10 Extinct Animals That Scientists Want to Bring Back to Life

There are more extinct species than there are currently living on Earth, which makes our curiosity shoot through the roof. It’s no wonder we can’t get enough of those Jurassic Park movies. Luckily, we live in a time where science can turn back the clock, and similarly to the aforementioned movie franchise, de-extinct some of the world’s lost species. There are even lists of potential candidates available and they’re nothing short of fascinating.

We at Bright Side checked out which species might soon be walking among us again and selected the following 10 that could be very exciting to see in real life.

1. Woolly mammoth

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Size: Shoulder height for males reached about 8.9 feet and 11.2 feet with a weight of up to 6 tons.

Originated in: East Asia

Went extinct: 4,000 years ago

Closest living relative: African elephants

2. Quagga

0d270e535eafb7910e393a43d6 © Frederick York / Wikimedia Commons

Size: around 8’5″ long and 4’5″ tall

Originated in: South Africa

Went extinct: the late nineteenth century

Closest living relative: zebras

3. Elephant bird

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Size: stood at 9.8 feet tall and weighed 1,600 lb

Originated in: Madagascar

Went extinct: around 1000 CE to 1200 CE

Closest living relative: kiwi birds

4. Baiji (Chinese river dolphin)

01596f5512bdb7d940600bb78a © Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences / Wikimedia Commons

Pictured: Qiqi, last living Baiji, died in 2002

Size: Males were about 7.5 feet long while females could grow to be 8’2″.

Originated in: China

Went extinct: 2002

Closest living relative: the Chinese white dolphin

5. Glyptodont

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Size: 12 feet long and 1.5 feet high

Originated in: North and South America

Went extinct: 8,000 to 7,000 years ago

Closest living relative: armadillos

6. Pyrenean ibex

46bf2a52a39fb0863cb32f0171 © Henry Ausloos/agefotostock/East News

Size: 5 feet long and 30 inches tall at the shoulder

Originated in: Southwestern Europe

Went extinct: The last living Pyrenean ibex was born in 2003 but died 7 minutes later due to a lung defect.

Closest living relative: the ibex, also known as a wild mountain goat

7. Dodo

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Size: around 3.3 feet tall

Originated in: Mauritius

Went extinct: in the seventeenth century

Closest living relative: the Nicobar pigeon

8. Tasmanian tiger

Size: 39 inches to 51 inches long and 24 inches high

Originated in: New Guinea and Australia

Went extinct: in the twentieth century

Closest living relative: the Tasmanian devil and the numbat

9. Ground sloth

Size: Nearly 20 feet long and weighed up to 6,600 lb

Originated in: South America

Went extinct: around 11,000 years ago

Closest living relative: Sloths

10. Saber-toothed tiger

Size: The largest species weighed between 485 lb to 961 lb and stood at 39 inches.

Originated in: North and South America

Went extinct: 10,000 years ago

Closest living relative: tigers

Which of these animals would you want to see in the wild? Where do you stand on the de-extinction of species in general?