‘New’ prehistoric lizard called after Jim Morrison

This video, in Spanish, is about the discovery of the fossil lizard Barbaturex morrisoni.

From The Sticky Tongue Project blog:

New Species of Lizard Discovered

A new species of lizard doesn’t come along every day. Even less common is a new lizard species named for a 1960s rock star. But that’s exactly what University of Iowa paleoanthropologist Russell Ciochon and his co-authors reveal in an article published in the June 5 issue of the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. (The complete paper can be found here.)

The lizard was a plant-eater, like present-day iguanas, that lived in the jungles in Southeast Asia about 40 million years ago. At some 60 pounds and six feet in length, the lizard was one of the largest of its kind—making it a veritable “king” of land-dwelling lizards.

As for the name, “Barbaturex morrisoni,” the researchers say it just fit.

“Barbatus” is from the Latin, which means “bearded,” and “rex,” means “king”—so the name refers to the presence of ventral ridges along the underside of the mandible, as well as the giant size of the lizard, says Ciochon (pronounced sha-HAHN).

“The species name honors vocalist Jim Morrison,” Ciochon says. “We did take some liberty in naming the new species after rock legend Jim Morrison, who is known as the ‘Lizard King.’”

Because of the lyrics of his song Celebration Of The Lizard.

This music video from the USA is called Jim Morrison – Celebration Of The Lizard (Full Version).

Lead author Jason Head of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln says, “I was listening to The Doors quite a bit during the research. Some of their musical imagery includes reptiles and ancient places, and Jim Morrison was of course ‘The Lizard King,’ so it all kind of came together.”

Ciochon says the lizard itself was a product of its times, evolving about 40 million years ago when the climate was as much as 9 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than it is today. A warmer and moister environment would have encouraged the growth and evolution of subtropical vegetation, which would have provided resources allowing for larger reptiles and mammals. Likewise, it was probably climate change and cooler temperatures that altered the food supply and led to the eventual extinction of Barbaturex morrisoni, he says.

“Species that are adapted to narrow niches often go extinct when the niche changes or disappears completely,” Ciochon says.

Surprisingly, the research that resulted in Barbaturex morrisoni almost never came about because the discovery is based upon fossils that Ciochon helped find some 35 years ago in Burma and which had been stored in California for decades.

“The fossils were found on Dec. 25, 1978, on my second expedition to Burma (Myanmar) at the beginning of my career,” says Ciochon.

Ciochon and University of California, Berkeley, Professor Donald E. Savage, who died in 1999, collected many vertebrate fossils, including the primate fossils that were the focus of their expedition. The lizard fossils were stored in the University of California Museum of Paleontology and forgotten until about 15 years ago when another trip to Burma caused Ciochon to remember them. Eventually, Ciochon and colleagues contacted Jason Head of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and requested his help in describing the find.

When Head first examined the fossils (a total of 10 specimens of the same species), he noticed the creature’s bones were characteristic of a group of modern lizards that includes bearded dragons, chameleons and plant-eaters like spiny-tailed lizards.

Head says: “I thought, ‘That’s neat. Based on its teeth, it’s a plant-eating lizard from a time period and a place from which we don’t have a lot of information.’ But when I started studying its modern relatives, I realized just how big this lizard was. It struck me that we had something here that was quite large, and quite unique.”

See also here.

Related articles

• Ancient ‘Lizard King’ Named After The Doors’ Jim Morrison (natureworldnews.com)
• New Species of Ancient Giant Asian Lizard Named After Doors Singer Jim Morrison (sciencespacerobots.com)
• Jim Morrison Now Officially “The Lizard King” (wncx.cbslocal.com)
• Real-Life ‘Lizard King’ Named for Doors’ Jim Morrison (livescience.com)
• UNL researcher helps discover ‘Lizard King’ (journalstar.com)
• Ancient Lizard “Barbaturex Morrisoni” Named After Lizard King (wxrt.cbslocal.com)
• Giant ‘lizard king’ that roamed the Earth 40 million years ago has been named after The Doors’ frontman Jim Morrison (dailymail.co.uk)

British discoveries of wildlife, but no cicadas

This video from Britain is called How a smartphone could become an endangered cicada detector.

