Category: Endangered Species

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Scientists Make Mistakes…and Sometimes They Create New Fish

Science is a process. It follows a method, but it’s all about learning.

And sometimes the best learning comes from mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes, right?

Well last year, scientists at a lab in Hungary had a real OOPS moment.

But after the OOPS comes the learning.

Their hearts were in the right place. At the Research Institute for Fisheries and Aquaculture, they just wanted to try to preserve critically endangered species.

Their focus was the Russian sturgeon, also known as the diamond sturgeon.

Image credit: GlobalP via iStock

As Popular Mechanics explains:

The research team tried to breed more Russian sturgeons via gynogenesis, a type of asexual reproduction in which sperm is necessary but leaves no traces of its DNA behind.

As a result, the offspring ends up with 100 percent maternal DNA (and none from the paternal contributor.)

Easy-peasy, right?

The plan was to use sperm from another endangered species, the American paddlefish.

Image credit: tunart via iStock

What came next was completely unexpected.

Instead of merely fertilizing the eggs and then disappearing into the ether, the sperm actually fused with the eggs, creating a hybrid fish, affectionately known as a “sturddlefish.”

SCIENCE, am I right?

This new, uninentional hybrid species had some interesting differences.

Again, Popular Mechanics explains:

Some are close to an even 50/50 genetic split between their two parents, but others appear more sturgeon-like while others have stronger paddlefish traits.

The differences include things like what the fish like to eat.

Sturgeons are carnivores. They feast on smaller sea creatures like mollusks and crustaceans.

Paddlefish, however, prefer plankton, which are not exactly vegetables, but are microscopic organisms quite different from the usual sturgeon diet.

Not all of the hatched hybrids survived, but of those that did, some preferred a sturgeon diet and others preferred the plankton.

According to The New York Times about 100 of this new species survived.

And while the accident has proven an interesting one, the team has no intention of creating any more hybrids.

Sorry little sturddlefish.

What do you think about this wild story? Are you here for creating weird new animal hybrids? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.

The post Scientists Make Mistakes…and Sometimes They Create New Fish appeared first on UberFacts.

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These Pictures of Endangered Animals Have as Many Pixels as There Are Remaining Members of the Species

We’re seeing a mass extinction of animals and plants from the face of the earth at a frightening pace. It’s strange to think that our children or grandchildren will live in a world where giraffes or white rhinos could cease to exist in the wild – could, perhaps, vanish altogether.

Every Pixels is one animal. The more pixelated the image, the closer it is to extinction.

The World Wildlife Fund wanted to shine a spotlight on the often-forgotten but still looming tragedy, so they worked with creative designers Nami Hoshino, Yoshiyuki Mikami, and Kazuhiro Mochizuki at Hakuhodo C&D in Tokyo to create the concept of population pixelation.

Image Credit: JJSmooth44

Image Credit: JJSmooth44

Recently, Imgur user JJSmooth44 made a followup to the project then posted it on Imgur and Reddit, and people seem just as taken.

Image Credit: JJSmooth44

Image Credit: JJSmooth44

The results, as you can see, are stark and sad.

Image Credit: JJSmooth44

Sadder still? These population declines are all driven by humans.

Image Credit: JJSmooth44

Image Credit: JJSmooth44

Will we do something to turn the tide in time?

Image Credit: JJSmooth44

That remains to be seen.

Image Credit: JJSmooth44

But as long as there are a few pixels left, there’s still hope.

The post These Pictures of Endangered Animals Have as Many Pixels as There Are Remaining Members of the Species appeared first on UberFacts.

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Zoos Are No Longer Able to Acquire African Elephants from the Wild

You might have already assumed that trade in wild African elephants – and endangered species in general – was illegal, even if it was a zoo that was looking to take one in.

We would have been wrong.

Though hopefully that won’t be the case for much longer.

At the 18th meeting of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, members from over 180 countries reassessed regulations on international elephant trade. A vast majority of the the representatives voted to end the capture and sale of wild African elephants for display in zoos worldwide.

The issue will go for a vote in front of the full conference, but with 46 of the 83 countries in favor, it looks to have a good chance of passing.

