First ever evidence of two dolphin species cross breeding

For the first time proof has emerged that shrinking dolphin populations may be causing different species of dolphins to breed and create hybridised species, says Whale and Dolphin Conservation.

Part of the the evidence submitted includes three photographs taken during fieldwork off Lewis, Scotland between 2010 and 2014 showing four 'atypical' dolphins with mixed morphological characteristics, suggesting that Bottlenose dolphins in the area have been mating with resident Risso’s dolphins.

The reasons behind this cross-breeding remain unknown, but the occurrence of four atypical dolphins consistent with hybridism in one small geographical region is highly unusual.

Bottlenose dolphins on the west coast of Scotland are few and far between. The "known" population is around 45 individuals off the west coast, another 10 or so off the Isle of Barra.

Continued ...

GM salmon can breed with wild fish and pass on genes

By Rebecca Morelle

Science reporter, BBC World Service

The potential risks of genetically modified fish escaping into the wild have been highlighted in a new study.

Scientists from Canada have found that transgenic Atlantic salmon can cross-breed with a closely related species - the brown trout.

The fish, which have been engineered with extra genes to make them grow more quickly, pass on this trait to the hybrid offspring.

The research is published the Proceedings of the Royal Society B..

However, the biotech company AquaBounty, which created the salmon, said any risks were negligible as the fish they were producing were all female, sterile and would be kept in tanks on land.

The transgenic salmon are currently being assessed by the US authorities, and could be the first GM animals to be approved for human consumption.

Continued

Preserving an Icon: Impact of Historical Domestic Cattle Hybridization With American Bison Revealed

ScienceDaily (Aug. 7, 2012) — Plains bison are an iconic symbol of America on everything from coins to state flags. Now scientists writing in Conservation Biology are exploring how the cross-breeding of bison with domestic cattle in the late 1800s may still have unwanted effects on modern populations of the species.

"The plains bison are an iconic symbol of rugged individualism and the will to survive," said Professor James Derr from Texas A&M University. "The population crash and the spectacular recovery over the last 125 years is a classic example of the resilience of this species and the success of science based wildlife conservation."

Plains bison (Bison bison bison) once numbered in the tens of millions, but they were driven to the brink of extinction in the late 1880's during America's westward expansion. A small population of wild bison survived in Yellowstone National Park, while 5 herds remained in the hands of private ranchers. It is estimated that less than 100 surviving bison became the common ancestors of today's herds.

Continued: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120807104820.htm

Boffin breeds 'world's tiniest frogs'

A computer sciences professor in China claims he has artificially bred the world's smallest frog.

Hu Gansheng, 56, says his tiny frogs are so small they can only be seen clearly through a magnifying glass.

But he added that he was reluctant to tell his colleagues at the Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, of his achievement.

"I am afraid my leaders and colleagues would say I am not devoted to my work, although I did all this in my spare time," said Hu.

The professor says his frogs are smaller than a mung bean at only half a centimetre long, but can leap more 10cm.

"This type of new frog is very small, but very active. They love sports," he explained.

Hu said the small frog was a cross-breed between several local frogs.

"Last year, I went to the suburbs and caught several types of frogs, and dedicated myself to cross-breeding them to make new frog types," he said.

Hu now plans to breed more mini frogs to sell as novelty pets.

http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/Boffin_breeds_worlds_tiniest_frogs

Mr Woods Fossils: Zombie cattle

Friday, 22 January 2010

Alright! Italian scientists are trying to resurrect the auroch, Bos primigenius, the wild ancestor of domestic cattle. They died out only a few hundred years ago after roaming the grasslands and forests of Europe and Asia, eating grass and scaring children. They were enormous, standing 2m high at the shoulder and weighing a ton. The last female died in Poland in 1627, so there is still plenty of intact DNA sample material floating around.

Remember those famous cave paintings in Lascaux in France? Them. For cavemen, spearing an auroch made you a bit of a superstar. These were some fearsome cows. Hitler thought so too, and supported the zoologist brothers Heinz and Lutz Heck in the early 1920s in their cross-breeding program to bring them back. Quite how they fitted into his dribbling plans for world domination, I'm not sure. Perhaps he envisioned a new ox-borne cavalry. It's unfair to cast them as Nazi cows, though. Angry and aggressive, maybe, but in a non-specific way. The results of the program - Heck cattle - are still around. There are a couple of thousand scattered around the world and I saw some at Edinburgh Zoo last year.

Anyway. Why I'm excited about this is because it's a step closer to bringing back the mammoth. That's what scientists should be doing. Mice with human ears on their backs are all very well, but bring me woolly rhinos and saber-tooths, get me glyptodonts and gomphotheres. And hurry up. I can't wait forever.

Posted by Matt Dale at 10:43

http://mrwoodsfossils.blogspot.com/2010/01/zombie-cattle.html
(Submitted by Caty Bergman)