Diagram of Extinct in the Wild in relation to other IUCN categories.

Extinct in the Wild (EW) is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa, the only known living members of which are being kept in captivity or as a naturalized population outside its historic range. Image File history File links Status_iucn3. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn3. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future. ...

Species examples

Examples of such animals include:

• Abingdon Island Tortoise
• Red-tailed black shark
• Barbary Lion (extinct in the wild since 1922)
• Caspian Tiger (extinct in the wild since the late 1950s)
• Wyoming Toad (extinct in the wild since 1991)
• Hawaiian Crow (extinct in the wild since 2002)
• Alagoas Curassow (extinct in the wild since 1987 or 1988)
• Spix's Macaw (extinct in the wild since 2000)
• Socorro Dove (extinct in the wild since 1972)
• Guam Rail (extinct in the wild since 1980)

See Category:Species extinct in the wild for a list. Trinomial name Geochelone nigra abingdoni (Günther, 1877) Lonesome George is the name given to the last known individual of the Pinta Island Tortoise, subspecies Geochelone nigra abingdonii, one of 13 subspecies of Galápagos tortoise native to the Galápagos Islands. ... Binomial name Epalzeorhynchos bicolor (Smith, 1931) The red-tailed black shark, Epalzeorhynchos bicolor, also known as the redtail shark, is a species of freshwater fish in the carp family, Cyprinidae. ... Trinomial name Panthera leo leo (Linnaeus, 1758) The Barbary Lion Panthera leo leo is a subspecies of lion. ... Trinomial name Panthera tigris virgata (Illiger, 1815) Distribution of caspian tigers in 1900 (red) Synonyms P. tigris lecoqi (China) Color-enhanced photo of a captive specimen (possibly the same individual as above) The Caspian tiger or Persian tiger (Panthera tigris virgata) was the westernmost subspecies of tiger, found in Iran... Binomial name Bufo baxteri (Porter, 1964) The Wyoming Toad (Bufo baxteri) is an extremely rare amphibian that exists only in captivity and within Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. state of Wyoming. ... Binomial name Corvus hawaiiensis Peale, 1848 Hawaiian Crow range The Hawaiian Crow, Corvus hawaiiensis, also known as ´Alala to the Native Hawaiians, is a species of bird about the size (48-50 cm in length) of the Carrion Crow but with more rounded wings and a much thicker bill. ... Binomial name Mitu mitu Linnaeus, 1766 The Alagoas Curassow, Mitu mitu is a large, up to 89cm long, pheasant-like bird with a whitish-tipped red bill, black glossed purplish blue plumage, chestnut under belly, reddish brown iris and fourteen pale brown-tipped tail feathers. ... Binomial name Cyanopsitta spixii (Wagler, 1832) The Spixs Macaw, Cyanopsitta spixii, was a Brazilian parrot, the only member of the genus Cyanopsitta. ... Binomial name Zenaida graysoni Lawrence, 1871 The Socorro Dove (Zenaida graysoni) is a dove that is extinct in the wild. ... Binomial name Rallus owstoni Walter Rothschild, 1895 The Guam Rail, Rallus owstoni, is a flightless bird, endemic to Guam. ...

Reintroduction

Main article: Reintroduction

Reintroduction is the deliberate release of species into the wild, from captivity or relocated from other areas where the species survives. It usually involves species that are endangered or extinct in the wild. Reintroduction is the deliberate release of animals from captivity into the wild. ...

It may be very hard to reintroduce EW species into the wild, even if their natural habitats were restored. A main reason may be that the survival techniques, which are normally passed from parents to offspring during parenting, are lost. In other words it may be explained by that the genetics of the species is saved, but the natural memetics of the species is lost. This article is about the general scientific term. ... Memetics is an approach to evolutionary models of information transfer based on the concept of the meme. ...

See also

• Conservation status
• List of extinct animals
• Extinction
• Reintroduction