Iris Ho, a senior policy advisor at Humane Society International (HSI), told Bloomberg that everyone in the business of supporting endangered species sees this as a win.

“It’s a huge step forward. It’s really historic that the majority of the parties present recognized that African elephants should not be captured in the wild, sent to zoos and be kept in captivity for the rest of their lives.”

The ban would largely affect countries in southern Africa, where elephant populations are healthier and herds are regularly thinned for the purpose of selling them to zoos. Zimbabwe alone sold over 100 wild-caught baby elephants to China in the past 7 years, and the issue of separating calves from their mothers and the rest of the herd certainly has animal welfare experts concerned.

“Calves suffer psychological and physical harm when taken from their mothers,” explains elephant biologist Audrey Delsink of HSI Africa. “Zoos and other captive facilities force these calves to live in an unnatural, unhealthy environment that doesn’t meet their complex needs.”

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Did you know that African elephants are the largest land animals on Earth? They are slightly larger than their Asian cousins and can be identified by their large ears that look like the continent of Africa. Their ears radiate heat to help keep them cool, but sometimes the African heat can be too much so they use their trunk to give themselves a shower. Elephants eat roots, grasses, fruits, and bark and they eat a lot of it. In fact, an adult elephant can consume up to 300 pounds of food a day. Female elephants have a longer pregnancy than any other mammal (22 months) and usually give birth to one calf. In 2018, Tarangire’s famed Eloise was the oldest elephant to give birth to twin calves. Source of information: National Geographic https://www.wanderlusttours.org #wanderlust #tours #africa #tanzani #tarangirenationalpark #tarangire #elephants #africanelephants #thisisafrica #travel #concioustravel #mindfultravel

A post shared by Wanderlust Tours (@wanderlusttoursafrica) on

Elephant trade has long been a hot topic, with African nations often territorial about managing their own wildlife without outside interference. Black market demands for ivory has drastically increased elephant poaching in the last few decades, though, so organizations like CITES feel as if they have a duty to protect the endangered species as if it belongs to the world, and not only to its endemic areas in Africa.

Over a million species are listed as at risk thanks to all manner of human activity, so committees like CITES are set to have busy years as they work to revamp how different species are protected around the globe.

“Nature’s dangerous decline is unprecedented,” says CITES Secretary General Ivonne Higuero. “Business as usual is no longer an option.”

I feel like that statement applies to environmental challenges all over the globe, and I hope there are people in every nook and cranny waiting to step up to do their part to save us all.

The post Zoos Are No Longer Able to Acquire African Elephants from the Wild appeared first on UberFacts.

Posted on

Zoos Are No Longer Able to Acquire African Elephants from the Wild

You might have already assumed that trade in wild African elephants – and endangered species in general – was illegal, even if it was a zoo that was looking to take one in.

We would have been wrong.

Though hopefully that won’t be the case for much longer.

At the 18th meeting of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, members from over 180 countries reassessed regulations on international elephant trade. A vast majority of the the representatives voted to end the capture and sale of wild African elephants for display in zoos worldwide.

The issue will go for a vote in front of the full conference, but with 46 of the 83 countries in favor, it looks to have a good chance of passing.

Iris Ho, a senior policy advisor at Humane Society International (HSI), told Bloomberg that everyone in the business of supporting endangered species sees this as a win.

“It’s a huge step forward. It’s really historic that the majority of the parties present recognized that African elephants should not be captured in the wild, sent to zoos and be kept in captivity for the rest of their lives.”

The ban would largely affect countries in southern Africa, where elephant populations are healthier and herds are regularly thinned for the purpose of selling them to zoos. Zimbabwe alone sold over 100 wild-caught baby elephants to China in the past 7 years, and the issue of separating calves from their mothers and the rest of the herd certainly has animal welfare experts concerned.

“Calves suffer psychological and physical harm when taken from their mothers,” explains elephant biologist Audrey Delsink of HSI Africa. “Zoos and other captive facilities force these calves to live in an unnatural, unhealthy environment that doesn’t meet their complex needs.”