From Wildlife Extra:

Search for Britain’s only cicada finds rare wildlife, but no cicada

Close, but no Cicada

June 2013. Rare species of moth, bat and plant were discovered in the New Forest National Park during a 24-hour census of wildlife. Enthusiasts young and old were joined by a host of experts over the weekend in this year’s BioBlitz, organised by the New Forest National Park Authority.

500 species recorded

There were more than 1,200 finds with about 500 different species surveyed including the rare and aptly named moth Scarce Merveille du Jour, and the Daubenton’s bat which was recorded for the first time at Roydon Woods Nature Reserve near Brockenhurst.

No Cicada

But there were no sign of the elusive New Forest cicada despite help from a new smartphone app developed by scientists at the University of Southampton. The rare singing insect is the UK’s only native cicada and hasn’t been seen since 1993, although some evidence of its presence was found in 2000. The ‘Cicada Hunt’ app was launched at the BioBlitz and can pick up the insect’s distinctive mating calls which it sings from May to July. More than 200 people have already downloaded the free software since it was released on 3 June, but so far its songs haven’t been heard.

Next month is the best time to search

Dr Alex Rogers, from the University’s Faculty of Physical Sciences and Engineering, said: ‘The next month or so is the ideal time to search for the New Forest cicada. It likes warm, still, sunny weather, and is most likely to be found in sunny clearings, where it will sing for a few hours either side of midday.’

The cicada app is available now for both iPhone and Android smartphones on the iTunes and Google Play app stores. Search for ‘Cicada Hunt’. To find out more about the New Forest Cicada Project go to www.newforestcicada.info.

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Rare dragonfly back in Cambridgeshire, England

This video says about itself:

The Norfolk Hawker – its life, laying eggs and getting killed by a hairy dragonfly.

From Wildlife Extra:

Rare dragonfly returns to Cambridgeshire after 120 years

Rare Norfolk Hawker moves to Cambridgeshire!

June 2013. The British Dragonfly Society has confirmed that a new breeding population of rare Norfolk Hawker dragonflies has been found at Paxton Pits Nature Reserve, Little Paxton, Cambridgeshire, a reserve managed by Huntingdonshire District Council Countryside Services. This is the first breeding site to be discovered outside of the species’ Norfolk and Suffolk stronghold since Norfolk Hawkers were lost from the Cambridgeshire fens 120 years ago!

Endangered

Dr Pam Taylor, President of the British Dragonfly Society, said: “The Norfolk Hawker is an endangered dragonfly protected by law, so the discovery of a totally new population is very exciting indeed. The main threats to the species in its Norfolk Broads and coastal Suffolk habitats are sea level rise and saline intrusion into freshwater dykes and ditches. The discovery of a new inland site, well protected from these threats, could help to preserve the future of Norfolk Hawkers in the UK.”

Kirstien Drew, Paxton Pits Ranger, said: “Paxton Pits Nature Reserve is home to many different species of dragonfly, but to find that the Norfolk Hawker is breeding in our lakes is a major discovery and something we will be monitoring very closely.”

Sightings

The first recent sighting of Norfolk Hawker in Cambridgeshire came two years ago when a male was seen holding territory over water soldier plants in Hayling Lake at Paxton Pits Nature Reserve. Last year a female Norfolk Hawker was observed on the neighbouring Rudd Lake. This season the first reported sighting came from Potton Wood, just over the border in Bedfordshire. This prompted a search for the possible source of this dragonfly and a number of exuviae (shed larval cases) were found at Paxton Pits Nature Reserve. Further searches by boat a few days later revealed no fewer than 26 Norfolk Hawkers have already emerged from Hayling Lake. If they return to breed successfully again later this month, the future of Norfolk Hawker dragonflies in Cambridgeshire could be secure.

Norfolk Hawker is a large gingery-brown dragonfly with conspicuous apple-green eyes. It has largely clear wings, two yellow stripes on each side of the thorax and a yellow triangle near the top of the abdomen. After living as aquatic larvae for two years, adults usually emerge from late May onwards. In most years the species can still be seen flying until early August. Norfolk Hawker was listed as a Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species in 2007. The localised distribution of this species in low-lying areas of the broads and coastal marshes make it vulnerable to extinction from climate change and sea-level rise. A local BAP document outlining actions to record and protect the species was published in March 2010. Norfolk Hawker dragonfly is fully protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). It is also listed in section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 and is described as Endangered in the Odonata Red Data List Norfolk Hawker Aeshna isosceles.

