Dozens of British insects put on Red List over extinction fears

35 of 283 leaf beetle species found in the UK have been assessed as critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable to extinction

Press Association

Thursday 12 February 2015 15.36 GMT

Dozens of species of insects have been put on a “Red List” over fears they could become extinct in Britain.

Research into two groups of scarce and threatened insects has led to 35 out of 283 species collectively known as leaf beetles being placed on the Red List as critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable to extinction.

Three have already become extinct in Britain in the last 100 years, while seven are considered critically endangered and possibly extinct in Britain as they have not been seen since 1950, the analysis showed.

The second group of insects assessed, stoneflies, which are aquatic species found in rivers and streams, fared slightly better, according to the research by government agency Natural England in collaboration with invertebrate charity Buglife.

Out of 34 species found in Britain, one is extinct, one is vulnerable to extinction and another joins the red list as critically endangered.

Conservationists said both groups of insects are very sensitive to their environment, with leaf beetles often found only on certain plants in particular places while stonefly larvae are affected by types of pollution.

Read on ...

Meet the World’s Newest—and Most Endangered—Whale

By Taylor Hill | Takepart.comOctober 6, 2014 6:41 PM Takepart.com

A genetically distinct group of whales—possibly an entirely new species—has been discovered off the coast of Florida’s Panhandle region.

That’s the good news. The bad news is they could be the most endangered whales in the world.

Scientists discovered the genetically unique set of about 50 whales during recent research in the Gulf of Mexico. The whales, which are members the Bryde’s (pronounced “broodus”) family, lives year-round in the Gulf. The whales reside in an underwater canyon near Florida’s west coast—an area highly susceptible to offshore oil spills.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has petitioned the U.S. government list the whale as endangered, citing the whales’ tiny population and vulnerability.

“Clearly the whales are in need of special protection, and not simply for their small numbers,” wrote NRDC policy analyst Michael Jasny in a blog post. “The massive industrialization of the northern Gulf threatens them six ways to Sunday.”

read on ...

Rare fishing kitten born at Isle of Man wildlife park

An endangered fishing cat kitten has been born at the Curraghs Wildlife Park in the Isle of Man.

The rare breed is described as "endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with just 200 living in captivity world-wide.

Park manager Kathleen Graham said: "This kitten is only one of about 10 born in the past year worldwide, so this is incredibly exciting news."

The cats, originally from Asia, have developed webbed feet and live a semi-aquatic lifestyle.

See video:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-19672809

Saving endangered amphibian starts with counting them - via Herp Digest

Northern leopard frogs considered a threatened species in Alberta-Endangered species population ecologist Lea Randall says, “If you can’t detect frogs then you can’t protect them.”

By Annalise Klingbeil, Calgary Herald July 30, 2012

CALGARY — Sporting breathable chest waders and armed with a GPS device, endangered species population ecologist Lea Randall will spend the next six weeks crawling in and out of bogs, ponds and marshes across southern Alberta.

Her mission: to count every frog she can find.

The ecologist will carry tools including a stopwatch and oxygen meter as she seeks frog habitats, collects water samples and records the abundance of northern leopard frogs across a 90,000-square-kilometre area south of Drumheller.

Randall recently embarked on six weeks of summer field research as part of a study launched in 2009 by the Calgary Zoo’s Centre for Conservation Research.

Through intensive fieldwork and mathematical modelling, the six-year project aims to gain a better understanding of northern leopard frog population dynamics.

The handsome and charismatic spotted amphibian, which can grow to the size of a human fist, is considered a threatened species in Alberta and an endangered species in B.C., said Randall.

The study and accompanying field research comes at a time when frog and toad populations in Alberta and around the globe are decreasing.

“It’s a worldwide phenomenon . . . the decline of amphibians has been noted on all continents on which amphibians occur,” said Anthony Russell, a professor of zoology at the University of Calgary.

Over the past two decades in Alberta, the number of leopard frogs and Canadian toads have diminished drastically, he said. “It’s very, very noticeable”

While there are still three years left in the extensive northern leopard study, early research shows neither a decrease nor increase in the population of the species.

“So far our preliminary data suggests that the populations have at least stabilized,” said Randall. “So, we don’t see evidence of decline, but we also don’t really see any strong evidence that there’s been species recovery during the period of our study.”

Leopard frogs can be difficult to detect in some habitats. In addition to examining population dynamics, the study aims to improve monitoring techniques.

“If you can’t detect frogs then you can’t protect them,” Randall said.

She said researching the frogs is important because Alberta has so few amphibians. “If even one species goes extinct, we will have lost basically a 10th of our diversity in Alberta.”

Amphibians are a good indicator of ecosystem health, and as frogs and toad numbers decrease, fish and insect species may also be affected.

“People have advocated that amphibians act a bit like the canary in the coal mine. Whatever is affecting them now, as those changes become more drastic and abundant, they will affect other things,” Russell said.

Kris Kendell, a senior biologist with the Alberta Conservation Association, is the co-ordinator of the Alberta Volunteer Amphibian Monitoring Program, which encourages “an army of citizen scientists” to submit their observations.

Kendell said while some frog species in Alberta are stable, others appear sensitive to human impact.

“The decline for the species that have suffered losses in numbers and populations is mostly due to habitat — habitat loss and habitat degradation,” Kendell said.

As the population and development in the province increases, there will be increasing pressure on a species that is part of Alberta’s heritage, Kendell said.

“On the most intrinsic level, amphibians are a part of Alberta’s natural heritage,” Kendell said. “A lot of people’s first experiences with nature and wildlife involve catching frogs or toads at their local slough or wetland (and) hearing their voices in the springtime singing. They enrich our lives in ways that are difficult to measure.”

Britain's largest spider to be reintroduced

The Fen Raft spider is one of the country's most endangered species of spider. With an adult leg span of 4 inches across they are also the largest native spider to the UK.

They are only found in three locations in the UK, with declines in their wetland habitat and water quality causing their numbers to plummet.

Now Chessington World of Adventure is leading a project to hand-rear 200 baby fen raft spiders for release into the wild.

The spiderlings will be raised in test tubes and hand-fed fruit flies every four days before being released into the wild in October.

Bob Ward, reptile keeper at Chessington Zoo, said: “Having to feed 200 spiders one at a time is certainly a challenge, but it’s vital to help see them through the most vulnerable period of their lives before they are released back into the wild, as they will then have a much better chance of surviving."

