Identical sea snakes are 2 completely different species
Deadly sea snake has a doppelganger
November 2012. Scientists have discovered that the lethal beaked sea snake is actually two species with separate evolutions, which resulted in identical snakes. The University of Queensland’s Associate Professor Bryan Fry said the Australian and Asian beaked sea snakes were originally thought to be from the same species, however, in comparing their DNA, the research team had found these two snakes were unrelated.
Could have been a fatal mistake
“This mixup could have been medically catastrophic, since the CSL sea snake antivenom is made using the venom from the Asian snake based on the assumption that it was the same species,” Associate Professor Fry said.
“Luckily, the antivenom is not only very effective against the Australian new species but actually against all sea snakes since they all share a very stream-lined fish-specific venom.”
Convergent phenotypic evolution phenomenon
Associate Professor Fry said the finding was an example of a situation where two species evolved separately but ended up looking similar, known as the convergent phenotypic evolution phenomenon.
Associate Professor Fry said that the ‘beaked’ morphology of the species could be associated with the extremely specialised niche the snakes occupy, even though both species evolved from different ancestors and were not even close relatives. He added that the two species occupy the same specialised habitat of silt-filled shallows of tropical estuaries throughout the Asian and Australian regions.
Responsible for many deaths
These snakes are responsible for the majority of deaths and injuries to fishermen handling nets in these habitats.
New name
The Asian snake will retain the original name Enhydrina shistosa. Australian beaked sea snake has been given the scientific name [Enhydrina] zweifeli, which identifies the region in New Guinea where it is found. The new snake will be placed in a separate genus to the true Enhydrina genus in a follow up publication that will resolve the complex higher order relationships of sea snakes.
November 2012. Australia’s snubfin dolphin and other marine life face new threats to survival after the Queensland Government revealed draft plans for massive industrial development along the Great Barrier Reef coast.
WWF-Australia have expressed alarm over the Queensland Government’s draft plans to open up sites up and down the Queensland coast to huge new port developments and said the strategy pushed the Great Barrier Reef one step closer to being listed on UNESCO’s ‘World Heritage in Danger‘ list.
“Earlier this year, UNESCO delivered a ‘show cause’ notice to the Australian and Queensland Governments and requested that no new port development or associated infrastructure outside of the existing and long-established major port areas be permitted,” said WWF spokesperson Richard Leck.
Great Barrier Reef Ports Strategy
“The Queensland Government’s Great Barrier Reef Ports Strategy puts them on a collision course with UNESCO, by flagging new ports in areas that are currently undeveloped or at a very small scale. The Queensland Government agreed that any port expansion will be concentrated in areas where long established ports already exist, such as Gladstone Harbour. But this announcement that new ports are set to be green-lighted around 60 kilometres north of Gladstone flies in the face of the Government’s earlier commitment to UNESCO.
“The Newman Government’s plan confirms Port Alma and Balaclava Island within the World Heritage Area are earmarked for future development, effectively creating a Gladstone to Rockhampton mega-port. The proposed development sites are located within Keppel Bay and the Fitzroy River Delta which is home to the recently discovered Australian Snubfin dolphin and four species of turtles. An independent scientific report confirms that the Balaclava Island development would have a disastrous impact on these threatened species.
“The last thing Queenslanders want to see for the Great Barrier Reef is the type of massive, unfettered development that occurred in Gladstone Harbour being repeated along the coast. WWF is keen to work with the Queensland Government to ensure that a plan is developed that avoids this fate and keeps the Great Barrier Reef from being listed as ‘World Heritage in Danger’.”
Robots find Barrier Reef coral at extreme depths, amazing ocean scientists. Living coral found at 125 metres, four times deeper than scuba limit: here.
Australia could let mining magnates build an enormous coal port on top of the Great Barrier Reef! But a bank owned by the US public is key to the project and global pressure could cause the bank to pull out. The bank’s chairman is in Australia for meetings right now — click below to bring a global call for reef protection straight to him:
Activists in Australia are pressuring the government and UNESCO is speaking out, but a bank owned by the US public is key to the project. Global pressure on the US bank now could bring international shame and spotlight environmental issues in the middle of the US election season. If they pull out, the entire crazy plan could be shut down for good.
