The crested shelduck is a species with a mysterious history. It was never documented in the wild in large numbers. In fact, flocks were small, usually only containing two to eight individuals. Modern scientists first collected the crested shelduck in Russia in 1877. It was not formally described by the scientific community until 1890 by English zoologist Philip Lutley Sclater. Sclater thought the crested shelduck may have been a hybrid. Later collections of crested shelduck proved it was in fact a unique species and not a hybrid between the ruddy shelduck and falcated duck. Even though it was never abundant in the wild, it was kept as aviculture in Korea and Japan as early as 1716. Old Chinese tapestries also seem to depict the crested shelduck. During this time the crested shelduck was known as the Korean Mandarin duck. The exact behaviors and reasons for extinction are unclear as it was rarely observed in the wild. Much speculation about its diet and migration are based on other similar shelduck species. It was thought that the crested shelduck may have bred in mountain streams and lakes, then migrated to the mouths of waterways where they were all collected. In 1916, the last female was shot in Busan, Korea. In 1943 there was a report of a crested shelduck in Chungcheongbukdo, South Korea. Ironically, in 1964 a group of three shelducks was spotted in Vladivostok , Russia, the same place it was originally collected in 1877. A forest worker in China may have eaten two crested shelducks in 1984, but that claim was never confirmed. There was an effort in 1983 to protect the crested shelduck and ask the public to help prove its continued existence. 300,000 pamphlets were distributed throughout China, Russia, North Korea, South Korea, and Japan. A similar effort was made in 1985 and 1991. Although 82 claims were reported, none could be proven. The exact reason, location, and timing of the crested shelduck’s extinction are as mysterious as its behavior in the wild. The crested shelduck is technically still listed as “critically endangered” but it has not been seen since 1964. 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 crested shelduck might be a candidate. Scientists could use DNA from several specimens that were collected and kept in collections. If the crested shelduck was returned to its home range in Korea, Russia, China, and Japan could it survive? The return of the crested shelduck seems like it could be possible. Although not much is known about its behavior or diet in the wild. It was successfully kept in captivity in Japan off and on between 1716 and 1854. This historical fact seems to indicate that they would breed and adapt to aviculture, captivity. If the crested ducks were brought back, their population could be built up in zoos and a reintroduction into the wild might be possible.