Raft spiders are one of just two British spiders protected under law because they are so endangered. They are now found in just three places in East Sussex, Swansea and the Suffolk/Norfolk border.
Their large hairy legs allow them to float on the water of the fens and wetlands, where they hunt sticklebacks and tadpoles underwater.

Currently the tiny spiderlings measure just a few millimetres across but they will grow to be up to four inches in size as adults.

Mr Ward added: "The spiders’ mums were collected from the wild in June when they carry their eggs in huge silk sacs held in their mouths.

"When the babies emerge from the sac the mother guards them in a big silk tent called a nursery web. In the wild the babies leave the web after about a week to fed for themselves. Our captive mums made their nurseries in five-litre water bottles.

“After a week we used a ‘pooter’ to collect the spiderlings from the nursery, which involves sucking them up into a tube with a piece of mesh and then dropping them into a container – but now we’re seeing them grow and they’re actually getting too big for the pooter.”

By Rhiannon Williams
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8770898/Britains-largest-spider-to-be-reintroduced.html

Rare freshwater jellyfish found in China

A rare type of freshwater jellyfish has been found to be thriving in a river in south China.Schools of the endangered freshwater jellyfish were discovered by police officers conducting a dive-training session in a river in Du’an Yao county of Guangxi Zhuang region, Xinhua reported.

Wei Qinghua, a police diving coach who first noticed the jellyfish, found thousands of the creatures in an underwater cave and took pictures and sent them to biologists at the Chinese Academy of Science.
The biologists concluded that the creatures Wei saw were freshwater jellyfish, also known as “peach blossom jellyfish” for their resemblance to the flower, said Lan Qifu, chief of the regional tourism bureau.

Tong Xiaoli, an environmental professor at the South China Agricultural University in Guangzhou, said: “They look very unique and beautiful, but it is hard to tell what specific species they belong to. We will need to work with foreign experts in order to determine their species.”

Freshwater jellyfish are occasionally found in Guangdong, Fujian and Shandong provinces, Tong said, adding that the jellyfish found in Guangxi look different from those found in other provinces.

“If they are confirmed to be a new species, they will have tremendous research value,” he said.

http://www.discoveryon.info/2011/08/rare-freshwater-jellyfish-found-in-china.html

Polar bear's epic nine day swim in search of sea ice

Tuesday, 25 January 2011
By Ella Davies
Earth News reporter

A polar bear swam continuously for over nine days, covering 687km (426 miles), a new study has revealed.

Scientists studying bears around the Beaufort sea, north of Alaska, claim this endurance feat could be a result of climate change.

Polar bears are known to swim between land and sea ice floes to hunt seals.

But the researchers say that increased sea ice melts push polar bears to swim greater distances, risking their own health and future generations.

In their findings, published in Polar Biology, researchers from the US Geological Survey reveal the first evidence of long distance swimming by polar bears (Ursus maritimus).

"This bear swam continuously for 232 hours and 687 km and through waters that were 2-6 degrees C," says research zoologist George M. Durner.

"We are in awe that an animal that spends most of its time on the surface of sea ice could swim constantly for so long in water so cold. It is truly an amazing feat."

Although bears have been observed in open water in the past, this is the first time one's entire journey has been followed.

By fitting a GPS collar to a female bear, researchers were able to accurately plot its movements for two months as it sought out hunting grounds.

The scientists were able to determine when the bear was in the water by the collar data and a temperature logger implanted beneath the bear's skin.

The study shows that this epic journey came at a very high cost to the bear.

"This individual lost 22% of her body fat in two months and her yearling cub," says Mr Durner.

"It was simply more energetically costly for the yearling than the adult to make this long distance swim," he explains.

Mr Durner tells the BBC that conditions in the Beaufort sea have become increasingly difficult for polar bears.

"In prior decades, before 1995, low-concentration sea ice persisted during summers over the continental shelf in the Beaufort Sea."

"This means that the distances, and costs to bears, to swim between isolated ice floes or between sea ice and land was relatively small."

"The extensive summer melt that appears to be typical now in the Beaufort Sea has likely increased the cost of swimming by polar bears."

Polar bears live within the Arctic circle and eat a calorie-rich diet of ringed seals (Pusa hispida) to survive the frozen conditions.

The bears hunt their prey on frozen sea ice: a habitat that changes according to temperature.

"This dependency on sea ice potentially makes polar bears one of the most at-risk large mammals to climate change," says Mr Durner.

The IUCN red list identifies polar bears as a vulnerable species, citing global climate change as a "substantial threat" to their habitat.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9369000/9369317.stm
(Submitted by Liz R)

Whale Activist Vows To Fast Till Death

by brightpathvideo
Tuesday Jan 18th, 2011 3:17 PM

Tom Falvey is a friend of mine. We go way back to Greenpeace days. Tom is determined to hold onto this life threatening fast until Japan ends its hostile aggression against both the whales in the arctic seas (Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary) and against the brave Sea Shepherd crew desperately trying to protect the whales.

Please help him by writing letters to the Secretary of State and Embassy of Japan. Addresses below.

Hunger Strike Against Aggression

Japan has sent its whaling fleet to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary in defiance of international law. It has also sent armed cost guard personnel with them in response to nonviolent activists upholding the law. Japan has not stated its intentions. The fact remains that it has deployed the capability to forcibly board or disable the activists' ships. The threat of deadly force in support of an illegal enterprise constitutes armed aggression.

I will fast until death unless Japan renounces the use of force against those defending the integrity of the Sanctuary.

If Japan does so I will gladly end my fast. If it refuses then it will be clear that Japan intends to physically subdue them. In that case the world community will be forewarned and have a duty to prevent such violence.

I want to live. But some things are worth dying for. If necessary I will join the countless individuals who have given their lives for two fundamental principles:

• The rule of law must prevail, and
• Armed aggression on the high seas is unacceptable

The Japanese whaling fleet pretends to be conducting scientific research in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, off Antarctica. The International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) scientific committee has rejected this cynical subterfuge several times. In 2007 the full IWC formally asked Japan to stop its lethal research (Resolution 2007-1). Japan has said no.

