Manding Nguyen

But there's this whole other category, lost species, species that have gone missing.

But if something hasn't been seen in such a long time, how do we know it's not extinct?

A lost species is more like a big question mark.

It's missing, but there's not enough information to say that it's gone for good.

And scientists all around the world have been looking for these lost species.

There is some hope, though.

Hundreds of species have been found after disappearing for decades.

The Jackson's climbing salamander was rediscovered in Guatemala in 2017, and in 2019, the chevrotain, which is this animal the size of a big rabbit that somehow also looks like a deer, that was rediscovered in Vietnam.

Finding these lost species might be the only way to help them avoid extinction, because when they're found, we can take action.

people like Andy have been searching for them.

And so far, Andy's only lead is that sole-preserved specimen of the blanco-blind salamander, this dry, jerky-looking, vodka-drenched hunk in a jar.

But even though no one has seen a live one for decades, Andy's convinced it's still out there.

I'm Manding Nguyen, and this is Unexplainable.

On this week's show, Benji and I go to Texas to join the search for the missing salamander and to try and answer an even bigger question.

How do species go missing?

And if they do, how do we find them?

Holy hell, it's hot.

It's so hot.

Oh, my God.

As with any detective case, we start our investigation around where the salamander was last seen.