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Florida butterfly species extinct

From Wildlife Extra:

Two butterflies declared extinct in USA

Zestos skipper butterfly & Rockland grass skipper butterfly declared extinct

June 2013. Officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) have declared two species of butterfly as officially extinct. Both butterflies were previously found in South Florida, but have not been seen for 9 and 13 years respectively, despite extensive searches.

Zestos skipper butterfly – Not seen since 2004

The Zestos skipper butterfly has not been seen since 2004. The Zestos skipper was last recorded in the Florida Keys in 2004, but hadn’t been seen for several years before that on the mainland. The Zestos skipper wasn’t thought to be Endangered as it was widespread throughout the Bahamas. However it was recently discovered that the Zestos skipper in Florida was a distinct subspecies; sadly it was probably already extinct when that discovery was made.

The Zestos skipper occurs commonly throughout the Bahamas and eastern Antilles. Based on this information, the Zestos skipper was not considered imperiled, globally, and therefore the butterfly was never considered for listing as endangered in the United States. It was only recently discovered that the Zestos skipper in Florida was in fact a distinct subspecies, found nowhere else. Before conservation agencies could move to protect it, it was gone. Similarly, the rockland grass skipper was thought to be extinct in the 1980s. However, it was briefly rediscovered on Big Pine Key in 1999, but disappeared again before recovery actions could be implemented.

Rockland grass skipper butterfly – Not seen since 2000

The Rockland grass skipper was last seen in the Everglades National Park in 2000.

Causes of decline

US Wildlife Service scientists believe the main cause of decline and disappearance of butterflies in southern Florida is loss, modification and fragmentation, and in some instances inconsistent management, of the natural habitats that butterflies and their larval hostplants depend on. Other possible factors include: exotic predatory ants, small population size, poaching, use of pesticides for mosquito control and the influence of climate change.

This is called Video Essay: Saving the Miami Blue Butterfly.

Miami Blue butterfly going the same way?

Scientists also believe the pattern of the disappearance in the Zestos skipper is similar to that of the now critically endangered Miami Blue butterfly. Climate change is an acute threat to the Miami blue, as all sites within Key West National Wildlife Refuge known to currently support Miami blues appear to be losing habitat and hostplants due to the effects of sea level rise. The Service has funded surveys and research of Miami blue populations within Key West National Wildlife Refuge. In the near future, the Service, along with IBWG members will develop a recovery plan for the Miami blue.

Britain: butterflies are extremely sensitive to changes in temperature and new research has revealed that when summer weather turns bad the Silver-spotted skipper battles for survival: here.
See also here.

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Svalbard Jurassic giant reptiles, other fossils

This video about Svalbard says about itself:

National Geographic Live! – Jørn Hurum: Sea Monster Island

Jan 2, 2012

Far north of the Arctic Circle, emerging explorer Jørn Hurum coaxes the secrets of evolution from a rocky polar desert with a treasure trove of fossils, including sea monsters of the Jurassic era.

Don’t worry, the reports and photos about Svalbard birds and other wildlife in June 2013 will return.

Meanwhile, about other Svalbard wildlife, from much longer ago.

From the Natural History Museum in Oslo, Norway:

Jurassic Plesiosaurs and Ichthyosaurs of Svalbard

Plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs are two groups of marine reptiles that inhabited the Earth’s oceans in the Mesozoic – the plesiosaurs being most diverse in the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, while the ichthyosaurs dominated the Triassic and diminished throughout the Jurassic and Cretaceous. Like today’s whales and seals, plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs descended from land-living animals that adapted to a life in water. The evolutionary path to this life is reflected in the anatomy of the body. Both groups had four flippers of which, in plesiosaurs, all four were used for locomotion, whereas in the dolphin-like ichthyosaurs the hind flippers were reduced and a fish-like tail propelled the animal forward, while the fore flippers were used for steering.