View this post on Instagram

Did you know that African elephants are the largest land animals on Earth? They are slightly larger than their Asian cousins and can be identified by their large ears that look like the continent of Africa. Their ears radiate heat to help keep them cool, but sometimes the African heat can be too much so they use their trunk to give themselves a shower. Elephants eat roots, grasses, fruits, and bark and they eat a lot of it. In fact, an adult elephant can consume up to 300 pounds of food a day. Female elephants have a longer pregnancy than any other mammal (22 months) and usually give birth to one calf. In 2018, Tarangire’s famed Eloise was the oldest elephant to give birth to twin calves. Source of information: National Geographic https://www.wanderlusttours.org #wanderlust #tours #africa #tanzani #tarangirenationalpark #tarangire #elephants #africanelephants #thisisafrica #travel #concioustravel #mindfultravel

A post shared by Wanderlust Tours (@wanderlusttoursafrica) on

Elephant trade has long been a hot topic, with African nations often territorial about managing their own wildlife without outside interference. Black market demands for ivory has drastically increased elephant poaching in the last few decades, though, so organizations like CITES feel as if they have a duty to protect the endangered species as if it belongs to the world, and not only to its endemic areas in Africa.

Over a million species are listed as at risk thanks to all manner of human activity, so committees like CITES are set to have busy years as they work to revamp how different species are protected around the globe.

“Nature’s dangerous decline is unprecedented,” says CITES Secretary General Ivonne Higuero. “Business as usual is no longer an option.”

I feel like that statement applies to environmental challenges all over the globe, and I hope there are people in every nook and cranny waiting to step up to do their part to save us all.

The post Zoos Are No Longer Able to Acquire African Elephants from the Wild appeared first on UberFacts.

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More Than 28,000 Species Are Now on a Collision Course with Extinction

There’s no denying that the planet is warming, people are invading every last corner of the globe, and pollution is at an all-time high  – all of which combines to mean that there are thousands of species in danger of disappearing from the earth forever.

For the first time since it began in 1964, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s list of threatened species has surpassed 100,000. 9,000 were added in the past year, bringing the total to 105,732, and a full third of those – 28,338 species – are staring down extinction if nothing changes.

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Visual definition of the term: CONNECTION

A post shared by Dreaming Elephants (@dreaming.elephants) on

Freshwater fish are particularly at risk these days, with half of all species endemic to Japan threatened and a third of those from Mexico facing the same fate. The IUCN lists agricultural and urban pollution, loss of free-flowing rivers, dams, weirs, fishing, and invasive species as the main reasons for decline.

“To halt these declines, we urgently need policies on the human use of freshwaters that allow for the needs of the many other species sharing these ecosystems,” argues Willam Darwall, head of the IUCN’s Freshwater Biodiversity Unit.

Saltwater inhabitants are hardly faring much better, with an entire group known as Rhino rays ready to disappear in the wild at the drop of a hat. Though not technically sharks, their dorsal fins are making them targets of the same people decimating the world’s shark population for shark fin soup.

“To prevent losing these ray families, it is critical that governments immediately establish and enforce species protections,  bycatch mitigation programs, marine protected areas, and international trade controls,” warns expert Colin Simpfendorder.

500 deep-sea bony fishes have also been added to the list, endangered by deep-sea fishing, seabed mining, and the oil and gas industries.

On land, 7 new primate species find themselves officially endangered, 6 of which reside in West Africa. The IUCN says as many as 40% of West and Central African primates are threatened with extinction, including the roloway monkey, hunted for its meat. Deforestation also plays a critical role in the displacement and struggle many species face.

“With more than 100,000 species now assessed for the IUCN’s Red List, this update clearly shows how much humans around the world are overexploiting wildlife,” says IUCN Acting Director General Dr. Grethel Aguilar.

“We must wake up to the fact that conserving nature’s diversity is in our interest, and is absolutely fundamental to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. States, businesses and civil society must urgently act to halt the overexploitation of nature, and must respect and support local communities and Indigenous Peoples in strengthening sustainable livelihoods.”

Here’s hoping enough people listen before it’s too late.

The post More Than 28,000 Species Are Now on a Collision Course with Extinction appeared first on UberFacts.