Researchers Stunned by the Reappearance of a Clam That Was Presumed to be Extinct for Nearly 40,000 Years

Researchers have time and again proven that not every species believed to be extinct are actually extinct. Some have simply stayed out of our sight for way too long that scientists presume them to be no longer living species on Earth. 

The most fascinating part about finding this particular clam species was that the scientists only knew it as a fossil. It was left behind multiple centuries ago, and the researchers were surprised beyond measure to find it on an American shoreline. 

It’s always been celebrated when the scientific community accidentally rediscovers a species long believed to have been lost to the world. In 2018, Marine ecologist Jeff Goddard was doing his regular study of sea slugs in tide pools off the California coast when he spotted something white. 

When Goddard first spotted the marine creature, it appeared as two odd-looking white specks in the pool of water. It was so tiny one could have easily missed it. Since he was trained to look for something that others wouldn’t spot, it caught his eye. 

As is the norm, Goddard knew better than to disrupt the clam, even though he was extremely curious about it. Instead, he photographed the specimen and excitedly shared the images with his colleague, Paul Valentich-Scott. As a Curator Emeritus of Malacology working in the Department of Invertebrate Zoology at that time in the prestigious Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, he has been studying bivalve mollusks for over four decades. 

Now that they needed a live specimen of the clam in hand to identify the species, Goddard returned to the California tidal pools to retrieve one. If only it were that easy! The critters had disappeared, and the disappointed ecologist spent months revisiting the area for them. 

The news that his expert friend had failed to identify the species had previously thrilled Goddard. Both knew they were at the threshold of making a new discovery, which excited them. After all, new discoveries were the reason they were in science, and the possibility of this marine critter coming back from the d$$d seemed pretty high. 

The scientists spent hours scouring the fossil record at the museum to compare their finds with all the available specimens. Once he was certain they had spotted a new species, Paul gave himself up to the daunting task of tracking through all the scientific literature dating back to the 18th century. 

The clam was strikingly similar to paleontologist George Willett’s description of the illustration based on the discovery of the clam by Edna Cook, an amateur shell collector in the Baldwin Hills of Los Angeles. Initially classified as Bornia cooki by scientists, the genus name has since changed to Cymatioa, and the new species has been named Cymatioa cooki in honor of her. 

Jeff Goddard, to date, has a hard time believing that Cymatioa cooki had eluded notice by the scientists for as many years as it did. It was all the more a miracle since it was spotted in an area often combed meticulously by the scientific community. 

The rocky intertidal zone of Central and Southern California has been an area of extensive research by scientists for decades. The invertebrates inhabiting the regions are one of the most studied and well-documented in the world, especially by marine biologists who take immense interest in identifying and studying the bivalve mollusks in the waters. 

Since the discovery of this specific live species of clam is relatively recent, people have yet to learn about their preferred habitat. They suspect their natural surroundings to be the remote regions of Southern Baja in California. The researchers are still analyzing why the species moved away from there in the first place and why they returned. 

Fortunately or unfortunately, the rediscovery of the Cymatioa cooki has been a while since the scientific community has stumbled upon something presumed extinct for several centuries. Rest assured, they are always looking for something new or ancient, long-forgotten creatures resurrecting themselves from the d$$d. 

The rediscovery of Cymatioa cooki places the species in the august company of marine creatures with a similar history, all grouped together as Lazarus Taxa. Paleontologists David Jablonski and Karl Flessa coined the term Lazarus Taxon to refer to the organism – single species or an entire group that has reappeared from presumed extinction. 

Quite often, an ancient species is wiped off the fossil record, and it remains extinct for one or two periods before they make a reappearance in another era. In some rare cases, the taxon believed to be extinct is rediscovered among the living biota, making it a truly remarkable find for the scientific community. 

Every year, numerous species once believed to have been extinct are rediscovered, most often by accident, while scientists are busy looking for something else for their studies. Over time, the number of species discovered each year has increased tremendously, and the majority of those have been documented for the first time since their original descriptions as fossils. 

When speaking of Lazarus Taxa, the first species that comes to mind is the notorious Coelacanth. It was believed to have gone missing from the surface of Earth 65 million years ago, around the same time the dinosaurs did. 

Regarded as one of the few venomous mammals still roaming the Earth, Cuban Solenodon is known to hunt insects. Native to Cuba, they were written off as extinct in 1970, only for the researchers to find them again four years later. There are two species of Solenodon in existence today – the Cuban and the Hispaniolan.

Scientifically known as Chelonoidis phantasticus, the Fernandina Island tortoise was thought to be lost to the world for over 100 years but was found to be well and alive as recently as 2019. The beautiful 50-year-old female tortoise was spotted in the Northwestern parts of Fernandina Island’s volcano. 

When small creatures that burrow themselves deep during daylight and venture out only at night, such as the Gracilidris ants, it’s easy for the scientific community to assume they don’t exist anymore. Known to the world only as an amber-fused Fossil, it was believed to be extinct for 15 million years. 

Before we rejoice that the Cross River Gorilla, once considered extinct since the early 1900s, was found again in 1987, let’s remember that the species was left unnoticed and unstudied for decades. Sadly, there are only around 300 of them left in the world. 

The differences between the regular bats and the New Guinea Big-Eared Bat are so subtle, which is probably why they have escaped notice for so long. A Bat expert could tell them apart by their curved nose and the abnormal size of their ears. 

If you ever come across an Australian Night Parrot, rest assured you’d never forget how bright and beautiful it looks. The cute little birdies were nowhere to be found in the early 1900s, and in 1912, they were written off the official records as extinct. 

Considered extinct since the 1600s, the Bermuda Petrels were discovered 300 years later in the Castle Harbor islets of Bermuda; precisely ten nesting pairs were spotted. They were so frighteningly noisy that the European explorers dubbed the place an island of demons. 

Animal conservationists should vow to protect magnificent species such as New Zealand’s native Takahe. Scientifically known as Porphyrio hochstetteri, these flightless swamphens were thought to be extinct until the mid-1900s. 

We bet the name Terror Skink is so distinct that it will forever ring a bell once you’ve heard it. The lizard itself is even more memorable with its sharp curved teeth. An inhabitant of New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean, the scientists discovered its Fossil specimens in 1867. 

All of these rediscovered species, including the discovery of Cymatioa cooki, have been hugely celebrated by the media. Several publications carry news articles detailing the discovery with an in-depth account of the species and its origins. It spurs the science community to actively pursue such discoveries. 

As with everything, the celebrations of rediscovery in the media have their pros and cons. The excellent press has often been a motivating factor for the public to support the conservation efforts by the scientific fraternity and the government. Yet, it could also prove to be detrimental. 

Finding a species only as a fossil and then discovering it living peacefully amongst other organisms is genuinely precious in science. Hence, the Cymatioa cooki is an exquisitely rare find that the entire scientific fraternity has been rejoicing about since 2019. 

Over the decades, the scientific community has rediscovered several species that have been presumed extinct. Modern scientists have their hands full with such recurrent discoveries, but all agree that there’s always more to find. Cymatioa cooki might be one of the latest fossils to resurrect from the d$$d, but we doubt it would be the last.