Dodo to Woolly Mammoth: 7 extinct species that are being revived

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On October 1, 2024, Colossal Biosciences revived the dire wolf, a wolf species that had been extinct for about 12,500 years, using gene-editing technology. Image: colossal.com/direwolf

Various gene-editing companies have been planning to bring back several animals from extinction. Here is a list of extinct animals that are being revived. Note: This is not a comprehensive list, Image: Shutterstock

Heath Hen

Extinct: 1932 AD Closest living relative: Greater prairie chicken They were reddish-brown with dark bands and averaged about 17 inches in length. Image: wikipedia.org/C. Horwitz

Woolly Mammoth

Extinct: 1650 BCE Closest living relative: Asian elephant It was a cold-resistant herbivorous mammal with two layers of thick fur and short, compact ears. Image: Shutterstock

Passenger Pigeon

Extinct: 1914 AD Closest living relative: Band-tailed pigeon They were highly social birds, living in colonies with up to a hundred nests in a single tree. Image: Shutterstock

Tasmanian Tiger

Extinct: 1936 AD Closest living relative: Fat-tailed dunnart It was the only member of the Thylacinidae family to survive till modern times. Image: wikipedia.org/Baker; E.J. Keller/Public domain

Bush Moa

Extinct: 1445 AD Closest living relative: Tinamous These flightless turkey-shaped birds were swift runners and went extinct after humans settled in New Zealand. Image: wikipedia.org/Goupil & Cie/Public domain

Quagga

Extinct: 1883 AD Closest living relative: Plains zebra They had stripes only on their head and neck, while the rest of their body was brown in colour. Image: wikipedia.org/Frederick York/Public domain

Dodo

Extinct: 1600 AD Closest living relative: Nicobar pigeon This flightless bird was native to Mauritius and considered a thing of myths as late as the 19th century. Image: wikipedia.org/Public domain

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