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Tag: extinction

  • ‘Lost’ Snake Rediscovered on Mexico Island

    A species of snake not seen for almost 80 years was found on a remote island off of the Pacific coast of Mexico.

    Hypsiglena unaocularis, commonly known as the Clarión nightsnake, was first described by American naturalist William Beebe during his voyage to Clarión Island in 1936. Beebe encountered a single specimen, and the snake was not seen again in decades. Now researchers have confirmed the existence of the species, after collecting DNA samples from snakes on Clarión, which is part of the Revillagigedo Islands group.

    Daniel Mulcahy, a researcher for the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, was convinced that the snake might still exist, and he and Juan Martinez Gomez of Mexico’s Ecology Institute planned an expedition to the Revillagigedo Islands to find it. Martinez Gomez, an expert on the Revillagigedos, helped to form a plan for locating the nightsnake, using Beebe’s original field notes as a guide.

    Martinez Gomez commented, “Basically, following those directions, we essentially put ourselves in his place.” One of Martinez Gomez’ graduate students spotted the snake, the first seen alive since 1936. The team performed a DNA analysis to declare the animal as its own species, which revealed that it closely resembles snakes from Mexico’s Sonora-Sinaloa coast more than 500 miles away. Martinez Gomez thinks that the snakes may have floated on a tree trunk from the Mexican mainland to the island.

    Clarión Island is currently occupied by a small outfit of Mexican marines, and civilian visits to the area require a military escort, which has made it difficult to document the wildlife native to the region. This, along with a lack of sightings since Beebe’s 1936 find, caused scientists to presume that Beebe had provided an incorrect locality for the specimen

    Here is an old-school documentary on the wildlife of Clarión Island, with native species include the Clarión Burrowing Owl, the Clarión Wren, the Clarión Mourning Dove and the Clarion Island Whipsnake:

    The National Museum of Natural History commented that Mulcahy “uncovered the controversy surrounding the inclusion of this snake in the scientific record, and found that it appears to be the only species ever to be discarded due to a presumed locality error.”

    Image via YouTube

  • California Gray Wolf: Decision Delayed on Protecting Rare Breed

    The gray wolf endangered species was considered by The California Fish and Game Commission Wednesday in an effort to protect the rare breed.

    After failing to come up with a unanimous agreement, the commission of five members decided to delay the decision.

    A gray wolf-known as OR-7-that crossed into Northern California from Oregon is the only known breed of his kind in the area.

    The state board wants to ensure that the population of the gray wolf is legally protected from threatening situations.

    More than 50 people attended the gathering including rancher Kirk Wilbur, who is the director of government relation for the California Cattlemen’s Association.

    He told the commission that the gray wolf is dangerous by nature.

    “Wolves directly kill livestock and in addition to that they can cause disease and other harm from stress,” he told the Associated Press.

    Another attendant at the meeting also agreed.

    “Wolves are beautiful animals,” said Ventura rancher Mike Williams. “But they’re also vicious, brutal and efficient killing machines and a threat to people, livestock and pets.”

    Many ranchers and farmers are quite disappointed that the commission is pushing forward an agenda that would include wolves on the California endangered species list.

    A past report about a man accidentally shooting a gray wolf:

    However, the Center for Biological Diversity says that their sudden disappearance in Northern California proves that they are going into extinction.

     

     

    According to CBS Sacramento, the gray wolf population made a sudden reappearance after its massive slaughter in the 1920s. In the 1980s and 90s, wolves were near extinction until federal protection laws were passed in their favor.

    Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon, and the Great Lakes are some of the main regions where wolves can be found. However, these areas do not grant wolves federal protection. Forty-eight states have also considered removing their protection laws.

    Advocates hope that the best decision will be made for OR-7 and other wolves alike.

    The commission plans to officially vote on the matter in 90 days.

    A past report about OR-7’s travel to California:

    Image via YouTube

  • Sumatran Rhino ‘Suci’ Dies at Zoo

    A rare female Sumatran rhinoceros called Suci died at the Cincinnati Zoo Sunday, putting a big damper on the breeding program that had been implemented to help save the critically endangered species. Suci was one of ten Sumatran rhinos in captivity worldwide, and the only female in Cincinnati.

    The rhino had been showing symptoms indicative of the same disease that killed her mother, though zoo officials won’t be sure until necropsy results come in, which might take months.

