New Species Of Turtle Discovered - And It's Already Critically Endangered (Potted Softshell- Pelodiscus variegatus) – via Herp Digest

FEMALE SPECIMEN OF THE NEWLY DESCRIBED TURTLE (PELODISCUS VARIEGATUS) SERVING AS A PARATYPE OF THE NEW SPECIES. THOMAS ZIEGLER

By Tom Hall, 2/13/19, IFLScience

A new species of turtle, complete with a pig-like snoot and a spotted squishy shell, has been identified in the swampy waters of central Vietnam and Hainan Island in China. Unfortunately, the new species is already listed as "critically endangered" – nice one, humans.

It was long assumed that the Chinese Softshell Turtles all belonged to the same species, however, over the past few decades, scientists realized that these creatures were actually numerous different species.

Now, they've identified yet another. Reporting in the journal ZooKeys, an international team of researchers has carried out tests that identify a fifth species in the genus, the Spotted Softshell Turtle (Pelodiscus variegatus), noted for its unique spots on the underside of its belly. Crucially, DNA analysis showed the individuals were genetically distinct enough to be defined as a new species.

"Some years ago we started to investigate whether all ‘Chinese softshells’ are indeed the same species, and during the course of our research it turned out that there are several unrecognized species,” lead author Professor Uwe Fritz of the Senckenberg Natural History Collections in Dresden told IFLScience.

“The new one is the most beautiful one with its nice spots.” 

Fritz suspects that further analysis of Chinese softshell turtles will reveal even more new species hidden in the genus. "More new species to come!" he said.

As the name suggests, softshell turtles have a flexible shell covered with leathery skin rather than a horn-covered shell like you see most turtles and tortoises. They have an extremely long nose (known as a proboscis) with nostrils at the tips that can act like a little snorkel.

The new species is already listed as a vulnerable to extinction, much like the other members of its genus. Softshell turtles are eaten as a delicacy in Vietnam and China, often served up in a stew with chili sauce and bamboo shoots. People also like to chew on bits of their shells, "a bit like chewing gum," Fritz says. This taste for turtle has led to large-scale turtle farming in China and neighboring countries, which has only raised further problems for the turtles.

"For breeding, softshells are transferred across Asia and large farms are established, some outside the native distribution range," Fritz explains. "There is evidence that another species has been brought to Vietnam by this trade, and this new species (originally from China) is now in the wild, occurring in northern Vietnam in the same rivers as the native species.”

“We cannot predict how this will develop but there is the serious risk that the introduced species will outcompete the native one – think of the Grey Squirrel and the Red Squirrel in Britain,” he said. 

The team hopes that asserting the Spotted Softshell Turtle as a new species will allow researchers to raise more awareness and develop better conservation efforts for P. variegatus. Perhaps all is not quite lost for this very strange beast. 

Live Sumatran Rhino Captured in Indonesia

by Stephanie Pappas, Live Science Contributor | March 23, 2016 05:19pm ET

A live Sumatran rhinoceros has been captured in the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo, a region where these critically endangered animals were thought to be extinct.

A single camera-trap image and telltale footprints found in 2013 had previously revealed that Sumatran rhinos (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) still survived in Kalimantan, which makes up the southern 73 percent of Borneo. But this is the first time in 40 years that humans have found a live rhino there. Conservation groups estimate that fewer than 100 Sumatran rhinos are left in the wild, most of which live on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, located west of Borneo.

"This is an exciting discovery and a major conservation success," Pak Efransjah, the CEO of the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) in Indonesia, said in a statement. "We now have proof that a species once thought extinct in Kalimantan still roams the forests, and we will now strengthen our efforts to protect this extraordinary species."

Continued ...

Three critically endangered Javan rhinoceros calves spotted in Indonesia

Three critically endangered Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus sondaicus) calves have been seen on camera in Ujung Kulon National Park, Indonesia, the WWF have reported. This discovery of the calves raises the number of critically endangered Javan rhinos from 57 to 60.