For the 2010/11 season Japan has unilaterally decided to take 935 Minke, 50 Fin and 50 Humpback whales, in an “objection” to IWC rules. A dead whale is worth about $200,000 on the meat market. This is actually a commercial operation; an industrial scale slaughter for profit.

This year Japan has also sent armed coast guard personnel with its fleet. This is in response to nonviolent activists defending the integrity of the Sanctuary. Japan has not stated its intentions. The fact remains that it has mobilized the capability to forcibly board or disable the activists’ ships. Obviously such tactics would put human life at risk.

The possible use of armed force to suppress opposition in a protected conservation zone takes the whaling issue to a new level. This is no longer simply about the whales. It challenges the very concept of international law. Can one nation violently impose its will on the global commons in defiance of the recognized regulatory body (IWC)?

There are good reasons for the Sanctuary’s existence. Antarctica itself is a desolate ice sheet. The cold nutrient rich ocean surrounding it is spectacularly alive. Whales are its dominant life form. Yet most whale species have been hunted to the brink of extinction. Now Japan is going after the last and smallest survivors.

This issue also has an ethical dimension. All whales have bigger brains than ours, and some seem to be as complex. We cannot prejudge beings so high on the evolutionary scale as mere natural resources. Real scientists would wait to determine the truth about their intelligence before butchering them for food.

Another ethical aspect is whaling’s extreme cruelty. An exploding harpoon rarely kills outright. The wounded whale is winched to the killer ship’s side, stuck with a probe and electrocuted with thousands of volts. It often takes 15-20 minutes for the whale to finally drown. Such prolonged agony would not be tolerated in any slaughterhouse.

Few people care about the ecology of the remote Southern Ocean. Or the possibility of advanced consciousness in marine mammals. People do care about a stable world order governed by the rule of law.

In this case, Japan has explicitly stated that it is exempt from the rule of law. It claims the right to exploit the oceanic commons as it sees fit, regardless of others’ interests. Its military presence implies a right to physically subdue anyone who stands in its way. That is a breathtaking assertion of jurisdiction over the Southern Ocean, 6000 miles from Japan.

The United States, with many other nations, has long voiced opposition to Japan’s illegal whaling. However, it has tolerated some state sponsored poaching in the Sanctuary because Japan is a major creditor that finances much of our deficit. Now its military deployment presents a direct challenge. It cannot be evaded. The threat of deadly force in support of a criminal enterprise constitutes armed aggression on the high seas.

The world community must act to ensure that Japan renounces the use of force against those who are upholding international law. The real stakes here are far higher than those of power and pride. If Japan gets away with this then it kills any hope for effective ocean conservation. It, then others, will just grab what they want. The degradation of a vital planetary ecosystem will accelerate. We will all pay a heavy price. Is the world so intimidated by Japan’s economic clout that it will allow this to happen?

Japan is unique but not privileged. It cannot make its own rules and enforce them by violence. The oceans are not Japan’s for the taking.

Current Situation – January 17, 2011

The Sea Shepherd activists are now with the whalers' supply ship. They will block any attempt at refueling. That means the whalers would have to return home at least a month early, thus saving hundreds of whales. During this process the Sea Shepherd ships will be essentially immobile and thus vulnerable to whatever action the armed coast guard personnel may have planned. This moment of truth could come at any time.

World governments have a duty to ensure that Japan does not resort to force. Failure to act means they would share responsibility for any injuries or deaths that may occur.


To express your concern please contact:

Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki
Embassy of Japan
2520 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20008-2869
Tel: (202) 238-6700
Fax: (202) 328-2187
Email: jicc [at] ws.mofa.go.jp

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Department of State
2201 C St, NW
Washington, DC 20520
Tel: (202) 647-9572
Fax: (202) 647-1579
Email: colemancl [at] state.gov (her personal assistant)

Or the appropriate officials in your country.


About Tom Falvey

Tom Falvey, 61, is an environmentalist and writer in San Diego, CA. He is not affiliated with any organization. He does not represent the Sea Shepherd activists. This is a personal statement of conscience.

You can contact Tom Falvey at:

Tel: (619) 618-5713
Email: tefalvey [at] gmail.com


About this Hunger Strike

I began this hunger strike at noon on December 28, 2010.

The credibility of this protest depends on its sincerity. I will only drink water during this fast. If I fall unconscious, or into a coma, I refuse any feeding, even if death is imminent. If I develop any medical condition as a consequence, even a life threatening one, I refuse all treatment.

The only condition under which I will accept feeding or medical intervention is if Japan renounces the use of force against nonviolent activists upholding the integrity of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
http://tomfalvey.blogspot.com/


http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/01/18/18669504.php

American cougars on the decline: 'We’re running against the clock,' says big cat expert

Morgan Erickson-Davis, MONGABAY.COM
January 17, 201

It holds the Guinness World Record for having the most names of any animal on the planet, with 40 in English alone. It's also the widest-ranging native land animal in the Americas, yet is declining throughout much of its range. Mongabay talks with big cat expert Dr. Howard Quigley about the status and research implications of the elusive, enigmatic, and unique cougar.

It is thought that the forebear of the cougar migrated from Asia into North America over the Bering land bridge approximately 8 million years ago, where it evolved into the different cat lineages present today. Cougars subsequently invaded South America three million years ago when the isthmus of Panama formed to connect the two continents. Genetic studies have shown that today's North American populations are all very similar, suggesting a population bottleneck contemporaneous with the megafauna extinction of approximately 10,000 years ago during which large North American mammals such as Smilodon went extinct. Researchers believe that during this time cougars were largely or entirely extirpated from the whole of the continent, with today's populations refounded by cougars from South American.

Although it can weigh up to 220 pounds, making it the second largest felid in the Americas (after the jaguar), the cougar is actually more related to smaller cat species such as ocelots and lynx than it is to lions and tigers. Originally, it was even grouped in the same genus as the domestic cat (Felis), but in 1993 was given its own genus, Puma, which it shares with its closest living relative, the jaguarundi.

Interestingly, even though they are in separate subfamilies, cougars and leopards are capable of hybridizing. In the 1890s and early 1900s, an animal park in Germany bred a female cougar with a male leopard while a Berlin zoo bred a male puma to a female leopard. The resulting "pumapards" had the long body of a cougar with the rosettes of a leopard on a tawny or grey coat. Most died while young, and those that did reach adulthood grew to be only half the size of their parents due to genetic dwarfism.