On Svalbard the first remains of these animals are of Triassic ichthyosaurs found over a century ago. The first Jurassic fossil – a plesiosaur – was found in 1913 on Spitsbergen near the mountain Janusfjellet. In 1931 the postcranial remains of another plesiosaur was found by an American group of medical doctors studying the spread of the common cold in Longyearbyen. This material was later described and named Tricleidus svalbardensis.

With the exception of one isolated plesiosaur limb, no new material from Jurassic rocks were recorded until 2001 when an excursion of Norwegian scientists and students came across the remains of a marine reptile weathering out of the black shale in the Slottsmøya Member of the Agardhfjellet Formation (Tithonian, Upper Jurassic). The find was reported to Dr. Jørn Harald Hurum at the Natural History Museum in Oslo, who in 2004 led a team into the field to collect the specimen, which turned out to be a partial plesiosaur skeleton. While in the field, Dr. Hurum’s team found an astounding nine additional occurrences including a large complete ichthyosaur skull (which was also collected and is being prepared).

Based on the exceptional number and quality of specimens collected in 2004, Dr. Hurum and Dr. Hans Arne Nakrem, planned a larger expedition for the summer of 2006. The purpose of this return trip to Spitsbergen was to locate and map other marine vertebrate skeletons occurring in the Slottsmøya Member. During this 11-day expedition parts of additional 28 specimens were discovered, including six ichthyosaurs, 20 long-necked plesiosaurs, and two remarkable short-necked plesiosaurs (commonly known as pliosaurs). One of these pliosaurs along with one long-necked plesiosaur and one ichthyosaur were collected during a 3 week expedition led by Dr. Hurum the following year. Back in Oslo the material was prepared and is now part of the Ph.D. study of Espen M. Knutsen at the Natural History Museum, University of Oslo.

In the summer of 2008 the same team led by Dr. Hurum collected the last pliosaur and two more long-necked plesiosaurs.

According to a Spitsbergen Jurassic Research Group leaflet, six plesiosaur species and at least two ichthyosaur species, new to science, were discovered recently on Svalbard.

Also fossils of ammonites, belemnites, and other marine invertebrates from the age of dinosaurs, plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs have been found on Svalbard.

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‘Extinct’ frog rediscovered

This video from Israel is called Rare Frog Returns From Extinction.

From the BBC:

4 June 2013 Last updated at 15:12 GMT

Rediscovered Hula painted frog ‘is a living fossil‘

By Rebecca Morelle, Science reporter, BBC World Service

A species of frog that was recently rediscovered after being declared extinct has been reclassified as a “living fossil”.

Israel’s Hula painted frog had not been seen for nearly 60 years, but in 2011 one was found lurking in a patch of swampy undergrowth.

Tests have revealed that the frog belongs to a group of amphibians that died out 15,000 years ago.

The study is published in the journal Nature Communications.

Professor Sarig Gafny, from the Ruppin Academic Center, in Israel, told BBC News: “We felt like we had a great finding when we first rediscovered it – this (frog) was like an idol in Israel.

“But then we found it was a living fossil: this was amazing.”

Spotty belly

Even before it was declared extinct in 1996, the Hula painted frog was an elusive creature.

Despite its distinctive black-and-white-spotted belly, only three adults had ever been seen.

When Israel’s Hula valley was drained in the 1950s, its swampy home was destroyed. Scientists thought the species had been lost forever.

But two years ago, a frog was spotted by a park ranger, and since then another 13 have been discovered.

Prof Gafny explained: “We’ve only found the specimens so far out of the water on land.

“You have to crawl in the dense vegetation, there are blackberries there, which are spiny, and then you have to dig in the decaying detritus… It’s not very attractive to go and look for it.”

But the discoveries have allowed the scientists to study the species in detail.

The frog had been classified as a member of the Discoglossus group of amphibians, but genetic tests and CT scans have revealed that it in fact belongs to the Latonia group.

These frogs were once widespread throughout Europe for millions of years, but all apart from the Hula painted frog died out about 15,000 years ago.

“Nobody ever had a chance to see a Latonia because it went extinct in Europe. The only way anyone could see it was through looking at fossils,” explained Prof Gafny.

“But then with every characteristic that you look at in the current Hula painted frogs, it matches that of the fossils of Latonia and not that of the Discoglossus… So this is a living fossil.”

The researchers said the frog was “a strikingly resilient” species – but added that it was now vital to ensure its future survival.

