extinct

A species of insect thought to have been extinct in Britain since 2016 has been found in north Wales.

Stephen Kirtley, from charity Butterfly Conservation, said the species had become extinct in the North East in the 19th Century, but its numbers were growing again, especially in County Durham and Teesside.

Some estimate only 50,000 remain in the wild, and there are now fears the animals will be extinct in some states within a generation.

"We don't see that in any other animal, living or extinct," she said.

Bringing back sunflower sea stars, which are functionally extinct in California, could help restore kelp forests off the coast, researchers say.