With habitat extending from the Yukon to the Andes, the cougar is the widest ranging land animal in the Americas due to their ability to live in virtually any environment. However, even with their vast range, there are estimated to be only 50,000 wild cougars in the world.

In South and Central America, laws enacted in 1996 outlawed the hunting of cougars in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, and Uruguay. Cougars have no protection measures in place in Ecuador, El Salvador, and Guyana.

In North America, cougars became extirpated from most of the Eastern U.S. and Canada after European colonization. The only resident eastern population is the critically endangered Florida panther which occupies only five percent of its historic range and numbers just 50-100 individuals. Many states and provinces in the western portions of the U.S. and Canada have resident cougar populations, and all except California and the Yukon allow hunting. However, most have enacted certain protection measures. The lone exception is Texas, where hunting of the cats in largely unregulated. The state groups cougars with ticks and pigeons as "nuisance wildlife", and allows anyone with a hunting or trapping permit to kill a cougar regardless of sex, size, or age.

Cougars are threatened by habitat loss and by direct persecution by humans. The latter is primarily caused by the perceived threat of cougars on livestock, although the risk of attacks on humans is sometimes used to justify the killing of a cougar near urban areas. In reality, cougars have a minuscule effect on livestock numbers. In Texas in 1990, for example, cougar kills amounted to 445 sheep (0.02 percent of a total of the state's total of 2.0 million sheep and lambs) and 86 calves (0.0006 percent of the state's total of 13.4 million cattle and calves).

Attacks on people are incredibly rare, but are increasing due to expansion of human populations into cougar habitat. In the hundred years spanning 1890 to 1990, there were only 53 confirmed attacks by cougars on humans, resulting in ten deaths. From 1990 to 2004, the number of attacks had climbed to 88 with a total of 20 deaths. Even though the frequency of attacks on humans is relatively small, those which do happen are heavily covered by the media, effectively maligning cougars in the public eye and drawing attention away from the critical roles they play in many ecosystems.

However, the main reason behind cougar decline in the U.S. is habitat loss through degradation and fragmentation. Research shows that cougars need at least 850 square miles of uninterrupted habitat in order to persist with only a low risk of extinction. With urban areas becoming more numerous, many scientists are calling for the expansion of protected habitat corridors so that cougar populations could exist and move without needing to traverse through civilization.

One of the major players in cougar conservation is Panthera, an organization whose mission is to ensure the future of wild cats through scientific leadership and global conservation action. Panthera is the world's largest dedicated funder of wild cat conservation, and in addition to cougars includes tigers, lions, cheetahs, leopards, snow leopards, and jaguars as its focal species. Panthera has sponsored many innovative conservation measures such as the Jaguar Corridor, a program that is working to connect jaguar habitats from the top of their range at the Mexican-American border all the way down to the end of their range in Northern Argentina, and the Snow Leopard Initiative which was launched in Beijing in 2008.

Panthera is currently conducting two projects which focus on cougar conservation: the California Cougar Project and the Teton Cougar Project. The Teton Cougar Project, a joint Panthera-Craighead Beringia South initiative in its ninth year, is working to gather data about the cougar population of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and the southern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem with the aim of increasing knowledge of cougar population dynamics and interactions with competing carnivores and humans.

Full article at: http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0117-morgan_cougar_quigley.html

Russia's oil ambitions off Sakhalin Island could extinct whale species

Katharine Helmore
18th January 2011

The Western North Pacific gray whale is under threat of extinction, say WWF, as Russian plans a third oil platform off Sakhalin Island to meet rising demands from Asia

A Russian oil giant's plans to expand oil production in far eastern regions of the Pacific Ocean threaten the dwindling population of endangered western gray whales, say WWF.

Environmentalists fear the construction of a new oil platform off Sakhalin Island by the majority-state owned Sakhalin Energy Company could wipe out the remaining 130 western gray whales.

The shallow waters off Russia's largest island provide a vital feeding ground for the endangered species, which migrate there each summer. Gray whales exist on both sides of the Pacific, but the Eastern population are not thought to mix with the endangered Western species found off Sakhalin Island.

The oil rich seabed off the island, holding an estimated 14 billion barrels of oil deposits, has been widely exploited in recent years to supply China, Japan, South Korea and Thailand with oil and gas. Although oil exports have boosted the local economy it has been at the cost of marine life. More shipping traffic will only contribute further risk to an already threatened species and a higher chance of a potentially devastating oil spill.

'There are only 30 female western gray whales of breeding age remaining and the population is already on the brink of disappearing forever,' said Aleksey Knizhnikov, from WWF-Russia. 'The loss of even a few breeding whales could mean the end for the population.'

Sakhalin Energy has previously been praised by The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for postponing a summer scheduled seismic survey, something the company duly boasted of on its website. However following a meeting in early December 2010, WWF learnt that the Sakhalin Energy Company, part-owned by Shell, plans to go ahead with a survey this summer to find a suitable site for the third platform.

Summer surveys disrupt the feeding patterns of whales but are favoured by oil companies as they try to avoid the harsh Russian winters.

http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/734741/russias_oil_ambitions_off_sakhalin_island_could_extinct_whale_species.html

Legendary Parrot Who Saved His Species Dead at 80

Photo via AKO AOTEAROA

by Stephen Messenger, Porto Alegre, Brazil on 01.13.11
Travel & Nature

Richard Henry may sound like an oddly dignified name for a bird -- but its bearer deserves nothing less. Richard was a highly-endangered Kakapo, a flightless parrot from New Zealand, who is credited by many with single-wingedly saving his species. In the 1970s, researchers believed that the Kakapo had been nearly wiped out and that extinction was inevitable -- that is, until they ran across Richard. With his genetic material, conservationists were able to slowly recover the species. But today, after decades of service, Richard Henry has passed away at the ripe old age of 80 -- leaving behind a legacy that, with any luck, will be everlasting.

Aside from being rare, kakapo are actually quite unique for a parrot in that they are nocturnal, flightless, and heavy -- perfect traits for their virtually predator-less native habitat in New Zealand, but those characteristics put them at a terrible disadvantage when Europeans began to settle the islands, bringing animals and a tradition of clearing forests for farmland.

Even early on, scientists at the time noticed that the bird numbers were in decline -- due mainly to the factors described above, but also because they were a curiosity among foreign biologists and animal collectors, though the species didn't fair well in captivity.