They believe that work to re-flood parts of the Hula valley would help to provide it with a habitat where it could thrive.

Related articles

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• Back from Extinction, Hula Painted Frog Declared a ‘Living Fossil’ (natureworldnews.com)
• An ‘extinct’ frog makes a comeback in Israel (sciencedaily.com)
• Frog not been seen for 50 years and was thought to be extinct is discovered in Israel – and dubbed a ‘living fossil’ (dailymail.co.uk)
• Hula Frog: Once Considered Extinct, Now Alive and Labelled a ‘Living Fossil’ (hngn.com)

California birds and beetles video

This video, recorded in California in the USA, says about itself:

May 17, 2013

Crystal-clear high-speed video reveals the hidden details of animals in motion. A lumbering scarab beetle turns weightless as it spreads its hidden wings; a hummingbird visits its nest; shorebirds capture prey and swallow it with a quick toss to the back of the throat. Recommended for viewing in high-definition (720p).

Recorded by Andy Johnson, Ben Clock, Shailee Shah and Teresa Pegan on a Macaulay Library student workshop to southern California during March 16–24, 2013.

Read more about it here.

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Armenian brown bear camera trap discovery

This video says about itself:

22 mei 2013

Camera trap footage of a Syrian Brown Bear (Ursus arctos syriacus) in the Caucasus Wildlife refuge, Armenia.

Camera trap footage © FPWC

From Wildlife Extra about this:

Camera-trap records subspecies of Brown bear in Armenia

Editor’s note

The bear doesn’t seem too happy with in the prescence of the camera trap. Is this because the camera makes a noise when recording, or perhaps from the smell?

Just 150 bears in Armenia

May 2013. Recent camera-trap footage from the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge has recorded a Syrian Brown Bear and highlights the importance of camera-traps for monitoring wildlife and informing conservation strategies.

A camera-trap has recently captured rare footage of a Syrian Brown Bear (Ursus arctos syriacus), a subspecies of Brown Bear native to Eurasia. This is an important recording as there may be just one or two bears in the reserve and the Red Data Book of Armenia lists them as vulnerable.

Bears in Armenia

The bears inhabit the south-eastern part of Armenia, particularly in Meghri, Kapan, Goris, Sisian, Vayk, and Yeghegnadzor regions. They have been known to range as far as the hill foots of Mt Aragats, and up to elevations of 3,000m above sea level.

The Syrian Brown Bear’s typical habitat is arid sparse forest, broadleaf forests, mountain grass lands, subalpine and alpine meadows. Availability of fruits, berries and nuts is an important influence on their distribution.

Possibly 150 bears in the wild

There are thought to be some 150 bears in the wild. The exact population is unknown – and likely to be declining due to poaching, habitat destruction and diminishing sources of food in the wild.

Threats

Agriculture, mining and quarrying are some of the reasons for habitat destruction, and bears damaging bee hives and orchards is the main cause of conflict with local farmers.

FPWC Program Director Barbara Siebert comments: “As bears look for food on farms there is often conflict with humans. This is why the CWR is so important because we provide an area free from conflict for wildlife such as bears. We also plant wild fruit and nut trees to encourage bears to use the protected area rather than farmland.”

Data for monitoring

FPWC uses camera-trap images to assess population numbers of wildlife. Footage of Bezoar Goats, for example, demonstrates herd sizes, which areas of the reserve the goats are using, and how frequently. Numbers are compared year on year, and show populations are increasing.

Images of injured animals may indicate poaching, and will prompt greater security in a particular area.

Cameras donated by World Land Trust (ProStalk, PC8000 8 mega Pixel) are purchased from Hawke Optics who supply them at trade price for use by WLT programme partners. The cameras are transported to Armenia by friends of FPWC travelling from the UK, and WLT staff on field trips.

Leopards

Thanks to funds raised from WLT’s Caucasian Leopard appeal, WLT is supporting the lease of 2,718 acres (1,100 hectares) to expand the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge and other activities to protect habitat not only for the Caucasian Leopard but also for its prey species and the other threatened Caucasian endemics found here. You can help protect the wildlife and biodiversity of the South Caucasus by donating to WLT’s Caucasian Leopard appeal.

