. Jakartaglobe article from https://jakartaglobe.id/news/kalimantan-wildlife-officials-attempt-to-rescue-second-bornean-rhino-in-the-wild

Basten Gokkon. 2023. Pahu egg harvest. Mongabay article from

https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/boost-for-sumatran-rhino-ivf-plan-as-eggs-extracted-from-bornean-specimen/

The Rhino Foundation. State of the Rhino 2025. Report from https://rhinos.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/State-of-the-Rhino-2025-v4.pdf

Dian Wahyu Kusuma. 2021. Signs. but no sightings: The phantom rhinos of Sumatra’s Bukit Barisan Selatan. Mongabay article from https://news.mongabay.com/2021/01/signs-but-no-sightings-the-phantom-rhinos-of-sumatras-bukit-barisan-selatan/

Would the Balkans or Spain be too hot

Hi guys can you help me with ideas about animals that once in morroco can be reintroduce them here also algeria had similar megafauna like us

Can you help with animals which morroco should consider to reintroduce for the biological and ecological system to restore the food chain

The distribution of orangutans was much greater in the Pleistocene than it is today, with fossils known not just from Borneo and Sumatra where orangutans still occur but also from Java, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, peninsular Malaysia, and southern China. Many of these records are from the Late Pleistocene and a couple may even be Holocene. Interestingly, there are even a couple of references that suggest orangutans still occurred in parts of Vietnam and peninsular Malaysia into semi-recent history. The now-extinct populations from Java and the mainland likely belonged to extinct species, as outlined below, but it is interesting to contemplate whether this might represent an opportunity to establish ex-situ populations of living orangutans outside of Sumatra and Borneo. Repatriation of orphaned and/or illegally captive orangutans has already led to a new population in central Sumatra (Bukit Tigapuluh National Park, visible on the map). A similar strategy (or possibly one using orangutans from zoo stock) might be used to set up populations in, for example, Taman Negara NP in Malaysia or Ujung Kulon NP in Java, in addition to additional sites in central and southern Sumatra. These areas would be more immediately similar to habitats where orangutans are still found, but their wide fossil distribution and surprisingly high tolerance for secondary forest habitats would suggest that orangutans are likely adaptable to a wider range of conditions than they currently experience, and that protected areas in Thailand or Vietnam might also be candidates eventually. All of this of course only make sense in a framework where the orangutans can be protected from poaching and other threats, but ultimately it seems best not to keep all the eggs in one basket.

Borneo

Pongo pygmaeus, CR

Java

Pongo javensis, EX

Mainland

Pongo weidenreichi-devosi, EX

Sumatra

Pongo abelii, CR

Pongo tapanuliensis, CR

Pongo duboisi-palaeosumatrensis?, EX

*note I'm reposting stuff that I originally posted on another medium, not just coming up with all of this today.

The new results on Holocene gibbons, wherein "Junzi" imperialis is now Nomascus imperialis (sister to the Hainan gibbon), got me thinking about gibbons in China and the information is pretty interesting. Here I've mapped the natural distributions of each Genus according to Phylacine, alongside the mid-late Quaternary fossil distribution from Jablonski & Chaplin, 2009 (+Bunopithecus and "Junzi" records from Wang et al., 2025). Darker grey areas are Chinese prefectures with historical records of gibbons according to Turvey et al, 2015. Many of the historical records and unidentified Nomascus in the south and west would belong to the extant Cao Vit gibbon or Black Crested Gibbon, but at least some populations appear to belong to this now-extinct "imperial gibbon" previously widespread (unless there were still more species) over most of subtropical China.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2025.10.016

http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.1299

doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-88604-6_7

we're a small team of indy devs that have been hard at work on this project for the past couple of years & thought the community here would appreciate this! we'd love to hear your thoughts on the rewilding mechanic

• The Translocation: India agreed to ship six Royal Bengal Tigers (2 males, 4 females) to Cambodia.
• The Location: A heavily fortified, 920,000+ hectare zone in southwestern Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains.
• A rigorous, joint ecological review by Indian and Cambodian authorities revealed that the natural prey base in Cardamom National Park is far too low to sustain an apex predator population. Now Project officially postponed to 2028.
• Current prey density is heavily depleted due to poaching. The forest can only support 3 to 4 wild tigers.. India and conservation biologists require a minimum density of more than 5 prey animals per square kilometer. For the initial 6 tigers to survive.

Decades of intensive poaching, illegal logging, and indiscriminate wire-mesh snaring have completely decimated local populations of wild pigs, sambar deer, and barking deer. While the forests look lush and vast from above, they are ecologically hollow. If they released the tigers now, they would either starve or wander straight into local villages to hunt domestic livestock. India's official stance is that tigers will not be sent until Cambodia meets strict ecological and security parameters.