By the 1890s, it was clear that lest some action be taken to protect them, the kakapo would soon go the way of that other flightless bird, the dodo. So, the New Zealand government set aside a reserve for the kakapo on the Resolution Island, where they were to be protected from the many threats they faced from humans and other invasive species. Appointed to oversee the birds was a dedicated naturalist by the name of Richard Henry.

Their safety in the reserve was short lived, however; predatory animals were able to swim to the island and decimate the kakapo population there. A small group of birds were rescued and moved to other islands, but the same problems only repeated. Finally, they found some refuge on the island of Fiordland, but their numbers continued to decline well into the 20th century. By the 1970s, it biologists feared they'd become extinct.

Then, on an exploratory expedition to Fiordland in 1975, researchers found a single middle-aged kakapo male, offering hope that the birds could yet be saved -- and they named him after that early kakapo conservationist.

When a small group of other birds were discovered on another island, Richard Henry became instrumental in producing offspring by offering some diversity to the dwindling population.

Over the next few decades later, with the help of Richard Henry, the kakapo species has seen an encouraging increase. Thanks to the dedication of a devout group of conservationists who have worked tirelessly to save the birds -- as well as concerned citizens from throughout the world -- the kakapo population currently stands at 122 birds. And, in the tradition of Richard Henry, each of the birds has a name, too. But his legacy hardly ends there.

With his death at 80 years of age, that very important kakapo leaves behind a better world for his kind. The Department of Conservation's Kākāpō Program Scientist Ron Moorhouse says Richard Henry's death marks the end of an era.

"Richard Henry was a living link to the early days of kākāpō recovery, and perhaps even to a time before stoats when kakapo could boom unmolested in Fiordland," said Dr Moorhouse. Richard Henry had not bred since 1999, and had been showing signs of age including blindness in one eye, slow moving and wrinkles. A sample of his DNA has been preserved.

The kākāpō breeding season is now well under way on both Codfish and Anchor Islands. If chicks are hatched on Anchor, they could well be the first kākāpō chicks in Fiordland since Richard Henry himself was a chick.

We had a great year last year when 33 chicks were born, and we're hoping for more this year. The males are booming well, so we're optimistic. It's sad to lose Richard Henry but the main thing is that the kākāpō population is growing...

There's something moving about the story of this bird, so full of tragedy, and hope. Perhaps there was a time when he could sense a darkness closing in on his species, when his lonely calls into the dim forests were all unanswered. But in the end, Richard Henry survived the night and chanced a glimpse of a new beginning for his kind.

It must be a bitter-sweet farewell for those dedicated humans who knew him long, but of course, there's more work to do -- it's egg-laying season for the kakapo soon. And, while Richard Henry's death may mark the end of an era, it marks the beginning of a new one, too.

Thanks to Sirocco Kakapo for the tip.

More on the Kakapo
Teenager on a Mission to Save Endangered Parrots
The World's Most Endangered Parrot Adds 26 Chicks to Its Numbers
Lessons From Extinction: Why are the Dodo Bird and the Kakapo So Similar?

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/01/legendary-parrot-who-saved-his-species-dead-at-80.php?campaign=th_rss_travel

Illegal tiger trade 'killing 100 big cats each year'

The illegal trade in tiger parts has led to more than 1,000 wild tigers being killed over the past decade, a report suggests.


Traffic International, a wildlife trade monitoring network, found that skins, bones and claws were among the most common items seized by officials.

The trade continues unabated despite efforts to protect the cats, it warns.

Over the past century, tiger numbers have fallen from about 100,000 individuals to just an estimated 3,500.

The study, which used data from 11 of the 13 countries that are home to populations of Panthera tigris, estimated that between 1,069 and 1,220 tigers were killed to supply the illicit demand for tiger parts.

'Poaching pressures'
Since October 1987, tigers have been listed as an Appendix I species (threatened with extinction) under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), which means all commercial trade in the animals or their parts is banned.

The figure was based on analysis of 481 seizures. More than 275 of the seizures were in India, which - the report's authors said - represented between 469 and 533 tigers.


China, with 40, had the second highest number of seizures, accounting for up to 124 animals, while Nepal reported 39 seizures, or 113-130 tigers, they added.

"Given half the world's Tigers live in India, it's no real surprise the country has the highest number of seizures," explained co-author Pauline Verheij, joint TRAFFIC and WWF tiger trade programme manager.

"While a high number of seizures could indicate high levels of trade or effective enforcement work, or a combination of both, it does highlight the nation's tigers are facing severe poaching pressure," she added.

"With parts of potentially more than 100 wild tigers actually seized each year, one can only speculate what the true numbers of animals are being plundered."

Drugs, weapons, wildlife
The authors said the data showed that the trade continued "unabated despite considerable and repeated efforts to curtail it on the part of tiger range and consumer countries, intergovernmental organisations and NGOs".

Commenting on the findings, leader of WWF's Tigers Alive initiative Mike Baltzer said: "Clearly enforcement efforts to date are either ineffective or an insufficient deterrent.


"Not only must the risk of getting caught increase significantly, but seizures and arrests must also be followed up by swift prosecution and adequate sentencing, reflecting the seriousness of crimes against tigers," he added.

In March 2010, during the most recent high level meeting of Cites, nations agreed to increase intelligence sharing against criminal networks that smuggled big cat parts.

Speaking in 2009, World Bank chief Robert Zoellick said the global black market in wildlife products was worth about $10bn (£6bn) per year, making wildlife the third most valuable illicit commodity after drugs and weapons.

Conservationists also point to China's "tiger farms" as a threat to the wild animals because, they say, it perpetuates a market into which wild tiger parts can be sold, often commanding a higher value as products made from wild animals are perceived to be more "potent".

Although China does not officially permit the sale of goods from these farms, in practice several investigations have revealed tiger parts are being sold.

The report called for an improved understanding of the tiger trade and much tighter law enforcement.

"But good enforcement alone will not solve the problem," warned Steven Broad, executive director of Traffic.

"To save tigers in the wild, concerted action is needed to reduce the demand for tiger parts altogether in key countries in Asia."

Enforcement efforts to date, the authors concluded, "point to a lack of political will among those responsible at national and international levels".

They hoped the report would provide an "important baseline to inform the understanding of this persistent yet illegal trade".