Javan rhinos are the most threatened of the five rhino species, and according to the IUCN there are three recognised subspecies Rhinoceros sondaicus sondaicus, Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus, and Rhinoceros sondaicus inermis (Extinct) The subspecies Rhinoceros sondaicus sondaicus formerly occurred from Thailand through Malaysia, to the islands of Java and Sumatra (Indonesia). However today the only remaining population occurs on the Ujung Kulon Peninsula (which forms the westernmost extremity of the island of Java. They are a dusky grey colour and has a single horn of up to about 10 inches


Watch some footage of one above (Credit: Ujung Kulon National Park)

Source ...

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 ...

Conservationist's claims that European eels are 'critically endangered' challenged by trader

The conservation body that assesses the level of threat to animal species has been reported to the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) by a company that sells eels – for describing the fish as "critically endangered".

The classification, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), suggests the European eel is at greater risk of extinction than giant pandas, blue whales and mountain gorillas, all considered to be merely "endangered".

Peter Wood, who owns the Gloucester-based UK Glass Eels, which sells eels as food, said that since the designation in 2010 the European market for eels had shrunk by 50 per cent.

"There's a lot at stake," he said. "The eel classification is damaging. It's not a balanced view and it's not evidence-based. The giant panda is 'endangered', but it's at far greater risk than the eel – there are only 2,000 of them left. For the eel, we are talking about a population of hundreds of thousands of millions."

continued ...

Poison feared as seven Sumatran elephants found dead

Dozens of the critically endangered animals have been killed on Indonesian island in recent years

Seven Sumatran elephants have been found dead in western Indonesia and it is thought they were poisoned, a wildlife official said on Monday.

Dozens of the critically endangered animals have died after being poisoned in recent years on Sumatra as the creatures come into conflict with humans due to the rapid expansion of palm oil plantations that destroy their habitat.

The latest to die were an adult female, five male teenagers, and a male calf believed to be from the same herd, said local wildlife agency spokesman Muhammad Zanir.

The remains were found on 16 February just outside Tesso Nilo national park and it is thought they died five months earlier, he said.

"There is an indication that they were poisoned," he said. "Some people may consider the elephants a threat to their palm oil plantations and poison them."

Continued

Tourism best hope for critically endangered lemurs

By Melissa HogenboomScience reporter, BBC News

Madagascar's lemurs - the world's most threatened primate - could be saved from extinction by eco-tourism, conservationists say.

The big-eyed fluffy creatures are unique to the island but their numbers have declined dramatically in recent years.

Now researchers have unveiled a survival plan that combines tourism with increased conservation efforts.

Writing in Science, the team says the project will cost £4.6m ($7.6m),

There are over 100 species of lemur known to science, the majority of which are at dangerously low levels, largely due to habitat loss from illegal logging.

Madagascar is the only known home of these species as its unique location, split off from the African mainland, has allowed the primates to evolve in near isolation.

Read on

Is this the world's saddest shark? 'Labrador of the sea' saved after it was nearly strangled to death by elastic cord

Critically endangered 1.5 metre grey nurse shark pulled from polluted water after becoming tangled 

Seven-person team required to free the shark in off Sydney beach

Spieces is known for placid nature despite ferocious appearance

By RYAN LIPMAN

PUBLISHED: 02:17, 21 February 2014 | UPDATED: 04:00, 21 February 2014

A critically endangered grey nurse shark was on the verge of death and needed to be rescued after its head and gills became tangled in elastic cord.

The 1.5metre creature was spotted by diver Peter Simpson at Magic Point near Maroubra Beach in Sydney, Australia.

A seven-strong team, made up of Sea Life staff, a vet and Department of Primary Industries fisheries expert, was then dispatched to rescue the shark . They eventually managed to coax the female juvenile into a plastic 'sock'.

Once in the 'sock' the shark was brought safely to the surface on a stretcher where the rope was then removed from its gills and it was provided antibiotic treatment in a life-saving intervention.

