Lost Wonders: 10 Tales of Extinction from the 21st Century

by Tom Lathan, Claire Kohda (illustrator)

In Lost Wonders author and journalist Tom Lathan tells the powerful stories of ten species that have lived, died out and been declared extinct since the turn of the twenty-first century.

Many scientists believe that we are currently living through the Earth’s sixth mass extinction, with species disappearing at a rate not seen for tens of millions of years – a trend that will only accelerate as climate change and other pressures intensify. What does it mean to live in such a time? And what exactly do we lose when a species goes extinct?

In a series of fascinating encounters with subjects that are now nowhere to be found on Earth – from giant tortoises to minuscule snails the size of sesame seeds, from ocean-hopping trees to fish that wag their tails like puppies – Lathan brings these lost wonders briefly back to life and gives us a tantalising glimpse of what we have lost within our own lifetime.

Drawing on the personal recollections of the people who studied these species, as well as those who tried but ultimately failed to save them, and with beautiful illustrations, Lost Wonders is an intimate portrait of the species that have only recently vanished from our world and an urgent warning to hold on all the more tightly to those now slipping from our grasp.

Illustrated by Claire Kohda

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Science, Environment, Animals, Ecology, Natural History

448 pages, Hardcover

Published June 10, 2025

Reviews

[Dr. Lehman L Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a biologist I found this book very interesting and as a person I found the stories to be almost depressing in their similarities. There are ten tales of extinction and each story follows a pattern of basic biology, population declines, and finally what went wrong. There is the unquestionable presence of human activity as an agent in all of these stories but there is a uniqueness to each one. This book should be a wake-up call for paying attention to losses in Earth’s diversity which I think will mostly fall of deaf ears in todays social climate.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking!

[Lola May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crying on de Eurostar

[Henry Gee · Rating 3 out of 5]

We hear a great deal about how the encroachment of humans is driving many species  to extinction. What we hear much less about is extinction at the sharp end, on a case-by-case basis. Here Tom Lathan presents ten case histories of species that have become extinct very recently, that is, in the 21st century, their demise known to the very day. The only one anyone is likely to have heard of is Lonesome George, the last Pinta Island giant tortoise of the Galapagos. Others include birds, bats, fish, snails, and a shrub. The time, energy of efforts expended by conservationists to keep the various species alive in the face of natural disasters and bureaucratic ineptitude add up to a poignant read, but in the end I was left waiting for the other shoe to drop. All the species lived on small islands or in remote, patchy habitat and would very likely have gone extinct anyway, and rather soon, whatever anyone did. Some were close relatives or even variants of other, known species, so their existence and extinction rather depended on one's viewpoint as a taxonomist. Lathan didn't broaden his outlook to, say, consider other threatened species that represent much deeper lineages: the tuatara, say, or the aye-aye. More importantly, he didn't explore whether the extinction of a few species of which nobody had heard might be the thin end of the wedge. That once one starts to pull at the seemingly insignificant threads of an ecosystem, first one species goes, and then another, until the whole thing collapses. And he doesn't address the perhaps unfashionable view that, by creating new and novel patches of habitat, and moving animals and plants around, human activity might actually have increased biological diversity. In which case the efforts of conservationists to save endangered endemics, while laudable in and of themselves, look increasingly like Canute trying to stem the tide on command. Nature is much bigger than humanity, against which the efforts of humans to demand that nature stays exactly as it is looks a lot like hubris. DISCLAIMER: An uncorrected proof of the book was sent to me by the publisher.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evolution and extinction are two of my favorite topics, so it’s no surprise that I got my hands on this book about ten 21st Century extinctions almost as soon as it was published.

I liked it very much—both the reading and the Googling that goes along with stories of remote places and unique critters.

