Lost & Found

When Robin Moore first saw the Bornean rainbow toad, he felt like he was meeting a celebrity. Local scientists had finally spotted the amphibian for the first time in 87 years. They had spent more than 10 months searching the lush rainforest with nothing but a black-and-white illustration to guide them. Now it was Moore’s turn to see one for himself.

“They told me I had a 50/50 chance of seeing it. It was nerve-racking,” he says. Moore is a conservation biologist at Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC), the organization that spearheaded the search for the toad. To everyone’s delight, they spotted a specimen in a tree. “To actually see it in the flesh is really incredible,” he says. “The red markings really popped out.” The toad is so colorful that scientists decided to change its name from the Sambas stream toad to the Bornean rainbow toad. “When you go in search of lost species, you never know the outcome,” says Moore.

When Robin Moore first saw the Bornean rainbow toad, he felt like he was meeting a celebrity. Local scientists had spent more than 10 months searching the rainforest for the toad. They had nothing but a black-and-white illustration to guide them. Finally, they had seen the amphibian for the first time in 87 years. Now it was Moore’s turn to see one for himself.

“They told me I had a 50/50 chance of seeing it. It was nerve-racking,” he says.

Moore is a conservation biologist at Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC). The organization led the search for the toad. To everyone’s delight, Moore’s group spotted a specimen in a tree. “To actually see it in the flesh is really incredible,” he says. “The red markings really popped out.”

In person, the toad is so colorful that scientists decided to change its name. Instead of the Sambas stream toad, it’s now the Bornean rainbow toad. “When you go in search of lost species, you never know the outcome,” says Moore.

This was one of the most celebrated successes of The Search for Lost Frogs initiative, which Moore and his colleagues started in 2010. They were trying to locate some of the world’s rarest amphibians. Each creature on their list has gone unseen for decades—or even centuries—and scientists want to know if they’re extinct or just very hard to spot.

To get the public’s attention and help people connect with frog conservation issues, Moore thought it would be fun to create a “Most Wanted” poster of the frogs. “The search for lost frogs was conceived as a way to tell stories about extinction and loss in a more compelling package,” he says. “It was surprisingly successful. We knew we had something quite powerful.”

Finding the rainbow toad was part of a project called the Search for Lost Frogs. Moore and his colleagues started it in 2010. They were trying to locate some of the world’s rarest amphibians. Each creature on their list hasn’t been seen in decades—or even centuries. Scientists want to know if they’re extinct or just very hard to spot.

Moore wanted to get people’s attention and get them to think about frog conservation. To make things interesting, he thought it would be fun to create a “Most Wanted” poster of the frogs. “It was surprisingly successful,” he says. “We knew we had something quite powerful.”

So in 2017, Moore expanded the initiative to include more than just frogs, and the Search for Lost Species was born. “We said, why stop at frogs? What if we did this for all species?” he says.

The team at GWC asked hundreds of scientists around the world to name species that are possibly extinct but might still be found if someone made the effort to go looking. Based on their answers, GWC ended up with a list of almost 1,200 species. The list includes plants, corals, insects, birds, and more. GWC provides funding for many of the expeditions searching for these species and raises awareness of their plight around the world.

So in 2017, Moore expanded the project to include more than just frogs. Now it’s called the Search for Lost Species. “We said, why stop at frogs? What if we did this for all species?” he says.

The team at GWC asked hundreds of scientists around the world to help them. The scientists named species that could be extinct but might still be found if someone went looking. Based on their answers, GWC made a list of almost 1,200 species. It includes plants, corals, insects, birds, and more. GWC pays for many of the expeditions to look for these species. The organization also raises awareness of conservation issues around the world.

To spread the word about these lost species, Moore and his colleagues made another “Most Wanted” poster of the top-25 species they identified. (See it above.) To create it, they recruited New York-based painter Alexis Rockman. His entire career has been focused on conservation and the impact that humans have had on the planet. He paints beautiful but bleak landscapes, the way he imagines they might look in the future. “I’ve always been interested in the history of life on Earth,” says Rockman. “If you care about that, and you see what humans do to other life on Earth, how can you not be interested in conservation?”

But how do you paint a species that hasn’t been seen in decades? Rockman had to rely on a mixture of references, including old black-and-white photos, illustrations, and engravings. In some cases, there was no reference, and scientists had to imagine what the animals might look like based on similar species. No one had any idea what the Sierra Leone crab looked like, for example. Researchers guessed at its vivid colors based on other closely related crabs.

To spread the word about these lost species, Moore and his colleagues made another “Most Wanted” poster. This one shows the top-25 species they identified. (See it above.) To create it, they hired Alexis Rockman, a painter in New York. Rockman’s work focuses on conservation and how humans have changed the planet.

Rockman usually paints beautiful but eerie landscapes. It’s how he imagines things might look in the future. “I’ve always been interested in the history of life on Earth,” says Rockman. “If you care about that, and you see what humans do to other life on Earth, how can you not be interested in conservation?”

But how do you paint a species that hasn’t been seen in decades? Rockman had to rely on old references, including black-and-white photos, illustrations, and engravings. In some cases, there was no reference. Scientists had to imagine what the animals might look like based on similar species. No one had any idea what the Sierra Leone crab looked like, for example. Researchers guessed at its bright colors based on other related crabs.

So far, the initiative has found four of the 25 most wanted species. Moore thinks that’s due to the awareness raised by the poster. “I think science is really important, but the story is also very important in making these issues come to life for people,” he says. Moore is hopeful about the future of the search, but knows the odds are stacked against finding all of the lost species. “If more than half are found, that would be incredible,” he says.

Moore thinks it’s important that we remain hopeful for the future of conservation. “It’s very easy to feel very overwhelmed and daunted by environmental issues and climate change,” he says. “It’s very important not to feel helpless or powerless but to find a way you can make a difference. Everybody can make a difference.”

So far, scientists have found four of the 25 most wanted species. Moore thinks the poster helped by making people aware of the problem. “I think science is really important,” he says. “But the story is also very important in making these issues come to life for people.”

Moore is hopeful about the future of the search. But he knows it’s unlikely that scientists will find all of the lost species. “If more than half are found, that would be incredible,” he says.

Moore thinks it’s important to stay hopeful for the future of conservation. “It’s very easy to feel very overwhelmed and daunted by environmental issues and climate change,” he says. “It’s very important not to feel helpless or powerless but to find a way you can make a difference. Everybody can make a difference.”