science

List of megafauna discovered in modern times

List of megafauna discovered in modern times is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand List of megafauna discovered in modern times rather than just read about it. In short: 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.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

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) in late 18th-century Europe. Additionally, some cases can be of animals believed to have died out centuries ago, only to be rediscovered alive. In zoology, megafauna (from Greek μέγας megas "large" and Neo-Latin fauna "animal life") are large animals. The most common thresholds to be a megafauna are weighing over 46 kilograms (100 lb) (i.e., having a mass comparable to or larger than a human) or weighing over a tonne, 1,000 kilograms (2,205 lb) (i.e., having a mass comparable to or larger than an ox). This list includes some of the more notable examples discovered in modern times.

Megafauna believed extinct, but rediscovered

Coelacanths (Latimeria) – Believed to have gone extinct during the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, rediscovered off the coast of east South Africa in 1938. False killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) – Initially described as an extinct porpoise in 1843 from a skull dating to the Middle Pleistocene around 126,000 years ago, rediscovered at the Bay of Kiel in 1861. Fernandina Island tortoise (Chelonoidis niger phantasticus) – Subspecies of the Galápagos tortoise that was previously only known from a single male specimen collected in 1906, rediscovered in 2019.

Megafauna previously unknown from the fossil record

American alligator (A. mississippiensis) (1802) Western grey kangaroo (Notamacropus fuliginosus) (1817) Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) (1833) Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus) (1819) Red kangaroo (Osphranter rufus) (1822) Lowland anoa (Bubalus depressicornis) (1827) Mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque) (1829) Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii) (1865) Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) – European scientific literature did not reference the giant panda until 1869, although it was known to the Chinese since ancient times. Additionally, a subspecies was first described in 1959, but was not recognised as such until 2005. Bonobo (Pan paniscus) (1928) Kouprey (Bos sauveli) (1937) Megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios) (1983) Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) (1993)

Megafauna initially believed to have been fictitious or hoaxes

Gorillas (Gorilla) – Millenia worth of anecdotal reports and accounts of hairy men and women in western Africa, first described formally in 1847 from a dead Liberian specimen. Okapi (Okapia johnstoni) – Initially referred to as the "African unicorn" by Europeans due to its elusive nature prior to its formal discovery in 1901. Giant squid (Architeuthis dux) – Millenia worth of folklore, mythology, and anecdotal reports, first described formally in 1873 from a dead specimen in Newfoundland and recorded alive in 2006. Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) – Anecdotal reports of "land crocodiles" by Europeans in 1910, live specimens transported to the London Zoo in 1927.

See also Animals in ancient Greece and Rome List of mammals described in the 2000s List of giant squid specimens and sightings

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of megafauna discovered in modern times

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of megafauna discovered in modern times claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to List of megafauna discovered in modern times before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about List of megafauna discovered in modern times ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of List of megafauna discovered in modern times

In research: List of megafauna discovered in modern times appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses List of megafauna discovered in modern times in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: List of megafauna discovered in modern times is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Megafauna, Modern era, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for List of megafauna discovered in modern times outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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Frequently asked questions

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Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

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Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

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