A victim of polluted water, the lucky shark was given a second chance at life through the risky procedure performed by the team.

Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary life sciences manager Rob Townsend said the shark would have died without the life saving-treatment. 

Read more: 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2564442/Shark-rescued-brink-death-brave-team-helped-pull-polluted-water-risky-procedure.html#ixzz2tzWJio6M

New to Nature No 116: Cyanea kauaulaensis

There are no clearer bellwethers of the widening biodiversity crisis than newly named species that are already critically endangered when christened. A recent example is the bellflower Cyanea kauaulaensis described from Maui by Dr Hank Oppenheimer of the University of Hawaii and Dr David H Lorence of the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Kalaheo. Sadly, this new plant joins nearly 200 native species in Hawaii that have fewer than 50 known individuals in the wild and that are the focus of Hawaii's Plant Extinction Prevention Program. This lovely plant belongs to the lobelioid bellflowers, all of which are endemic to this island chain. With 125 species, the lobelioids constitute the greatest plant species radiation not only of Hawaii, but of any archipelago on Earth.

Continued

Trafficking of Critically Endangered Madagascar tortoises raging out of control

Since the beginning of the year, more than 1,000 individual tortoises have been seized from would-be smugglers 

May 2013. Illegal trafficking of two critically endangered tortoise species from Madagascar has reached epidemic proportions, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Turtle Survival Alliance, Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership, Turtle Conservancy, Conservation International, World Wildlife Fund and other groups who urge authorities to clamp down on wildlife smuggling before some species are collected out of existence. 

According to the groups, more than 1,000 radiated and ploughshare tortoises have been confiscated from smugglers in the first three months of 2013 alone. In late March, 54 ploughshare tortoises made it as far as Thailand before being seized by authorities. A recent report by TRAFFIC states that the radiated tortoise is now the most common tortoise for sale in Bangkok's infamous Chatuchak wildlife market. 

Huge increase in smuggling

The groups say that since the beginning of Madagascar's continuing political crisis in 2009, smuggling has increased by at least ten-fold due to weak governance and rule-of-law. In addition, erosion of cultural protection of the tortoises for short term monetary gain has contributed to their sharp decline. In the past, tortoises were protected by "fady" - a local belief that harming the tortoises is taboo. However, with years of drought and increasing levels of poverty, people from regions outside the tortoise's natural range, who do not practice these types of fady, are capturing and illegally selling tortoises. 

Iconic species

"These tortoises are truly one of Madagascar's most iconic species," said James Deutsch, WCS Executive Director for Africa Programs. "This level of exploitation is unsustainable. Unless immediate action is taken to better protect the wild populations, their extinction is imminent." 

Continued: http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/madagascar-tortoise-traffic.html

Largest ever seizure of Critically Endangered Ploughshare Tortoises made in Thailand

Hundreds of protected tortoises found at Bangkok Airport

March 2013. Just a day after the close a global wildlife trade conference here in Bangkok, authorities at Suvarnabhumi International Airport made two big seizures, discovering hundreds of threatened tortoises and apprehending two smugglers. Among the tortoises seized were some of the rarest in the world.

Authorities arrested a 38-year-old Thai man as he was attempting to collect a bag containing tortoises from Madagascar, from a luggage carousel, at the airport. The bag was registered to a 25-year-old woman who had flown from Madagascar to Bangkok via Nairobi the same day.

54 Ploughshare tortoises and 21 Radiated Tortoises
Royal Thai Customs officers and their counterparts in the CITES management authority found 54 Ploughshare Tortoises and 21 Radiated Tortoises Astrochelys radiata, both of which are assessed as being Critically Endangered.

Critically Endangered
Ploughshare and Radiated Tortoises are endemic to Madagascar, totally protected in the country and are both listed in CITES Appendix I. The wild population of Ploughshare Tortoises, considered among the rarest species in the world, is estimated to be as few as 400 individuals, and is declining fast.

