Greater Mekong: 10 years, 1068 new species discovered

For over ten years, researchers have toiled away in the Greater Mekong region, uncovering its secrets. A WWF report describes the region as the "richest waterway for biodiversity on the planet, fostering more species per unit area than the Amazon". Quantitatively speaking, in number of species, that's 20,000 plants, 1,200 birds, 800 reptiles and amphibians, 430 mammals and at least 1,300 fish. Of these, the new discoveries include 519 plants, 279 fish, 88 frogs, 88 spiders, 46 lizards, 22 snakes, 15 mammals, 4 birds, 4 turtles, 2 salamanders and a toad. And to imagine that most of them lay unknown to science until a decade ago. This funky chap (above) is the Dragon Millipede (Desmoxytes purpurosea), and it has a bodily function that will greatly interest terrorist groups. Our pink friend secretes cyanide, and if you have the guts to pop one of these bubblegum-coloured critters and chew well, you will soon be history. And this tempting resident of the Garden of Eden (above) is the Gumprecht's green pitviper (Trimeresurus gumprechti). The yellow spots are the eyes, and the dark pits below them are used as heat-sensing devices. Much meaner than meets the eye, the Burmese Spitting Cobra (Naja mandalayensis) (below), discovered in 2000, is another venomous customer. Among the new species of birds is this Naung Mung Scimitar Babbler (Jabouilleia naungmungensis) (above). The Woolly Bat (above), the Laotian Rock Rat (below), and the Annamite Striped Rabbit (bottom) are the most intriguing mammalian finds. The rock rat, believed to have been extinct for millions of years, was found in a local food market! WWF has more

Fur trade: When animals die for people

Via PETA: a heart-rending video of animals being skinned alive for their fur If you don't have the stomach for it, here's what the video is about: In China's Hebei province, workers are skinning raccoon dogs alive. PETA claims that over half of the finished fur garments imported for sale in the USA are sourced from China. It's gross, it's nauseating and it's horribly cruel. And it makes me want to step into that video and beat the balls out of those Chinese assholes who are bludgeoning those raccoon dogs and skinning them while they are still twitching. What are those bloodless bastards made of? Do us a good turn and recruit them to fight terrorism instead. I'm certainly not a fan of the philosophies of PETA and CUPA and suchlike animal rights movements that, in my not-so-valuable opinion, cry themselves hoarse for most of the wrong reasons. Their passion for animal rights is misled and most often obstructive to genuine causes, as in the case of urban stray dog control and the eradication of dogs from wildlife sanctuaries (see my earlier post on Sultanpur). But this video, coming from PETA as it does, is genuinely upsetting. Let me put this clearly: I am not against farming animals for food but I am opposed to the hunting of wild animals for food or trade or whatever other purpose they may serve (in this category fall all the reasons the Chinese employ to persecute wildlife). But the fur trade is something else. It is more dangerous than the trade in ivory or the killing of animals for bushmeat or the hunting of tigers and rhinos for their body parts. In terms of severity, it is perhaps surpassed only by whaling. And the primary reason for that is the legitimacy accorded to it. Fur isn't a necessity to anyone other than the Inuit. It's a high-end luxury. And so much cruelty for the luxury and profitability of some people is just plain wrong. And that needs to be fought. Those who can afford fur don't necessarily care where it comes from and how it is made. If the fur trade were like shearing sheep (where the animals remain alive) or extracting leather (where the animals are dead anyway), I wouldn't be writing this post. In the fur trade, ethics and trade pass each other by without mutual recognition. On the one side is a multi-billion dollar industry endorsed by some of the biggest names in the fashion apparel business. On the other, there is the heartless treatment of animals that are killed for their fur. PETA deserves credit for getting this video out to the world. If it doesn't bring up your lunch, I am sure it will make you think twice before you wear fur (when you have the money for it). But then, I also have a word or three for the other causes that PETA supports and encourages. I'm an animal lover, but I am also (in my belief) rational in my choice of chauvinisms. I am indifferent to cats. I love dogs. But I don't like having either of them in wildlife sanctuaries. Because dogs and cats aren't wildlife. They are adjuncts of our so-called human civilization and, much like humans, out of place and dangerous in a wild ecosystem. If left with a choice, I'd risk not keeping a pet than keep it in a way that can negatively impact its surroundings, and itself. I think that is the cause that PETA and CUPA and suchlike should really advocate: As far as possible, leave animals alone. If that cannot be done, interact with them, study them, protect them in order to leave them alone. Farm them ethically. Eat them if you will. But in that case, breed them to be eaten. And breed them in humane and ethical ways. And if they must be killed to be eaten, since meat from an animal or bird that died of natural causes is considered neither palatable nor hygienic, kill them painlessly. But never, never hunt them. That video is a bit of a tummy-turner. It came via email, along with a petition. Since I do not sign online petitions for the reason that I think my contribution to any cause should be in the form of time and effort, this post is warranted. And anyone caught wearing fur must be forced to sit down in front of a giant screen with their eyelids taped open and made to watch this video in slow motion and surround sound.

Sex - beastly and bizarre

Over at Short Sharp Science (the New Scientist blog), I ran into a post that lists ten animal behaviours that are absolutely bizarre. Of these, prurient soul that I am, I selected just a few sensational behaviours related to their sex lives:


Shark bites, love bites: The male White-tipped Reef Shark grips the female with his teeth to ensure that his mate doesn't get away from his amorous advances or until he hears from his dentist, whichever is sooner.


Say it with weeds: Male Amazon River Dolphins, or Boutou, present bouquets of seaweed to other dolphins in the hope that they will mate with them. Big business awaits underwater florists, er... weedists.


Husband attached, bare essentials only: Chances are you haven't heard of the male Leafvent Anglerfish. He latches on to the female of his choice by his privates and just wastes away. When it's time, all that's left of him - his unspeakables - fire sperm into her and knocks her up. Eerie, eh? 


Mate, or die trying: Man or mouse, this simple adage holds true. The male marsupial mouse mates only once in his lifetime, and he dies trying to keep other males from ravishing his promiscuous mate. Total tragedy, any way you look at it. 


More here

Red alert for red squirrels

Numbers of the Red Squirrel, once Britain's pride, started to dwindle when its more aggressive cousin, the American Grey Squirrel, was introduced in the country. With protection, the Red Squirrel clawed back. But recently, the squirrels have gone missing and scientists fear that a virus - squirrelpox - has wiped the animals out. What is even more alarming is that with winter approaching, many more squirrels may not make it. Ironically, grey squirrels carry the virus but are not affected by it.

The Guardian has more

Technorati Tags: squirrel, grey squirrel, red squirrel, virus, squirrelpox

Life, now in an encyclopedia

The second newsletter from the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) is out. This fascinating and ambitious project compiles the work of several researchers in a very attractive and user-friendly format. A web of webs, it comprises several sites linked together in a daisy chain, sort of like life itself. Content partners include the Catalogue of Life Partnership, Tree of Life, Global Biodiversity Information Facility, IUCN, FishBase, AmphibiaWeb, BioLib, BioPix, etc. EOL's picture galleries are powered by Microsoft PhotoSynth and what's better is that it brings the best of Web 2.0 to the screen. You can contribute species pictures to the EOL Flickr group. EOL even invites users to become curators and donors. Everything is free as of now, and it will be wonderful if they can keep it that way.