Source - India postpones Cambodia tiger reintroduction

Source 2 - Why India postponed Tiger reintroduction in Cambodia

Compared to terrestrial mammals, there have been comparatively few human-driven extinctions of marine mammals, though few does not mean none. Steller sea cows and Atlantic grey whales are notable exceptions. One group that has been hit a little harder is the Pinnipeds, i.e. seals and sea-lions. This is understandable as the need for these species to haul out on land makes them relatively easy to access even without sailing technology. Even so, only two full extinctions have occurred and these have both taken place in the past century. Several population-level extinctions are also known but these have generally occurred fairly recently (last 1,000 years).

Rewilding proposals involving seals and sea-lions have been made before, though none enacted. Recolonization has occurred, however - for example New Zealand sea lions recolonizing the South Island from the Antipodes. For Caribbean monk seals and Japanese sea lions, substitutes would need to be employed, probably Hawaiian monk seals and California sea lions, respectively. These and any reintroduction projects for extant species would necessarily be in conflict with fishery in many places. On the other hand, even a reduction in hunting has led to massive recovery in many pinnipeds after near-extermination, and seals and sea lions are apex predators with profound ecological impacts and tourism potential.

Odobenidae

Odobenus rosmarus, Walrus, Arctic and Subarctic, ~900 kg, VU

- Much larger range in history/prehistory

- Historically bred in Iceland, Norway, Sable Island (Nova Scotia)

- Interglacial finds are known from the North Sea

- Glacial? finds reach as far south as San Francisco, Tokyo, and North Carolina

- Unlike other arctic pinnipeds, walruses do not need to breed on sea ice

Otariidae

Arctocephalus gazella, Antarctic Fur Seal, Southern Subantarctic, ~85 kg, LC

Arctocephalus townsendi, Guadalupe Fur Seal, Californian & Mexican Pacific, ~115 kg, LC

Arctocephalus philippii, Juan Fernández Fur Seal, South American Pacific, ~90 kg, LC

Arctocephalus galapagoensis, Galápagos Fur Seal, Galápagos Islands, ~45 kg, EN

Arctocephalus pusillus, Cape Fur Seal, Southern Africa & Australia, ~170 kg, LC

Arctocephalus forsteri, Australasian Fur Seal, Australia, NZ, Antipodes, Chathams, ~85 kg, LC

Arctocephalus tropicalis, Subantarctic Fur Seal, Northern Subantarctic, ~100 kg, LC

Arctocephalus australis, South American Fur Seal, Southern South America, ~110 kg, LC

Callorhinus ursinus, Northern Fur Seal, North Pacific, ~160 kg, VU

Eumetopias jubatus, Steller Sea Lion, North Pacific, ~400 kg, NT

Neophoca cinerea, Australian Sea Lion, Southern Australia, ~200 kg, EN

Otaria flavescens, South American Sea Lion, South America, ~250 kg, LC

Phocarctos hookeri, New Zealand Sea Lion, Southern NZ & the Antipodes, ~250 kg, EN

- Current NZ lineage is Antipodean, recolonized after native group was over-hunted (1300s)

- There was also a distinct group on the Chatham islands which is now extinct (1300s)

Zalophus californianus, California Sea Lion, Pacific North America, ~230 kg, LC

†Zalophus japonicus, Japanese Sea Lion, Pacific East Asia, ~250 kg?, EX (1970s CE)

- Equally related to its two extant congeners

Zalophus wollebaeki, Galápagos Sea Lion, Galápagos Islands, ~220 kg, EN

Phocidae

Cystophora cristata, Hooded Seal, North Atlantic/Arctic, ~300 kg, EN

Erignathus barbatus, Bearded Seal, Arctic, ~315 kg, NT

Histriophoca fasciata, Ribbon Seal, North Pacific, ~90 kg, LC

Hydrurga leptonyx, Leopard Seals, Antarctica, ~400 kg, LC

Leptonychotes weddellii, Weddell Seal, ~500 kg, LC

Lobodon carcinophaga, Crabeater Seal, Antarctica , ~200 kg, LC

Mirounga angustirostris, Northern Elephant Seal, Pacific North America, ~1300 kg, LC

Mirounga leonine, Southern Elephant Seal, Antarctic & Subantarctic, ~1600 kg, LC

Monachus monachus, Mediterranean Monk Seal, S Europe, N Africa, Macaronesia, ~300 kg, VU

- Numerous extinct populations across the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, much of Macaronesia

Neomonachus schauinslandi, Hawaiian Monk Seal, Hawaiian Islands, ~190 kg, VU

†Neomonachus tropicalis, Caribbean Monk Seal, Caribbean Sea, Bahamas, ~220 kg, EX (1950s)

- Closest relative is Neomonachus schauinslandi

Ommatophoca rossii, Ross Seal, Antarctica, ~175 kg, LC

Pagophilus groenlandicus, Harp Seal, North Atlantic/Arctic, ~130 kg, NT

Phoca largha, Spotted Seal, North Pacific, ~100 kg, LC

Phoca vitulina, Harbor Seal, North Atlantic & North Pacific, ~110 kg, LC

- Several extinct and extant freshwater populations

- The Ungava seal in several large lakes in northern Quebec, also Iliamna Lake in Alaska