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/bangkok-tortoises.html

Endangered sharks return to Bahamas 'home'

By Ella Davies, Reporter, BBC Nature

Oceanic whitetip sharks return home to protected Bahamas waters, surprising scientists.

Previously thought to be wide-ranging animals, a tagging survey has revealed that the sharks frequently revisit the same areas around the island.

Conservationists have listed the sharks as Vulnerable globally and Critically Endangered in parts of their range.

Experts suggest that the island nation's marine protected area is assisting the species.

The findings are published in the online journal PLoS One.

Oceanic whitetips are named for the distinctive white flashes at the end of their fins.

They are opportunistic predators with powerful jaws and as such are considered one of the more dangerous sharks to humans, although the number of unprovoked attacks on people is small.

Continued: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/21497049

Vietnam's alleged last Siamese crocodile killed

A 1m iron stake which was believed to be used by hunters was also found near the deceased reptile.

“The animal’s meat has changed color and no blood was found inside. Its skin has peeled off into separate pieces. This proves that the crocodile died three days ago,” Tran Van Bang, a biological specialist, explained.

The reptile is classified as a critically-endangered Siamese crocodile (crocodylus siamensis) on the Red List of IUCN (The International Union for Conservation of Nature).

According to experts, the crocodile is a female that was nearly 100 years old.

After the animal was disemboweled, Bang put his hands deep into its abdomen to search for something.

A moment later, he disappointedly announced: “No eggs were found.”

“If eggs were found inside its abdomen, this would mean that she had been inseminated and that at least one male Siamese crocodile individual is still living in the lake,” Bang explained.

“It is likely that this is the last Siamese crocodile of its kind in the wild in Vietnam,” Dr. Vu Ngoc Long, an ecological expert, told Tuoi Tre.

Continued:  http://www.tuoitrenews.vn/cmlink/tuoitrenews/society/vietnam-s-alleged-last-siamese-crocodile-killed-1.87564

Hope for Tunisia's oryx and addax

Courtesy of the Sahara Conservation Fund

November 2012. With the aftermath of the Arab Spring still being played out in front of the world's media, conservation work away from the spotlights is helping Tunisia restore its once vibrant large mammal fauna. Almost 50 years since Tunisia's Forest Law laid down the basis for wildlife conservation in the country, the results are on the whole positive. 

Many desert species, like the Dorcas gazelle and the North African ostrich, enjoy the relative safety of the semi-wild in restored habitats inside a significant network of protected areas. However, the most striking success is probably the return of the large antelopes, the scimitar-horned oryx and addax, which existed in large herds but are now considered extinct in the Wild and Critically Endangered by IUCN respectively.

The reintroduction of antelopes into a network of relatively small, fenced protected areas poses particular challenges because of inherent risks to small isolated populations.

Hence, in collaboration with Sahara Conservation Fund, Marwell Wildlife is starting a 2-year project to assess the impact of increasing numbers of oryx on their habitat and the effects of limited space on the performance of the population in Dghoumes National Park. The results will help inform management of the species, and create a practicable monitoring system that could be applied more widely.

180 oryx now in Tunisia
It is now 27 years since the first group of scimitar-horned oryx was brought back to Tunisia from UK zoos. Several other imports have occurred since then and there are now about 180 individuals in four protected areas (Bou Hedma, Sidi Toui, Oued Dekouk and Dghoumes).

Read on:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/tunisia-addax.html

569 Radiated Tortoises seized at Airport in Madagascar - via Herp Digest

by Heather Lowe, 10/12/12 Turtle Survival Alliance

On October 10, two Asian passengers on an Air Madagascar flight to Bangkok, Thailand and Guangzhou, China were arrested at Ivato International Airport after attempting to smuggle four suitcases full of 569 Critically Endangered Radiated Tortoises (Astrochelys radiata) through customs.  This is a record number seizure for this airport in the capital city of Antananarivo. After the confiscation, the Malagasy Forestry Authority mandated the Turtle Survival Alliance to look after the baby tortoises. Of the group, three were already dead and ten are currently in very poor condition.

