Briefly 327 AMERICAS
Electric eels work together to zap prey More than 200 years after the electric eel inspired the design of the first battery, re- searchers have discovered that the animals can coordinate their zaps. A research team working in the Amazon filmed eels gather- ing in packs to herd prey, then stunning them with a synchronized electric shock. The expeditions into the murky, remote waters of the Amazon have revealed 85 new species of electric fishes. In one recent study, the researchers discovered that there are ac- tually three species of electric eel, rather than just one. It is themost powerful of these spe- cies that was observed to hunt in packs: Volta’s electric eel, capable of producing an 860-Volt electric shock, the strongest electric discharge of any animal. The eels’ habitats are under immense pressure from climate change, fires and deforestation. The new study provides an example of how much we have yet to learn about the life histories of many organisms. Sources: Ecology and Evolution (2021)
dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7121 & BBC (2021)
bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment- 55652672
Rewilding sees jaguars return to Argentina’s wetlands The largest predator in South America, the jaguar, has returned to the Iberá wetlands in Argentina 70 years after the species was dri- ven to local extinction through hunting and habitat loss. Currently only c. 200 jaguars remain in Argentina. Mariua, an adult jag- uar who was rescued as an orphan cub in Brazil, and her two captive-born cubs were released into Gran Iberá Park in January 2021. They are the first of nine jaguars slated to repopulate the 687,966 ha protected area, which offers an abundance of wild prey. The release marks the first reintroduction of jaguars in a place where they have gone extinct. It is part of an effort known as re- wilding: restoring missing species, biodiver- sity and natural processes in areas affected by human activity.Without keystone species such as apex predators, important ecosystem functions can break down. The jaguar has lost over half its historical range, leaving some populations geographically isolated and with reduced gene pools, increasing their risk of local extinction. Saving the spe- cies was deemed a priority by the IUCN at the World Conservation Congress in Sep- tember 2020. Source: UNEP (2021)
unenvironment.org/ news-and-stories/story/rewilding-sees- jaguars-return-argentinas-wetlands
Amazon rainforest lost area the size of Israel in 2020 The Amazon rainforest lost over 2million ha in 2020, an area roughly the size of Israel, according to a recent report on the region. Experts warn that unchecked deforestation in the Amazon basin, which encompasses nine countries in South America, could trig- ger a tipping point in theworld’s largest trop- ical rainforest within decades. Using satellite imagery, the report byAmazonConservation Association and theMonitoring the Andean Amazon Project provides an early glimpse of deforestation in the Amazon throughout 2020. Troubling data points are highlighted, including large-scale deforestation in Brazil andBolivia,where primary forestswere oblit- erated at rates even higher than in 2019,ayear that saw prolific and highly publicized fires raging in the Amazon. Both in terms of deforestation and fires, the data indicate that 2020 was worse than 2019 across the Amazon. Beyond large-scale mitigation of deforestation in the region, the researchers see political consensus and leadership among wealthy nations as important tools to help save the Amazon. Source: ABC News (2020) abcnews.go. com/International/amazon-rainforest- lost-area-size-israel-2020/story?id= 75683477
New species of baleen whale discovered in Gulf of Mexico Scientists have discovered a new species of baleen whales. The small group in the north- eastern Gulf of Mexico was previously be- lieved to be a population of Bryde’s whales, but has now been identified as Rice’swhale, named after the American biologist Dale Rice. Estimated at fewer than 100 individuals, the elusive whales feed in deep water around DeSoto Canyon, c. 100km south of Mobile, Alabama, USA. They can weigh up to 30 t and can grow up to 13m long. Researchers had known for some time that this group was different from most Bryde’swhales; for example, they did not mix with Bryde’s whales, which are found in the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Scientist Dr Patricia Rosel carried out the first morpho- logical examination of a complete skull of a Rice’s whale, after one stranded in Florida in January 2019. She identified diagnostic characteristics that distinguish it from other closely related baleen whale species. Genetic data provided a second line of evidence sup- porting the uniqueness of the whales in the Gulf of Mexico. Together, themorphological and genetic data confirm that these whales represent a new species. Source: Oceanographic (2021) oceanogra
phicmagazine.com/news/rices-whale
Tracking the epic journeys of migratory birds in north-west Mexico Inwinter,more than1millionshorebirds that breedintheArctic visit the coastlineofnorth- westMexico, but researchers are uncertain as to how the birds use the region and what drives their movements. It is possible they are tracking super-abundant seasonal re- sources such as fish spawning events in this vast network of coastal wetlands spanning 5,000km of coastline, or they may be scout- ing for siteswith better habitat to spend their non-breeding season. To make it easier to track birds, scientists have built a large net- work of radio antenna devices called Motus stations across the USA and Canada that can automatically track the movements of tagged birds. However, such stations are still missing in much of Latin America, result- ing in large gaps in our understanding of shorebird movements. A new project aims to deploy 24 Motus stations in 15 coastal wetlands spanning the whole north-west coastofMexico.Migratoryshorebirdpopula- tions have plummeted by 37%since 1970 be- cause of habitat loss, human disturbance and climate
change.Thenewstations will provide robust information on how birds use impor- tant sites, to help focus conservation actions when and where they aremost needed. Source: The Conversation (2021) the
conversation.com/scientist-at-work- tracking-the-epic-journeys-of-migratory- birds-in-northwest-mexico-154156
Do Colombia’s hippopotamuses have to be culled to halt biodiversity disaster?
Hippopotamuses imported into Colombia for Pablo Escobar’s private zoo (see also Oryx, 55, 105–113) have gone feral in the lush tropical countryside. Although some earlier studies suggested the introduced large herbivores may help restore the eco- logical functions of now-extinct megafauna, a group of scientists is now warning they must be culled before their invasive pres- ence starts to wipe out indigenous flora and fauna. Government attempts to control the animals’ population growth have had limited impact, with their number increas- ing in the last 8 years from 35 to 65–80. The scientists say the hippopotamuses pose a major threat to the area’s biodiversity and that without culling their numbers could reach c. 1,500 by 2035. However, local peo- ple have embraced the hippos as their own, in part because of the income from tourism in Escobar’s estate and surrounding area. Source: The Guardian (2021) theguardian. com/world/2021/feb/10/pablo-escobars- hippos-must-be-culled-to-halt- biodiversity-disaster-scientists
Oryx, 2021, 55(3), 323–328 © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605321000375
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164