    Sumatran rhinos are very critically endangered, with only six populations existing in the wild – four in Sumatra, one in Borneo and one in the Malay Peninsula. They’re difficult to count, because they’re a solitary species and are scattered across a wide range, but their numbers are estimated to be less than 275. The decline of the Sumatran rhinoceros is due primarily to poaching for their horns, which go for up to $30,000 a kilo on the black market. The horns are greatly valued in Chinese traditional medicine.

    Here’s a clip featuring Suci:

    The zoo had attempted to inbreed Suci with a sibling, younger brother Harapan, who is now the only Sumatran rhino in North America, after a summit in Singapore deemed that as few as 100 Sumatran rhinoceroses comprise the Indonesian and Malaysian populations. Andalas, the other male born at the zoo, was sent to Sumatra in 2007 to jump start a breeding program there, and has produced a male calf with a wild-born mother.

    Here’s some footage of Harapan:

    Zoo staff had been waiting on Harapan to reach sexual maturity, but a few months ago Suci developed hemochromatosis, also known as iron storage disease. The female rhino was initially responding to therapy, and regaining weight, though her condition began to deteriorate rapidly on Sunday.

    Terri Roth, director of the Lindner Center for Conservation & Research of Endangered Wildlife said in a statement Monday, “Suci was a symbol of hope for her entire species, one that is quickly losing ground in the wild, and her absence will leave a hole in our hearts.” The Cincinnati Zoo has yet to form a new plan to reestablish the breeding program, but remains committed to saving the species.

    Roth added, “If we don’t act quickly and boldly, the loss of this magnificent animal will be among the great tragedies of our time.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Sumatran Tigers: Nearly Extinct Tiger Gives Birth

    The Associated Press reports that London Zoo has proudly announced that Melati, one of the few 300 Sumatran tigers left in the world, has recently given birth to three cubs earlier this week. Besides this being great news for the fast declining species, this is also happy news considering Melati’s loss in October last year when her two-week-old cub drowned in one of the zoo’s pools.

    London Zoo opened their 22 million dollar Tiger Territory in March 2013 to promote Sumatran tiger breeding. Since the birth of the newborn cub last year was celebrated as the first Sumatran tiger to be born in 17 years, its death was a devastating blow for London Zoo.

    The zookeepers have not yet interacted with the baby cubs, and the new family is also not available to the public as of yet. The proud papa Jae Jae can be seen roving about the main tiger area of London Zoo, away from the cubs as well. Zookeepers closely monitor interaction with Mama and the babies via a hidden camera, and are pleased with the interaction. So far, the cubs have opened their eyes, taken their first steps, and have already begun to develop a bit of personality.

    Melati rarely leaves her babies’ side; she is known to have a nervous disposition and appears very watchful over the three. Zookeepers are still not sure of how the drowned cub ventured into the pool, but they have drained the pool, built a conservancy for the family to explore and closely monitor the affairs remotely 24/7.

    The cubs were born on Monday at 12:28, 12:59 and 1:18. They have yet to be named or have their gender identified. One spunky cub has been nicknamed Trouble for its ambitious exploring and teasing of its siblings.

    Image via YouTube

  • Bluefin Tuna – What Is The True Cost?

    Bluefin are the largest tuna species usually living up to 40 years with an average weight of 500 lbs., but have been recorded at up to 2,000 lbs. There are three species of Bluefin: Atlantic (the largest and most endangered), Pacific, and Southern.

    The Atlantic Bluefin tuna has been facing severe extinction due to overfishing, and well, gluttony. The other species are also in decline.

    “The population has effectively been decimated,” said Amanda Nickson, director for global tuna conservation for The Pew Environment Group. “Over 90 percent of bluefin tuna are caught before they reach reproductive age. You have to wonder if this remotely sustainable.”

    So far, governments and management bodies have failed to take measures to protect the species that reflect the seriousness of its decline, she said.

    High-end sushi markets are another big part of their disappearing numbers and the Japanese eat about 80 percent of all Bluefin tuna caught worldwide.

    Illegal fishing of Atlantic Bluefin is the biggest problem in their population drop – and the lack of control or enforcement necessary to stop their serious decline.

    And as a general rule with anything rare or endangered – greed stepped up with a focus on profit – to grab up the biggest percentage of the highly sought after Bluefin. Mitsubushi, a huge Japanese conglomerate, bought up tons of tuna to freeze and store so that when extinction was on the horizon they could jack the prices up and make a killing.