This is the second major tortoise confiscation in the past two weeks and is already overwhelming our resources to care for them properly. This underscores the critical need for another regional rescue center in the south where tortoises can be moved immediately following seizure for quarantine, treatment and long-term care prior to their release back into protected areas.

Herilala Randriamahazo (TSA Malagasy Tortoise Conservation Coordinator) has been scrambling ever since the confiscation to care for the tortoises, along with the help of the Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership (MBP) staff. The tortoises are currently being housed at the offices shared by the TSA and the MBP in Antananarivo, but there are not sufficient facilities available there to house the massive influx of animals. Right now, many are making their home on the terrace out of necessity! They will be kept there until the investigation against the poachers is complete and the TSA is given permission to move forward with reintroduction plans that will send the tortoises back to the spiny forests in the south.

In the meantime, plans are underway to construct additional pens on site and to transform a part of the existing garden to better manage the tortoises. Part-time keepers will have to be brought on board to assist with the massive job of caring with such a large group until their eventual release. If you are interested in making a donation toward these efforts (anything will help!) please contact Heather Lowe at the Turtle Survival Alliance for more details.

Asiatic cheetahs forced to hunt livestock

Asiatic cheetahs, one of the world's most endangered animals, are forced to eat livestock in areas where their wild prey is in decline, a study has found.

An international team of scientists working in Iran investigated what the animals ate in places where game numbers had been reduced by poachers.

They found the cats had turned to hunting domestic animals because they could not survive on smaller prey.

Safeguarding the cats needs a clamp down on poaching, the scientists found.

The study is published in the Journal of Arid Environments and addresses a conflict that emerged among Iranian conservationists over the Asiatic cheetah, a subspecies of the cheetah that is "critically endangered" according to the IUCN's Red List.

Read on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/19705131

Illegal wildlife trading in internet's deepest, darkest corners

Bashful and skittish, the Kaiser's spotted newt is intriguing and beautiful. With only around 1,000 adults left in the wild in just four mountain streams in Iran, it is also critically endangered.

But the black, white and orange salamanders are openly on sale for as little as £65 on numerous websites. While these may have been bred in captivity, they are descended from rare individuals taken from the wild, and investigators have identified dealers who say their stocks come from Iran.

Two years ago the Kaiser's spotted newt was listed as one of the first species to be put at risk of extinction by online dealers. Now conservationists are warning that the internet is fueling unprecedented levels of illegal wildlife trade and that for many species this is now the principal threat to their survival.

A report due to be published later this year concludes that a growing proportion of wildlife crime is using "deep web" tools more commonly associated with serious financial criminals, drug traffickers and child pornographers.

"The internet has without a doubt facilitated the huge expansion of illegal international wildlife trading over the last decade," said Crawford Allan, of the wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic. "Rare jewels of the forest can now be caught, boxed and shipped almost overnight just like any other express commodity."

Continued:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/sep/04/illegal-wildlife-trade-internet

Reptiles Repatriated to Philippines - via Herp Digest

Wednesday, August 1, 2012 - TRAFFIC article

 A Reticulated python was among more than 100 reptiles repatriated to the Philippines after they were seized in Hong Kong. Click image to enlarge © Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 1st August 2012 - Over a hundred endangered reptiles confiscated in Hong Kong were flown home to the Philippines today, while the second-time offender who smuggled them, has been slapped with a six-week jail sentence.

The reptiles were discovered in June, in the luggage of a 22-year-old man, and included 43 Philippine Forest Turtles, 46 Southeast Asian Box Turtles, 19 Mindanao Water Monitor Lizards and one Reticulated Python.

The Philippine Forest Turtle Siebenrockiella leytensis is considered a Critically Endangered species on the IUCN Red List.

He was intercepted at the arrival hall of the Hong Kong international airport on June 14 and was prosecuted by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance. 

Under the law, he could have been sentenced to a maximum penalty of HKD 5 million and two years imprisonment.