By Mark Kinver

Science and environment reporter, BBC News

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11718648

WWF welcomes EU Commissioner’s call for big cut in Mediterranean bluefin tuna catches

Last chance for Mediterranean tuna

October 2010. WWF, the global conservation organization, has welcomed the EU Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki's call for a significant cut in catches of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean and East Atlantic ahead of the European Union's leadership role at a major fisheries management meeting next month in Paris, France.

EU Commissioner Damanaki has announced her support for a substantial decrease in total allowable catch of East Atlantic bluefin tuna next year. Spanish Member of the European Parliament and Vice-President of the Greens, Raül Romeva i Rueda, confirmed Commissioner Damanaki's urge for a "substantial decrease" in catches at the meeting.

WWF is calling for this to form a fundamental part of the EU's position at the meeting of International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) members on 17-27 November 2010 in Paris, France.

Recovery plan
A new recovery plan for East Atlantic bluefin tuna must be agreed at the Paris ICCAT conference. In the coming days the EU Commission and Member States will formally agree the EU's negotiating mandate for that meeting.

"Commissioner Damanaki is laying out what could be a possible rescue plan for the Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery based on science and not politics" said Tony Long, Director of WWF's European Policy Programme in Brussels. "We call on Member States to follow this lead to secure a long-term future for a sustainable artisanal fishery and a thriving marine ecosystem. The EU Commissioner is showing a way forward that counteracts strong pressure from short-term business interests."

Current stock is only 1/3 of sustainable levels
A recent scientific assessment of East Atlantic bluefin tuna by ICCAT scientists has shown that stock size is only one third of sustainable levels, and that only a total fishing quota of less than 6,000 tonnes per year might allow the tuna stock to rebuild by 2020 with a probability of over 60 per cent. The scientists also urged ICCAT to be especially precautionary this year, given the high uncertainty in data available - a result of the poor quality of reporting related to rife illegalities.

The EU, including all Member States, is legally obliged through its Marine Strategy Framework Directive to immediately establish measures aimed at achieving recovery of fish stocks to sustainable levels by 2020 at the latest.

Purse seine fishery
Besides cutting total annual catch to below 6,000 tonnes, WWF is also calling on the EU and other ICCA members to suspend the industrial purse seine fishery - responsible for the current catastrophic situation of the stock - and to establish no-fishing zones in the six known spawning grounds of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean Sea.

"This package of measures gives at least a chance of recovery to East Atlantic bluefin tuna," said Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean. "It is high time to show the world that Europe, with its historical role in willingly allowing the depletion of tuna stocks, is ready for a U-turn by leading on the recovery of Atlantic bluefin."

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/iccat-2010.html

Bird sighting: Peregrine falcon

Peregrine falcon by Kelly Thurgood.

By Bill Fenimore
Published Oct 11, 2010 09:31AM
Updated Oct 10, 2010 04:21PM

Falco peregrinus

The peregrine falcon, one of the most powerful birds of prey and fastest of birds, is a modern-day success story.

It can reach speeds of 200 mph in a stoop when pursuing prey. It was almost lost through poisoning with DDT. The populations crashed from the 1950s to the 1970s and it was declared an endangered species. DDT was banned and rehabilitation work began through the Peregrine Fund.

Peregrines and other birds of prey have recovered since. It was removed from the endangered species list in 1999.

Peregrines reside throughout Utah and have been using nesting boxes erected on the Joseph Smith Building in Salt Lake City and other locations along Great Salt Lake wetlands. Tall skyscrapers and other structures, such as bridges, represent the cliff faces the falcons would normally use along the Wasatch Front. Rock pigeons in cities provide an ample food source.

The peregrine was once named duck hawk, and it hunts waterfowl along the Great Salt Lake wetlands.

The peregrine has a distinctive black mustache mark on the face. It has very long and pointed wings. It weighs between 19 and 56 ounces. Females are larger than males, a characteristic common with birds of prey.

The name “peregrine” means wanderer. It is one of the world’s most widespread birds and is found on all continents except Antarctica.

The female lays two to six eggs that are incubated up to 32 days, primarily by the female. The semialtricial young stay in the nest up to 42 days. They are fed by both sexes.

Bill Fenimore is owner of the Layton Wild Bird Center, www.wildbird.com/layton, author of Backyard Birds of Utah and a member of the Utah Wildlife Board. The Wild Bird Center is holding an anniversary party Oct. 16 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Live eagles, peregrine falcons, hawks and owls will be on display.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/outdoors/50387793-117/peregrine-birds-bird-prey.html.csp

Sundarbans tigers smallest in world (claims new study)

Sunday, October 3, 2010

The Sundarbans tigers may be the smallest tigers in the world, suggests a new study.

The study was carried out by the Sundarbans Tiger Project, a joint initiative between the Bangladesh Forest Department, Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh (WTB), Zoological Society of London and the University of Minnesota.

The research was funded by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Tiger and Rhino Fund.

There is only one species of tiger but scientists have split this into nine subspecies based on differences in their physical appearance and genetics, a release of the WTB said yesterday.

Tigers from the mangrove forest of the Sundarbans in Bangladesh and India are currently classified under the Bengal tiger sub species along with tigers across India, Nepal and Bhutan.

However, the tigers in the Sundarbans weigh just 76.7 kg, nearly half of the weight of other wild Bengal tigers, which average at 138.2 kg. This is also less than the average weight of tigers from any of the other 8 sub-species, making the Sundarbans tigers probably the smallest in the world.

Previously, it was believed that the Sumatran tiger was the smallest with an average weight of 86.7 kg. The reasons for the small size of Sundarbans are not known but the authors of the study suggest this could be related to the small size of deer available to tigers in the Sundarbans, compared to the larger deer and other prey available to tigers in other parts of the world.

Dr Adam Barlow from WTB said, “We always thought the Sundarbans tigers were small based on their track size, but until now we didn't know just how much small they really were. After all these years of people studying tigers it is exciting to dig up new information about this elusive and highly endangered animal and to see how it is adapting to live in different environments.”

Using a vast collection of tiger skulls from the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, the researchers also looked at differences in skull measurements between subspecies, finding that Sundarbans tigers have slightly different skull shapes compared to other tigers.

These findings are preliminary due to the small number of specimens used and not enough to make the Sundarbans tigers a new subspecies, which would require genetic investigation.

