The Norfolk snout, an incredibly rare type of moth, has been spotted in England for the first time in more than half a century, the Guardian reported.
With its distinctive bulging "nose," the Norfolk snout may have fallen victim to overzealous collectors when it was declared extinct in Britain in 1971. Now, it has reemerged after Stoke Holy Cross residents Dave and Pauline Jones found one in the humane moth trap they had set up in their yard.
The Joneses at first didn't recognize the rare insect, understandably, and had to get the identification confirmed by experts.
"It's really exciting," moth expert and author James Lowen told the Guardian. "My hunch is that it has been here undetected. … Dave and Pauline Jones deserve lots of credit for looking at it critically. When things are going extinct everywhere and you find something that isn't going extinct after all, it's great. It gives a bit of hope for the future that this little thing has clung on and we're not clever enough to have found it until now."
The Norfolk snout is not the only species that was presumed locally extinct but has resurfaced recently. In California, the Southern California steelhead trout has slowly started to reemerge after facing extinction. Experts have lauded local conservation groups' efforts to preserve its natural habitat, allowing for the comeback.
Back in England, the large tortoiseshell butterfly also recently reappeared after a 60-year absence. This, too, is being taken as a positive sign of overall ecosystem health.
Some larger animals have also begun to reappear, too, such as tigers in Thailand. The surge in populations of these predators has been linked to the rise in prey populations, showing how the whole ecosystem is connected.
What all of these stories show us is that, although human activity has done immense harm to the environment, it is not too late to reverse course. Even in cases where certain species appear to have been wiped out completely, restoring their habitats has the potential to allow these endangered species to thrive once again.
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