    According to The Independent, they have cornered a 40 percent share of the world market in Bluefin tuna.

    However, apparently fate stepped in to foil that greed – after the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, the freezers lost power and the thousands of tons of tuna stored in them was ruined. What is most devastating is the waste coupled with the fear of their extinction looming that has companies such as Tri Marine International requesting immediate and urgent control over Bluefin overfishing.

    In the documentary film The End of the Line, Roberto Mielgo, a former Bluefin fisherman who travels the world monitoring catches, claims that Mitsubishi buys and sells 60 per cent of the threatened fish and that it has expanded its freezer capacity to hold extra Bluefin.

    Mitsubishi admits that it freezes Bluefin, but only, it says, to even out peaks and troughs in supply.

    “Mitsubishi Corporation handles between 35 per cent and 40 per cent of Atlantic and Mediterranean Bluefin tuna imported to Japan,” the company told The Independent.

    “As we explicitly explained to the makers of the film, the fishing season for Bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean is very short, making it necessary to freeze tuna to provide customers with stable supplies throughout the year.

    The film also reminds viewers that if better control is not put into place immediately, not only will Bluefin tuna become extinct – but all fish in our oceans.

    Image via YouTube

  • South African Abalone Poaching Kingpin Sentenced

    A South African court sentenced a regional abalone poaching kingpin to two years in prison on Friday, after he pleaded guilty to smuggling 3,243 of the gastropod mollusks, which are a pricey delicacy in parts of Asia.

    Peter Jansen of Cape Town appeared alongside 20 other defendants, who faced a collective 530 charges, including racketeering, corruption and illegal possession of abalone, comprising the largest abalone poaching takedown in South African history. Chinese national Ran Wei, the alleged mastermind behind the whole operation, fled from South Africa, but was still charged in absentia.

    Abalone, also called venus’s-ears in South Africa, is a common name for any of a group of small to huge edible sea snails of the family Haliotidae. Other common names are perlemoen, ear shells, sea ears, muttonfish, muttonshells, ormer and pāua, depending on what part of the world one might be poaching them from.

    Abalones have been identified as being threatened with extinction, due to overfishing and acidification of oceans from anthropogenic carbon dioxide. Some predict that abalone will become extinct in the wild within 200 years at present rates of carbon dioxide production, as the reduced seawater pH erodes their shells.

    World Wide Fund’s marine program manager Eleanor Yeld Hutchings called the abalone industry an extreme instance of a fishery with high levels of illegal, unregulated and unreported catch. The illegal harvest in South Africa in 2008 was roughly 860 tons, more than 10 times the legal TAC (total allowable catch) of 85 tons. It’s believed that comparable totals have been caught since.

    Yeld Hutchings commented, “If poaching continues at its current level, and the TAC remains stable for the legal commercial catch, abalone could reach commercial extinction by 2030.”

    Jansen admitted to hiring the car that moved the 3,243 shucked abalone, worth roughly $30,200, to Johannesburg for transport. His guilty plea statement explained, “The seized abalone was clearly not for own consumption but for commercial purposes of exporting and selling.”

    Biodiverse South Africa, home to most of the rhinoceri on that continent, is also having a poaching problem on that front. Some say that the present rate of horn harvesting could render the species extinct in the wild within a decade. Rhino horns, which are highly valued in Chinese traditional medicine, can go for up to $30,000 a kilo on the black market.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons.

  • Mammoth With Blood Intact Found In Siberia

    A woolly mammoth was recently found preserved in Siberia with its blood intact. The find renews hopes that scientists may be able to bring the long-extinct species back with cloning.

    North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk reports that members of a paleontological expedition found a preserved female Woolly Mammoth on the Lyakhovsky Islands off the Novosibirsk archipelago. What made this particular find amazing is that mammoth’s muscle tissue was well preserved. Even more amazing, the team found that the creature’s blood was intact and frozen in the ice.

