This creature was first believed to be extinct in the 1920s due to loss of habitat and hunting, but there have been numerous reportings beginning in the 1940s. It was taken off the "extinct" species list only to be deemed "possibly extinct" all over again when sightings stopped for a time.

In 2002 and 2004, there were sightings reported near the Pearl River in Louisiana and Cache river in Arkansas. These two accounts sparked major investigations by Cornell University and a reward of $50,000 from the Nature Conservancy to anyone who can find a living specimen.