However, their physical differences do increase their importance in terms of conservation, because these tigers have unique physical traits not found in other tigers. They are also the only tigers in the world to live in a mangrove habitat.

The Sundarbans is the world's largest mangrove forest, with 6,000 sq km falling in Bangladesh, and 4,000 sq km over the border in India. With approximately 300-500 tigers in the Bangladesh side of the Sundarbans alone, this area may also represent one of the best chances for saving the species, which probably numbers less than 3,500 individuals in the world.

These remaining pockets of tigers are threatened by poaching for the traditional Asian medicine trade, hunting of the tiger's prey for local meat consumption and destruction of their habitat to make room for expanding human populations.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=156957
(Submitted by Chad Arment)

Experts baffled by 'small' Bangladesh tigers

1 October 2010
By Ethirajan Anbarasan
BBC News, Dhaka

Tigers prowling the famous mangrove forests of Bangladesh are about half the weight of other wild Bengal tigers in South Asia, a study has found.

The average weight of female tigers in the Sundarbans forests was 76.7kg (170lb), according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service research.

But other wild Bengal tigers in the region tipped the scales at 138.2 kg on average.

Researchers said this could be because Sundarbans tigers ate smaller deer.

The team believes the big cats found in the mangrove forest, which stretches from Bangladesh to India, could be among the world's smallest tigers.

They belong to one of nine sub-species of Bengal tiger in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan.
Smaller dinner

Researchers from the University of Minnesota and the Bangladesh Forest Department - who carried out the study for the US Fish and Wildlife Service - weighed three Sundarbans tigers.

Two of the animals were captured and sedated, but the other one had been killed by villagers.

Adam Barlow, one of the authors of the research, said they do not know why the Sundarbans tigers are so small.

"This could be related to the small size of deer available to tigers in the Sundarbans, compared to the larger deer and other prey available to tigers in other parts," he said.

It is estimated that between 300 and 500 Bengal tigers live in the Bangladesh side of the Sundarbans alone.

They are isolated from the next tiger population by a distance of up to 300km (190 miles).

Tigers are an endangered species. There are only about 3,500 left in the wild worldwide - less than one third of them breeding females.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11455154

Whale sighting in Tamar River

Posted Thu Sep 30, 2010 10:26am AEST

There has been another whale sighting in Tasmania, this time in the Tamar River in the state's north.

A southern right whale was spotted by students of the Australian Maritime College while they were training on the Tamar River near Bell Bay yesterday.

Their teacher Peter Hunt says the whale was at least 13 metres long and was spouting.

"We slowly reduced our speed and power and crept up behind the whale and sure enough there it was. We got to about within three metres of it, and our vessels are about 13 metres long, and it was as long as our vessel," he said.

"It came to the surface probably about three times, ahead of us, and then came alongside us, turned around. Then we thought, well, we won't worry it any longer and moved away while the whale headed back out to sea."

Another man reported seeing two southern right whales near the river's mouth.

DPIWE marine biologist, Kris Carlyon says the increase in whale sightings around Tasmania is a positive sign for the species.

"We are getting more and more reports every year and partly because of the fact of more public awareness; people are calling in and realising we are after this information," he said.

"But it is also a sign that the southern right whale population is on the increase."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/30/3025814.htm

Dark Steller's sea eagle solves 100 year debate

Monday, 27 September 2010
By Ella Davies
Earth News reporter

A giant bird living in Germany has settled debate over the existence of a huge, dark species of sea eagle.

For over a century, experts questioned whether two Steller's sea eagle species exist: one with white feathers and a darker one.

But a dark, captive Steller's sea eagle in a Berlin zoo, the only living bird of its kind, has solved the mystery.

Born to white feathered parents, the dark Steller's sea eagle confirms they are two variants of the same species.

The Steller's sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) is the heaviest of all eagles, and it usually has brown and white plumage, sporting white feathers along the wings, legs and tail.

However, a different, dark form of the Steller's sea eagle was first described as a separate species (H. niger) in 1887. It had brown feathers all over except for a white tail.

Ornithologists suspected this darker Steller's sea eagle bred in Korea.

But few authenticated records exist, leading many to presume its extinction.

The last known dark Steller's sea eagle sighted in the wild was in 1968, and no dark specimen has been held in captivity since the start of the 20th Century.

Since these sightings, debate has continued as to whether the dark Steller's sea eagle is a separate species, subspecies or just a colour variant of the usual bird.

Most interested experts believe the latter, but no proof existed.

That was until the appearance of a dark Steller's sea eagle in Tierpark zoo, Berlin.

It wasn't until the Steller's sea eagle moulted into its adult plumage that the Tierpark's Curator of Birds, Dr Martin Kaiser, realised what a rarity it was.

"It's really a surprise if you suddenly have a bird which was considered extinct and not observed for about half a century neither in the wild nor in captivity," says Dr Kaiser.

The eagle moulted into its adult plumage this year with only a white tail, making it the only known living bird of its kind.

The rare female was the product of artificial insemination at a falconry in Bavaria, Germany.

It arrived at Berlin's Tierpark in 2001 after being foster-reared by two American bald eagles at Nuremburg Zoo.

Crucially, its actual parents were wild birds, caught in Russia in the 1980s and both displayed the familiar white shoulder, leg and rump feathers.

"Both the parents of the dark female in Tierpark Berlin show the normal coloured plumage with white shoulders and rump," says Dr Kaiser.

"This is the evidence that it is a colour phase only... [For the female to] be a subspecies the parents must be also dark coloured."

As the offspring of two white-marked birds, the Tierpark's female provides the first evidence that the dark plumage is not species specific, and that the dark eagles do not exist as a species in their own right.

The fact that the parents came from Russia also proves that dark forms of the eagle are not restricted to Korea.

Dr Kaiser's findings are published in the Journal of Ornithology.

The Steller's sea eagle is one of the world's largest eagles and certainly the heaviest weighing up to 9kg.

Competition for the top title comes from the Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) of South-East Asia; the martial eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) of Africa and the harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja), of North and South America.

There are approximately 5,000 Steller's sea eagles in the wild, predominantly found in north-eastern Asia, breeding around the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia.

The giant birds make their nests along Russia's Pacific coast close to their preferred salmon feeding grounds.