Thanks to funds from World Land Trust (WLT), there are now nine camera-traps in the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge (CWR). Both CWR and the cameras are managed by WLT’s conservation partner in Armenia, Foundation for Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC).

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United States amphibians declining

This video, recorded in Colorado, USA is called Metamorphosis: Amphibian Nature Documentary.

From Wildlife Extra:

U.S. amphibian populations declining at precipitous rates

Study shows amphibians declining fast, even in protected areas

May 2013. The first-ever estimate of how fast frogs, toads and salamanders in the United States are disappearing from their habitats reveals they are vanishing at an alarming and rapid rate.

According to the study released in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, even the species of amphibians presumed to be relatively stable and widespread are declining. And these declines are occurring in amphibian populations everywhere, from the swamps in Louisiana and Florida to the high mountains of the Sierras and the Rockies.

Significant declines even in protected national parks and wildlife refuges

The study by USGS scientists and collaborators concluded that U.S. amphibian declines may be more widespread and severe than previously realized, and that significant declines are notably occurring even in protected national parks and wildlife refuges.

“Amphibians have been a constant presence in our planet’s ponds, streams, lakes and rivers for 350 million years or so, surviving countless changes that caused many other groups of animals to go extinct,” said USGS Director Suzette Kimball. “This is why the findings of this study are so noteworthy; they demonstrate that the pressures amphibians now face exceed the ability of many of these survivors to cope.”

Decline of 3.7% per year

On average, populations of all amphibians examined vanished from habitats at a rate of 3.7 percent each year. If the rate observed is representative and remains unchanged, these species would disappear from half of the habitats they currently occupy in about 20 years. The more threatened species, considered “Red-Listed” in an assessment by the global organization International Union for Conservation of Nature, disappeared from their studied habitats at a rate of 11.6 percent each year. If the rate observed is representative and remains unchanged, these Red-Listed species would disappear from half of the habitats they currently occupy in about six years.

“Even though these declines seem small on the surface, they are not,” said USGS ecologist Michael Adams, the lead author of the study. “Small numbers build up to dramatic declines with time. We knew there was a big problem with amphibians, but these numbers are both surprising and of significant concern.”

9 years of data

For nine years, researchers looked at the rate of change in the number of ponds, lakes and other habitat features that amphibians occupied. In lay terms, this means that scientists documented how fast clusters of amphibians are disappearing across the landscape.

In all, scientists analyzed nine years of data from 34 sites spanning 48 species. The analysis did not evaluate causes of declines.

The research was done under the auspices of the USGS Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative, which studies amphibian trends and causes of decline. This unique program, known as ARMI, conducts research to address local information needs in a way that can be compared across studies to provide analyses of regional and national trends.

Very bad news

Brian Gratwicke, amphibian conservation biologist with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, said, “This is the culmination of an incredible sampling effort and cutting-edge analysis pioneered by the USGS, but it is very bad news for amphibians. Now, more than ever, we need to confront amphibian declines in the U.S. and take actions to conserve our incredible frog and salamander biodiversity.”

The study offered other surprising insights. For example, declines occurred even in lands managed for conservation of natural resources, such as national parks and national wildlife refuges.

“The declines of amphibians in these protected areas are particularly worrisome because they suggest that some stressors – such as diseases, contaminants and drought – transcend landscapes,” Adams said. “The fact that amphibian declines are occurring in our most protected areas adds weight to the hypothesis that this is a global phenomenon with implications for managers of all kinds of landscapes, even protected ones.”

Amphibians seem to be experiencing the worst declines documented among vertebrates, but all major groups of animals associated with freshwater are having problems, according to Adams. While habitat loss is a factor in some areas, other research suggests that things like disease, invasive species, contaminants and perhaps other unknown factors are related to declines in protected areas.

“This study,” said Adams, “gives us a point of reference that will enable us to track what’s happening in a way that wasn’t possible before.”

Related articles

• Frogs, Toads & Salamanders Vanishing Fast (ecobooks4kids.wordpress.com)
• America’s Frogs, Toads and Salamanders Disappearing Rapidly: Amphibian Decline (scienceworldreport.com)
• USF scholar leaps ahead on frog losses (TBO.com)
• Study Is First To Chart Amphibian Populations’ Decline In US – NPR (blog) (npr.org)

California condors threatened by lead poisoning

This video from the USA is called California Condors in Grand Canyon National Park.