The high bar for me in this genre is David Quammen’s Song of the Dodo, published in 1996. Lost Wonders did not match the emotion of Song of the Dodo. That is probably due at least in part to the type of living things featured. Lost Wonders covered 1 plant, 2 snails, a fish, a rodent, a tiny bat, a lizard, 2 birds. The most emotion was associated with the story of Lonesome George, a giant tortoise who was the last of his kind (for 70 years!) in a remote corner of the Galápagos Islands. David Quammen has decades upon decades of experience with science writing…he is never just reporting, but also teaching, and creating “feels”. He makes a deeper connection to the reader (this reader, anyway). Tom Latham not quite there, but it was still a 5-star read.

[Michael McEwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew that when I got weepy over the loss of a Malaysian microsnail that I was in for an emotional read. Each chapter tells a story of an extinction through the history of the creature (and one tree), its discovery and attempts to save it. There is some validity in the complaint that these are mostly pocket species from small habitats that may have faced extinction in any case, but I don’t think that blunts the impact of their end. There is such fascination in how they adapted and lived for millions of years… at least until they didn’t. I have to admit that I had to put the book down between chapters to take a break, but still an excellent read.

PS In the way of serendipity, the previous book I read, Endling by Maria Reva, featured a Ukrainian malacologist which may have softened me up for those microsnails. Although it is (mostly) a work of fiction it makes a good companion to this work.

[P w · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite knowing how these stories end, I found myself riveted, thanks to the engaging writing and the extraordinary stories and people involved. Even the brief account of preparing the taxidermy of the last individual of a species was moving. I came away with a deep sense of gratitude for those involved in conservation. Even though these ten species were lost, what was learned from the effort will continue to provide valuable assistance for other creatures. The author writes with a sense of curiosity and wonder, giving the animals he portrays a respectful treatment rather than merely reporting their demise, and this undoubtedly drew me into their world and the heartbreaking struggle to save them.

[Kiril Valchev · Rating 5 out of 5]

" Lost Wonders " е трогателният разказ за десет (може би единайсет) биологични вида, обявени за изчезнали през настоящия век. За тази своя печална менажерия от "изгубени чудеса", Том Лейтън ни повежда на околосветско пътешествие: Малайзия, архипелага в Торесовия проток, о-в Св. Елена, Френска Полинезия, Хаваи, о-в Рождество, Галапагоски о-ви, Бразилия, Мексико и ни среща с хората, станали свидетели на финалната глава, на истории писани в продължение на стотици хиляди и милиони години. Книгата запознава своите читатели и с малайзийската циментова промишленост, делата на един изгнаник на о-в Св. Елена (не онзи французин), тънкото изкуство на борбата с вредители и още много примери на разрушителна човешка креативност.

П.П. Корицата дава представа за създанията, които ще откриете сред страниците. Лесно може да пропуснете единствения растителен вид - маслината, която не е маслина, в горния десен ъгъл.

[The Inquisitive Biologist · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotional gut punch of a book, Lost Wonders momentarily resurrects ten recently extinct species and speaks to the people who tried to save them. Read my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2024...

[m c wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was amazingly well written and made me feel the loss of a snail so keenly it hurt! A very talented author who has opened my eyes to extinction in a unique way, thank you Tom. I note he is volunteering with Wisent in Kent now and hope the next book might be about them!

[James Raatgever · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend, awesome book and very captivating.

[Theresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really the type of book I’d normally read, but wanted to try it due to the reviews. It didn’t really keep my interest, but I did learn a few things, which was a plus.

[Maurice Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating but sobering stories all that history just disappearing. And he could probably write about another 10 species for a sequel.

[Rolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very accessible piece of popular science writing that is very effective at getting the reader to care about the rate of extinction in our current moment.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting but very sad.
A bit long, some chapters could've been half the length. Don't need a minute by minute blow of the end...

[Eleanor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come

[Emmaa22 · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderfully touching, beautifully written - who'd think you'd care about some of these bugs and critters, but you will.

[Kathryn Newsham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fascinating and so thought provoking, I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, it made me feel sad and disappointed yet again in mankind. It was like attending a succession of funerals. Whilst I was reading this book, the news published an article about the two last remaining white rhinos. 😢