- Historically there were populations of harbour seals in Lake Ontario & Lake Champlain (1700s)

Pusa capsica, Caspian Seal, Caspian Sea, ~90 kg, EN

Pusa hispida, Ringed Seal, Arctic, ~90 kg, LC

- Lake Ladoga in Russia has a population of ringed seals

Pusa saimensis, Saimaa Seal, Lake Saimaa, ~70 kg, EN

Pusa sibirica, Baikal Seal, Lake Baikal, ~65 kg, LC

Halichoerus grypus, Grey Seal, North Atlantic, LC, ~190 kg

1.Crocodile. 2.Kulan. 3.Salmon. 4.Brown Bear. 5.Siren/Manatee. 6.Walrus. 7.Sea Lion. 8.Muflon. 9.Common Hippo. 10.African Ostrich. 11.White Rhino. 12.Okapi. 13.Dasypus. 14.Orangutan. 15.Melanistic Leopard. 16.Blue Whale. 17.Cougar/Puma. 18.Leatherback Sea Turtle. 19.Asian Elephant. 20.Moose.

CNN has concluded its weeks-long and very thorough investigation into this, which I'm very thankful for. It's also a good overview on what goes on in the wildlife trafficking trade. In my view, any kind of rewildling and nature conservation efforts have to focus on how to stop poaching and the wildlife trade as well.

The 2026 human-guided migration of northern bald ibises has concluded successfully after 40 days, 19 stages, and a total distance of 2,640 kilometers, according to Waldrappteam, the organization responsible for the project. The birds, which followed the ultralight aircraft piloted by Johannes Fritz, began their journey on August 23 at the Binningen airfield in Baden-Württemberg (Germany) and crossed France and Catalonia before reaching Andalusia.

Article in English https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/oct/02/northern-bald-ibis-human-led-migration-spain-austria-mirco-aircraft

I recently received this material from an Italian researcher. The animal was shot in Eritrea between 1922/23, during an expedition in the western part of the country.

Tora Hartebeest was last seen in 1996, and it is currently classified as Critically Endangered - Possibly Extinct by IUCN

6th largest bird only outweighted by largest Ratites birds in the world.

There weights can range between 22 to 45 kg or so(tho males weight more than females.Females typically weight 18 kg less than males).

They lose weight during breeding season as raising there young and protecting there eggs consumes a lot of energy(with males also not eating during 2 months while protecting there eggs.This time making them lose fat reserves of 12 kg).

1.Sharks. 2.Gazelle. 3.Taurus(male bull). 4.Cheetah. 5.Gorilla. 6.Dolphin. 7.Chamois. 8.Long-beaked Dolphin. 9.Giraffe. 10.Zebra. 11.Boa constrictor. 12.Reindeer. 13.Jaguar. 14.Yak. 15.Red Deer. 16.Sturgeon. 17.Bactrian camel. 18.Kangaroo. 19.Alpine ibex. 20.King penguin(my bad this one isnt Megafauna.Only Emperor penguin is only Megafauna of Penguins today)....

There are more specific animals here just forgot to picture there names in a hurry..(cause I had this book in my village and couldnt bring it back).

I'm from the Texas Panhandle, so I'd like to know your thoughts: If you could reintroduce one species to the Texas Panhandle, which would you choose?

For those who don't know, the Panhandle is in the southern part of the Great Plains, is semi-arid and has hot summers but colder winters than you might expect. Animals that have been extirpated from that region include black-footed ferrets, grey wolves and red wolves, bison, and elk.

The first picture is a 3-4 year old female that was killed in a collision with a Longview PD vehicle in Longview. The next two are claimed to be likely of one animal seen near Newton. And the third is one claimed to have been seen in Jasper County.

What’s interesting is mountains only have breeding populations in south and west Texas, as shown in the first map (second map here). Meaning that these cats had to have traveled many hundreds of miles across the state to reach East Texas. Though this isn’t isolated to East Texas, as the third map shows just how widespread far traveling cougars can be across the eastern lower 48. Every square mile of the lower 48 is historic mountain lion range before their core population was reduced to the west.

A cougar was killed in a vehicle collision near Milford, Connecticut in June 2011. And DNA analysis proved that it was descended from the Black Hills in South Dakota, a distance covering 1500-1800 hundred miles (2500-2900 km). And left a trail of DNA in Minnesota and Wisconsin over a period of 2 years. Making this the one of the longest overland travel journeys of any animal.

This post started with me discovering that cougars will sometimes travel long distances through to where I live (and I even know someone who’s claimed to have seen big cats locally), and then I discovered this kind of kind of thing is just something that they do.