Let’s up the pressure on the bank’s chairman Fred Hochberg and demand he halt funding for Great Barrier Coal. We have only days to act — he’s in Australia for meetings right now. Click below to join the call to save the reef and Avaaz will deliver our voices to Hochberg:
The enormous coal port project would push the already vulnerable reef closer to the brink by constructing an export terminal inside its waters — and by flooding the market with 8 billion more tonnes of coal exports. It would allow up to 20 ships each day to travel over this pristine area, shuttling dirty coal from inland Australia to China. We saw the kind of damage these ships can cause in 2010 when a ship ran aground, leaving a 3km gash in the unique reef.
Right now, the proposal is facing hurdles after UNESCO reported that coal development is damaging the reef, and the Australian government has intervened by calling for a review of the environmental assessment. If we can cut the funding off at its source we can bring another blow to the plan — and help stop the entire mining operation.
The US Export-Import Bank is already embattled within US politics and wants to avoid any further controversy. A massive outcry right now could stop them from destroying the most spectacular underwater scenery in the world.
Sign now and Avaaz will deliver the message straight to Hochberg:
Millions of Avaaz members across the world have fought for our planet — raising our voices at climate change negotiations in Copenhagen and Rio and securing wins to protect our oceans in Australia and the Amazon in Brazil. Now, let’s come together again to protect the majestic Great Barrier Reef from mining greed.
With hope and determination,
Emma, Allison, Emily, Ricken, Paul, Wissam and the whole Avaaz team
October 2012. The Great Barrier Reef has lost half its coral cover in the last 27 years. The loss was due to storm damage (48%), crown of thorns starfish (42%), and bleaching (10%) according to a new study published by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in Townsville and the University of Wollongong: here.
Nutrient-rich slurry from farms has been causing coral populations on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to crash for 90 years: here.
Researchers at the University of Hawaii – Manoa (UHM) School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) made a discovery that challenges a major theory in the field of coral reef ecology. The general assumption has been that the more flexible corals are, regarding which species of single celled algae (Symbiodinium) they host in coral tissues, the greater ability corals will have to survive environmental stress. In their paper published August 29, 2012, however, scientists at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) at SOEST and colleagues documented that the more flexible corals are, the more sensitive to environment disturbances they are: here.
Ocean scientists have long known that juvenile coral reef fishes use coastal seagrass and mangrove habitats as nurseries, later moving as adults onto coral reefs. But the fishes’ movements, and the connections between different tropical habitats, are much more complex than previously realized, according to a study published September 3 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The findings have important implications for management and protection of coral reefs and other marine environments: here.
Scientists warned yesterday that rising global temperatures could kill off most of the world’s coastline corals: here.
The world’s richest woman, Gina Rinehart, who was born into a wealthy mining family, is suggesting that Australia should be considering paying workers a $2 a day wage: here.
Google is teaming up with researchers from the University of Queensland, Australia and their sponsor the Caitlin Group to produce an undersea version of Google’s popular ‘streetview’.
The project, known as the Caitlin Seaview Survey aims to find out as much as possible about the health of the Great Barrier Reef and its inhabitants while allowing the public to enjoy exploring the beauty of this fragile environment from the comfort of their own home. …
A shallow reef survey will be carried out using a 360° camera mounted on a motorised ‘scooter’ which will pull the diver cameraman behind it. Deep water reef surveys at depths from 30 to 100 metres will be performed by robotic mini-subs and finally a survey studying the migratory behaviours of the reefs ‘megafauna’ such as green turtles, manta rays and tiger sharks will take place with the help of satellite tagging.
It’s hoped that the data collected will be useful for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Parks Authority when the reef is damaged by ships, storms, bleaching events or pollution. Over the coming years, the survey intends to expand globally to reveal the oceans in regions of importance all over the world.
Take a look at the first sample surveys in the video below.
Greenpeace Activists arrested Over Great Barrier Reef Protest Amid UNESCO Visit: here.
Coal and gas developments proposed in Queensland are putting Australia’s Great Barrier Reef at risk, says a report by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO): here.
