Archive · 26 May 2025
Rediscovered 'Lost' Grasshopper Species After 43 Years
Imagine a grasshopper that was thought to be gone forever, like a dinosaur!
Scientists thought it was extinct, but they found it again after 43 years!
This special grasshopper, called the Monte Gordo grasshopper, lives only on a mountain in Cape Verde.
It's like a living fossil because it hasn't changed much in a long time.
They found it in a small area with special plants.
The grasshopper jumps well and is found on rocks or the ground.
Although it's exciting to find, it's still in danger because it lives in a tiny area, and its home is at risk.
The Monte Gordo grasshopper, declared extinct in 1996, was rediscovered in Cape Verde in 2023.
Dutch biologists Rob Felix and Annelies Jacobs found the grasshopper during a holiday field trip.
The grasshopper is a 'living fossil,' with minimal evolutionary change over millions of years.
It's found exclusively within Monte Gordo Natural Park, in a small, specific area.
The species is currently classified as 'Vulnerable' by the IUCN due to its limited range and habitat threats.
- Who
- Dutch biologists Rob Felix and Annelies Jacobs.
- What
- The rediscovery of the Monte Gordo grasshopper, a species previously declared extinct.
- When
- Rediscovered in 2023; last seen alive in 1980.
- Where
- Monte Gordo Natural Park on São Nicolau Island, Cape Verde.
- Why
- The grasshopper's habitat is threatened by changes in its environment.
- Species
- Monte Gordo grasshopper (Eyprepocprifas insularis)
- Location
- Cape Verde
- Rediscovery
- Rediscovered in 2023
- Previous Status
- Officially declared extinct in 1996
- Habitat
- Only found within Monte Gordo Natural Park
- Range
- 12 square kilometers (4.6 square miles)
- IUCN Status
- Vulnerable