Their distinctive large yellow bills are perfect for ripping flesh and stealing food from other eagles.

The IUCN list of endangered animals describes the sea eagles as vulnerable with a declining population under threat from habitat destruction and over-fishing.

Each winter many migrate to the Japanese islands of Hokkaido where they are known as O-Washi, and protected as a species of national importance.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9036000/9036698.stm
(Submitted by Chad Arment)

Great Gray Owl

Great gray owl research provides evidence that the Sierra Nevada is home to a genetically distinct population, compared to great gray owls outside of California.

Scientists, in 2010, documented Yosemite's great gray owl (Strix nebulosa Yosemitensis) as genetically distinct from the great gray owl in western North America (Strix nebulosa nebulosa). In addition to genetic differences, behavioral differences appear to exist in the Yosemite subspecies. These include differences in migration patterns, prey preference, and nest site selection. Each of these genetic and behavioral characteristics indicates the Sierra Nevada population of great gray owls has been isolated from other populations for an extensive period of time.

Yosemite, today, is the southernmost range and last sanctuary of almost all of California's great gray owls, listed as California State Endangered Species. Researchers estimate there are only about 200 to 300 individuals in California, and about 65% of the state's population resides in Yosemite. Great gray owls nest in the middle elevations of the park where forests and meadows meet. They can be active at any time of the day or night, preferring to hunt in open meadows and clearings within the forest.Then, in winter, they move downslope to snow-free areas where they can more easily access their rodent prey.

This rare and endangered owl is the largest North American owl but also can be found in Asia and Europe. It stands as tall as 2 feet with a 5-foot wingspan and has distinctive piercing yellow eyes accented by large facial disks.

To gain a greater understanding of Yosemite's great gray owl and its genetic make-up, Yosemite joined with the U.S. Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Research Station and geneticists from University of California, Davis to assess genetics, ecological-limiting factors, and immediate management needs of the Sierra-wide population. Great gray owls, restricted to montane meadows, are threatened from mounting resource use in the broader Sierra Nevada. Threats outside the park include timber harvest, grazing, and development pressures.

National parks like Yosemite that provide nearly intact ecosystems are critically important to both identify new species of plants and animals and to provide a laboratory in which to conduct scientific study. Yosemite's research aims to develop a predictive GIS-based habitat model of great gray owl distribution and habitat associations; and design a long-term monitoring plan to assess population trends.

Future genetic research on the great gray owl in Yosemite would help develop a technique to identify individual owls from their molted feathers. This non-invasive research method would allow scientists to study survival rates, reproduction patterns, and other important information through the DNA found in the collected feathers. Additionally, this research method would mitigate negative impacts on the sensitive great gray owl population in the park.

• Learn more about Yosemite's birds, including the park's other special status bird species.
  

Read the 2010 citation naming the Strix nebulosa Yosemitensis:
 

Hull, J.M.; Keane, J.J.; Savage, W.K.; Godwin, S.A.; Shafer, J.A.; Jepsen, E.P.; Gerhardt, R.; Stermer, C.; Ernest, H.B. (2010, July). Range-wide genetic differentiation among North American great gray owls (Strix nebulosa) reveals a distinct lineage restricted to the Sierra Nevada, California. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 56(1), 212-221, DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2010.02.027

 

http://www.nps.gov/yose/naturescience/great-gray-owl.htm

 

Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2010 Jul;56(1):212-21. Epub 2010 Mar 1.

Range-wide genetic differentiation among North American great gray owls (Strix nebulosa) reveals a distinct lineage restricted to the Sierra Nevada, California.

Hull JM, Keane JJ, Savage WK, Godwin SA, Shafer JA, Jepsen EP, Gerhardt R, Stermer C, Ernest HB.

Abstract
Investigations of regional genetic differentiation are essential for describing phylogeographic patterns and informing management efforts for species of conservation concern. In this context, we investigated genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships among great gray owl (Strix nebulosa) populations in western North America, which includes an allopatric range in the southern Sierra Nevada in California. Based on a total dataset consisting of 30 nuclear microsatellite DNA loci and 1938-base pairs of mitochondrial DNA, we found that Pacific Northwest sampling groups were recovered by frequency and Bayesian analyses of microsatellite data and each population sampled, except for western Canada, showed evidence of recent population bottlenecks and low effective sizes. Bayesian and maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses of sequence data indicated that the allopatric Sierra Nevada population is also a distinct lineage with respect to the larger species range in North America ; we suggest a subspecies designation for this lineage should be considered (Strix nebulosa yosemitensis). Our study underscores the importance of phylogeographic studies for identifying lineages of conservation concern, as well as the important role of Pleistocene glaciation events in driving genetic differentiation of avian fauna.

(Submitted by Chad Arment)

German scientists discover rare ape species in Asia

RIGHT: Crested gibbons are found only in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and southern China

(AFP) – 21 September 2010

BERLIN — German scientists said on Tuesday they had discovered a new rare and endangered ape species in the tropical rainforests between Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia by its distinctive song.

The new type of crested gibbon, one of the most endangered primate species in the world, is called the northern buffed-cheeked gibbon or Nomascus annamensis, a statement from the German Primate Centre (DPZ) said.

"The discovery of a new species of ape is a minor sensation," said Christian Roos from the DPZ.

"An analysis of the frequency and tempo of their calls, along with genetic research, show that this is, in fact, a new species."

The distinctive song "serves to defend territory or might even be a precursor of the music humans make," the statement added.

The male of the new species is covered with black fur that appears silver in sunlight. His chest is brownish and his cheeks deep orange-golden in colour. The females are orange-beige in colour.

Crested gibbons are found only in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and southern China. Scientists had assumed there were six different species but the recent discovery takes the number to seven.

Gibbons have become endangered due to illegal hunting. "Gibbons are kept as cute pets, or they are eaten, or they are processed into traditional medicines," said the DPZ.

Many species number only around 100 individuals, said Roos. Scientists currently have "absolutely no idea" how many of the new species might be alive, but are conducting further study to determine this, he told AFP.

Like orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos, gibbons belong to the apes, man's closest relative.

"Only if we know where which species is found and how many individuals there are can we start with serious conservation actions," added the scientist.

News of the discovery was published in the Vietnamese Journal of Primatology.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hSpTbYVsBKTdtRRf6OG4WS1TLuDg
(Submitted by T. Peter Park)