Since 2005, Miller’s grizzled langurs were thought to be extinct. Scientists said it was a result of forest damage in Indonesia. But in June 2011, cameras in the jungle snapped photos of them and proved they still exist.

The Laotian rock rat was thought to have become extinct more than 11 million years ago. That is, until it was found being sold in food markets in Laos. The rodent has the body and whiskers of a rat and the thick tail of a squirrel. 

Lonesome George was thought to be the last of the Galápagos tortoises. New evidence shows there are more of them in the Galápagos Islands. The tortoises can survive for years without food or water.

The Javan elephant was thought to be extinct until 2003. Centuries ago, elephants were given as gifts among rulers. A sultan from Sulu may have helped these elephants survive when he shipped them to Borneo as a gift.

The woolly flying squirrel is two feet tall, with a bushy two-foot tail. It is one of the tallest squirrels that can glide through the air. It was thought to be extinct for more than 70 years until it was found in Pakistan in 1995.