Christmas Island was named by William Mynors on Christmas Day 1643. The British’s first attempt to make a settlement on Christmas Island in 1857 failed. It wasn’t until 1886 that John Maclear discovered Flying Fish Cove, that a settlement began to take hold. Maclear took scientific notes about the plants and animals on Christmas Island. Unfortunately, it is believed that Maclear’s ship, Challenger, inadvertently brought invasive black rats to the island with him. These black rats would have devastating effects on Christmas Island’s two native rat species, the bulldog rat and the Maclear’s rat. Both native rat species were last seen in 1903. The exact cause of extinction for Christmas Island’s shrew is not known, since it was able to hold on until 1985, far longer than the island’s two native rat species. There are a few theories about what led to the extinction of the Christmas Island shrew. One is disease brought by the black rats, but that theory wouldn’t explain its extended existence past that of native rats. The second theory is that when Maclear’s rats went extinct, they no longer helped to control the red crab population on the island. With a rise of red crab population there would have been increased competition for space and leaf litter on the island. The shrews would have retreated into more isolated regions, away from the red crabs. It is possible that the Christmas Island shrews are still hidden in the leaf litter on the island, but it was officially declared extinct in 2025 after its 40 year hiatus. Although Jurassic Park is fiction, scientists are working on several de-extinction projects. In fact, in 2003 scientists did bring back the extinct Pyrenean ibex, a type of wild goat, for 7 minutes before it died, showing de-extinction is possible. The Christmas Island shrew might be a candidate. Scientists would potentially use DNA from the last two specimens that were rediscovered and died in 1985. Its short lifespan and voracious appetite might make it difficult to breed in captivity, especially since the efforts in 1985 were unsuccessful. The Australian government has been working on initiatives to protect its native wildlife by restoring lost habitat and eliminating invasive species which have plagued the continent and surrounding island territories. Feral cats, crazy yellow ants, wolf snakes, and giant centipedes are just a few of the non-native species that have led to the extinction of so many animals. Australia has set up a Threatened Species Commissioner and federal environment minister to study these problems and look for solutions to save species currently at risk. Some people are trying to get Christmas Island to be labeled ‘World Heritage Site” to bring more public attention to the problems there. An island biodiversity monitoring program has been set up in Christmas Island as well. If the Christmas Island shrew was brought back to life, could it ever be reintroduced to its native homeland in Christmas Island?