    “The fragments of muscle tissues, which we’ve found out of the body, have a natural red color of fresh meat. The reason for such preservation is that the lower part of the body was underlying in pure ice, and the upper part was found in the middle of tundra. We found a trunk separately from the body, which is the worst-preserved part,” said Semyon Grigoriev, the head of the expedition, the chairman of the Mammoth Museum named after P.A. Lazarev of NEFU Institute of Applied Ecology of the North. “The researchers collected the samples of the animal’s blood in tubes with a special preservative agent. The blood is very dark, it was found in ice cavities bellow the belly and when we broke these cavities with a poll pick, the blood came running out. Interestingly, the temperature at the time of excavation was -7 to – 10ºC. It may be assumed that the blood of mammoths had some cryoprotective properties”.

    So, what’s next for our frozen friend from the past? The researchers will take the mammoth back to Yakutsk for further examination to ensure that the tissue isn’t harboring some ancient deadly disease. After that, researchers from all around the world will convene on Siberia to study the remains. Those of us who have dreamed of one day cloning mammoths are no doubt excited by the possibilities that this latest find presents.

    [h/t: CNET] [Image: North-Eastern Federal University]

  • Dinosaurs Were Never Able To Catch A Break

    Dinosaurs Were Never Able To Catch A Break

    I think we can all agree that Dinosaurs never got a fair shake. We would be riding on giant lizards and keeping T-Rexes as pets if it wasn’t for a giant meteorite. As it turns out, the dinosaurs were far more unlucky than we ever gave them credit for.

    Recent research coming out of the University of Washington found evidence of a second mass extinction event that took place before the meteorite hit. The precursor to the meteorite wasn’t an outright cataclysm, but it helped set up the right conditions which led to the eventual extinction of dinosaurs.

    Thomas Tobin of the University of Washington in Seattle has found evidence for a second extinction event. The cause was massive volcanic eruptions that hit India about 150,000 years before the meteorite hit. The eruptions were so numerous that it caused the temperature in the environment to rapidly shoot up. Scientists suggest that the rise in temperature was too much for our scaly friends to take which led to their downfall. Add on to that a massive impact from a meteorite and you have a recipe for disaster.

    So what evidence does Tobin have for these claims? It’s all in the geographic record as he has found two layers of rocks. The first layer was made by the dust and rock settling after the massive impact from the meteorite that hit the earth about 65 million years ago. A little below that is another rock layer that contains evidence that volcanic eruptions were frequent and massive.

    Tobin’s research, unfortunately, only confirms what happened to water dwelling creatures. He says that the volcanic eruptions would have heated the water to a temperature that would kill most sea life. The impact from the meteorite wiped out those creatures that made their homes in shallow water above the ocean.

    With this new evidence in hand, scientists can now see just how lucky we really are. There were multiple events throughout the history of the dinosaurs that seems to have led to their extinction. It wasn’t just one impact and they’re all dead. It almost seems like the earth itself wanted to be rid of them because it knew this would happen:

    [h/t: New Scientist]

  • Lonesome George Dies: Pinta Island’s Last Giant Tortoise Passes Away

    Lonesome George, the world’s last Pinta Island giant tortoise, has passed away. According to AFP, George’s caretaker, Fausto Llerena, found the creature’s body stretched out near its watering hole. As of this writing, the cause of death is unknown; scientists intend to keep his body in cold storage until his remains can be properly studied. The Galapagos National Park in Ecuador said in a statement that they believe George was over 100 years old.

    The giant tortoise was discovered on Pinta Island in 1972. At the time, scientists believed that these creatures were already extinct. Over the years, officials at the park had attempted to breed Lonesome George in order to keep his species, Geochelone nigra abingdoni, from dying out. Unfortunately, George wasn’t overly interested in the preservation of his kind, as all of his scheduled trysts with other tortoises yielded no results.

    “Lonesome George’s legacy will be an increased effort in both research and management to restore his island of Pinta and all of the other giant tortoise populations of Galapagos,” the park said in a statement. In order to honor Lonesome George and his legacy, scientists intend to gather for a workshop in July to discuss the repopulation of the species in the islands.

    Since the region became a hotspot for vacationers and tourists, the tortoise population has decreased dramatically. Lonesome George himself was often a popular spot for visitors; thousands of people stopped by the tortoise’s pen every year in an attempt to get a look at an exceptionally rare species.

    “The plight of Lonesome George provided a catalyst for an extraordinary effort by the government of Ecuador to restore not only tortoise populations throughout the archipelago but also improve the status of other endangered and threatened species,” the park explained.

    Presently, there are only about 20,000 tortoises left in the Galapagos.