From Wildlife Extra:

Lead poisoning responsible for 50% of California condor deaths last winter

Winter results for Arizona-Utah condor program: preventable deaths remain focus of recovery effort

May 2013. Half of the California condor deaths that occurred over the winter in the Arizona-Utah population were caused by lead poisoning, a rate consistent with the entire condor population in California, Arizona, and Utah, according to The Peregrine Fund, an Idaho-based conservation organization.

Of the eight condors that died between December 2012 and February 2013:

Four died of lead poisoning
Two died of trauma possibly caused by a predator
Two were unrecoverable

6 active nests

“It’s been a tough season for condors,” said Chris Parish, director of The Peregrine Fund’s condor reintroduction project. “The good news is that we currently have as many as a half-dozen active nests and 72 birds flying free in the wild in Arizona and southern Utah, a true testament to the species’ resilience.”

Lead poisoning responsible for 50% of deaths since 1996

Of the 54 necropsies performed since The Peregrine Fund began releasing condors to the wild in 1996, lead poisoning accounted for 50% of deaths, followed by predation at 30%, Parish said. This year, The Peregrine Fund’s field crew captured nearly all the condors in Arizona and Utah and discovered that 39% had toxic levels of lead in their blood. The birds were treated with chelation therapy, the same process used to eliminate lead from humans.

“Fortunately, we were able to capture, test, and treat most of the birds,” Parish said. “Our biologists had to sit and wait patiently while the majority of the flock returned from the feeding grounds in southern Utah where lead-reduction programs are just getting under way.”

Lead most common in Utah and Northern Arizona

Based on more than 10 years of data, the birds are most likely to encounter lead during and after the hunting seasons in northern Arizona and southern Utah, Parish said. The most recent necropsy, conducted on Condor #210, showed acute lead poisoning, with extremely high levels of lead and 10 fragments in her digestive tract. Further analysis showed that her last meal consisted of deer.

Condors encounter lead when eating animals that have been shot with lead bullets, which can fragment into dozens of tiny pieces, some too small to be seen, and disperse widely in the animal’s body.

Non lead options

“We expect predators and other natural factors to claim the lives of condors,” Parish said. “But anyone who kills an animal, including those dispatching livestock and hunting varmints, can make a significant impact by simply switching to non-lead ammunition like solid copper bullets, which rarely fragment.”

Hunters helping with conservation efforts

Since 2005, hunters on the Kaibab Plateau in northern Arizona have voluntarily assisted efforts to protect condors from lead, with more than 80% of hunters participating in the Arizona Game and Fish Department‘s lead reduction program. That rate has climbed to as much as 90% over the past six years. Last year, 88% either used non-lead ammunition or removed the remains of shot animals from the field.

Utah

In response to the shifting pattern of condors now feeding extensively in southern Utah, the Southwest Condor Workgroup supports efforts by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to ramp up education and outreach efforts there. The Utah program resulted in nearly 50% voluntary hunter participation in the 2012-13 season — similar to the first year of Arizona’s effort in 2005 — but efforts are under way to increase awareness and participation in hopes of reducing the threat to condors of lead poisoning.

“We have come a long way since identifying lead poisoning as the primary cause of death for this reintroduced population,” Parish said. “If we are to achieve our goal of a self-sustaining population, we’re going to need more help. It has been my experience that when hunters find out what is happening, they are more than willing to join the effort.”

The recovery effort is a cooperative program by federal, state, and private partners, including The Peregrine Fund, Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Strip Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management, Grand Canyon and Zion national parks, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and Kaibab and Dixie national forests.

California condors

Prior to reintroduction, the last wild condor in Arizona was sighted just south of the Grand Canyon in 1924.
Condors reach maturity at about six years of age. They usually produce one egg every other year.
The condor is the largest land bird in North America. The birds can weigh up to 26 pounds and have a wingspan up to 9½ feet.
Condors were added to the federal Endangered Species List in 1967.

More than 460 children have died in the northern Nigerian state of Zamfara due to the effects of lead poisoning since 2009. Thousands of people have suffered from lead poisoning, with many facing long-term and serious medical conditions such as paralysis, deafness and brain damage: here.

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