Alfred Wong, Endangered Species Protection Officer of the AFCD told TRAFFIC that the same man was intercepted for a similar offence in February this year.

In the earlier case, he was caught with 60 reptiles from the Philippines including 20 Philippine Forest Turtles, and was fined HK$8,000 (USD1,030).

“While the authorities are to be congratulated for nabbing this smuggler, it is unfortunate that the penalties given were not higher, much higher, so as to be a more significant deterrent,” said Chris R. Shepherd, Deputy Director of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia.  

“Criminals such as these are committing crimes that in many cases cannot be undone.  Species such as the Philippine Forest Turtle are nearing extinction in the wild, and therefore every effort needs to be made to ensure the poaching, smuggling and illegal buying comes to an end.”

Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) assisted the AFCD with the temporary holding, and care of the reptiles on both occasions. 

All the animals are listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).  The Philippine Forest Turtles and the Mindanao Water Monitor Lizards are endemic species, found only in the Philippines.

After leaving Hong Kong, most of the reptiles will be held at the rescue centre of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources of the Philippines before being released back into the wild. The 39 surviving Philippine Forest Turtles, endemic to the Province of Palawan, will be turned over to the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS) in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan who will subsequently turnover to the Katala Foundation Incorporated for quarantine. The cost of repatriation is being borne by the Philippine Government.

Elusive Bowhead whales revealed by undersea microphones

Critically endangered whales sing like birds; new recordings hint at rebound

August 2012. When a University of Washington researcher listened to the audio picked up by a recording device that spent a year in the icy waters off the east coast of Greenland, she was stunned at what she heard: whales singing a remarkable variety of songs nearly constantly for five wintertime months.

Kate Stafford, an oceanographer with UW's Applied Physics Lab, set out to find if any endangered bowhead whales passed through the Fram Strait, an inhospitable, ice-covered stretch of sea between Greenland and the northern islands of Norway. Only around 40 sightings of bowhead whales, which were hunted almost to extinction, have been reported there since the 1970s.

Stafford and colleagues put two hydrophones, or underwater microphones, on moorings attached to the seafloor in Fram Strait, leaving them there for as long as the batteries would last: nearly a year. Since the population of bowhead whales likely to pass through was thought to number in the tens, they didn't anticipate much interesting data.

Gobsmacked by results
"We hoped to record a few little grunts and moans," Stafford said. "We were not expecting to get five months of straight singing."

Not only did they record singing nearly every hour of the day and night, they picked up more than 60 unique songs.

The variety of tunes was so surprising that the researchers compared the whales' song catalog to that of birds.

"Whether individual singers display one, multiple or even all call types, the size of the song repertoire for... bowheads in 2008-2009 is remarkable and more closely approaches that of songbirds than other... whales," they wrote in the report.

Read on:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/bowhead-singing.html

Securing a safe future for sawfishes

Shark and ray experts from around the world gathered last week at the Zoological Society of London to address the plight of the most threatened marine fishes in the world – the sawfishes. The group, convened by the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Shark Specialist Group, is breaking new ground with the development of a focused global action plan to bring these iconic species back from the brink of extinction.

Once found in tropical and subtropical waters throughout the world, all species of sawfish are now listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. They have been revered by coastal societies throughout the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Oceans for centuries. Today, ancient art, folklore, and mythology are almost all that is left to remind us of how widespread and abundant they were. Sawfishes are still featured on Thai postage stamps and West African currency, but the chance of seeing a sawfish in either region, or anywhere else other than the USA or Australia, is exceedingly low.

As their name suggests, sawfishes can be easily identified by their long, toothed rostra or “saws”. Long valued for medicinal and cultural purposes, and as curios, this most distinctive feature has been central to their downfall. The rostra are easily entangled in all kinds of fishing nets that are used extensively throughout the shallow coastal waters and river estuaries where sawfishes live.

Read on:  http://www.iucnredlist.org/news/securing-a-safe-future-for-sawfishes