Once in a while, an animal shows up where it’s least expected, including places from where it was thought to have gone extinct. These rare sightings bring hope — but also fresh concerns.
These are some of the wildlife sightings Mongabay reported on in 2025.
Researchers made the first confirmed recordings of a colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni), the world’s heaviest invertebrate, while exploring the deep sea near Antarctica. Until then, everything scientists knew about the species came from the bits of them that turned up in the bellies of other animals. (Read story)
In Malaysia, camera traps in Tangkulap Forest Reserve photographed a Eurasian otter near a waterbody. This is the first confirmed sighting of the species in Malaysia in more than a decade and makes Tangkulap Forest Reserve the only place in the country where all four East Asian otter species coexist. (Read story)
Camera traps in Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba National Park captured video of a large bull elephant named Ousmane, thought to be a hybrid of the critically endangered African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) and savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana). Researchers say this is the first elephant to be seen in the park in six years. (Read story)
Screenshot of an elephant captured by a camera trap in Senegal, courtesy of Panthera & Senegal’s National Parks Directorate.
Camera traps in Indonesia’s Mount Lawu forest area snapped rare images of a Javan leopard, following reports of the animal by a hiker. The endangered Javan leopard (Panthera pardus melas) is Java’s last surviving top predator, following the extinction last century of the Javan tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica). (Read story)
In April, divers captured videos of two North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) in the Bahamas, making it the first time the species has been seen in the nation’s waters. During that time of the year, the critically endangered whale is usually found thousands of kilometers north off the northeastern U.S. coast. There are fewer than 400 estimated individuals remaining. (Read story)
Researchers confirmed a new subpopulation of critically endangered gray-shanked douc langurs (Pygathrix cinerea) in Khe Lim Forest in south-central Vietnam. The sighting is hopeful, but the researchers warn the forest lies outside Vietnam’s formally protected areas, leaving the population exposed to numerous threats. (Read story)
NGOs and authorities captured footage of numerous flat-headed cats (Prionailurus planiceps) in the peat swamp forests of Princess Sirindhorn Wildlife Sanctuary in south Thailand from 2024-2025. The endangered, understudied species was last spotted in Thailand by researchers in 1995, leading to the assessment that they were “possibly extinct” in the country. (Read story)
Banner image: Camera-trap image of a flat-headed cat photographed in Thailand. Image courtesy of DNP/Panthera.
