2 Kiwi Birds Removed from Endangered Species List Thanks to New Zealand Predator Police

By ELAINE KURTENBACH, Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Two types of New Zealand kiwi birds are a rare bright spot in a mostly grim assessment of global species at risk of extinction.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature upgraded the Okarito kiwi and the Northern Brown kiwi from endangered to vulnerable thanks to New Zealand's progress in controlling predators like stoats and cats.

But the conservation group's latest update of its Red List of endangered species, issued Tuesday, mostly reported grave threats to animals and plants due to loss of habitat and unsustainable farming and fisheries practices.

The group said the Irrawaddy dolphin and finless porpoise that roam coastlines of Southeast Asia are now designated as endangered, imperiled by entanglement in fishing nets and other human activities.

Gillnets used on the Mekong and in other major waterways "hang like curtains of death across the river and entrap everything in the stream," said Craig Hilton-Taylor, head of the Red List's global species program.

Some 91,523 out of nearly 1.9 million described species have been assessed for the Red List, of which 25,821 are threatened, 866 are extinct and 69 extinct in the wild. The IUCN describes 11,783 species as vulnerable, 8,455 as endangered and 5,583 critically endangered.

The IUCN is made up of government and non-government experts whose scientific assessments of the risks to species are subject to independent reviews and are provided to help guide decisions on conservation efforts. The Red List, which it calls a "Barometer of Life," identifies which local species are at risk of extinction.

The organization aims to increase the number of assessed species to 160,000, said Jane Smart, global director of its biodiversity conservation program.

The total number of species is unknown but is thought to be as many as 20 million, many of the microorganisms.

Behind the numbers are life-and-death struggles for survival as human populations grow and industrialize and habitats are transformed by global warming.

Australia's Western Ringtail possum has slipped from vulnerable to critically endangered, the

IUCN said, as its population plunged by 80 percent over the past decade.

Once widespread in peppermint and eucalyptus forests of Western Australia, it now has only a few fragmented habitats and is prone to heat stress at temperatures above 35 C (95 F) that are becoming increasingly common where it lives.

The group said three reptile species on Christmas Island, also in Australia, had gone extinct in the wild: the Whiptail skink, the Blue-tailed skink and Lister's gecko. The group said the as yet unexplained losses of reptiles could result from disease or infestations of the yellow crazy ant, which is listed by the IUCN and Global Invasive Species Database as one of the 100 worst invasive species. The creature has wreaked havoc on Christmas Island, devouring the famous endemic red crabs that were a key part of its ecosystem.

Apart from many animal species, the IUCN said many wild crops, such as wild wheat, rice and yam, face threats from overgrazing, use of herbicides and urbanization. Such wild plants are crucial food sources and also play a critical role in the genetic diversity of domesticated food crops.

Many conservationists view the current era as the "sixth extinction," after previous ones that wiped out the dinosaurs and other creatures. Much of today's losses of species stem from human factors, which also means that human efforts can help improve the situation.

The baiji, a kind of dolphin native to the Yangtze river in China, is thought to be extinct, but some findings have raised hopes it might not be. Experts are now surveying the river in hopes of a sighting.

The kiwi has gained ground thanks to a New Zealand campaign to rid its islands of predators such as rats, possums, and stoats that have helped kill off more than 40 unique species of New Zealand birds.

The number of Okarito kiwi has risen from 160 in 1995 to 400-450 now, and Northern Brown kiwi numbers are also climbing, the IUCN said.

The IUCN reported its findings in Tokyo to reflect support from Toyota Motor Corp., which helps fund species assessments. It said a third of 46 newly assessed endemic species of lizards and snakes in Japan were threatened by factors such as habitat loss, collection for pet stores and invasive species such as Indian peacocks.

Five Crossbreeds with Messed Up Evolution

It’s fascinating to think that crossbreds are essentially the legos of the natural world; only instead of plastic bricks and toy blocks, different animals mixed and matched until something far more interesting, eye-catching, and fun to play took shape. But much like overpriced lego blocks, crossbreeding generally does not come without a cost.

Artificial selection, otherwise referred to as selective breeding, is a rather convenient way of phrasing our ability as human beings to proactively shape the evolution of other animal life forms to serve our preferences, curiosity, and often times entertainment.

What follows is a list of popular crossbreds that, despite their domestic prominence, suffer from mutations that have negatively affected their evolution.   

1. Large Tail Han Sheep

Also referred to as Fat-Tailed Sheep, the Large Tail Han Sheep is a domestic Mongolian sheep that is best known for its excessively large tails and hindquarters. It is widely believed that the Large Tail Han Sheep was originally developed in the agricultural regions of Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Anhui, and Jiangsu Provinces. Today, this sheep is most commonly raised in the Northern parts of Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Central Asia.

The distinctive physical profile of the-the Large Tail Han Sheep is specifically designed by professional crossbreeders to keep most of the subcutaneous fat of the animal localized in their tails. The purpose of localizing the sheep’s fat store is to make it rather convenient for people to harvest the fat as cooking oil after the sheep is dead. Fat stores of the sheep have been extensively used in most Arab and Persian cuisines during the medieval times.

Despite being tough and durable, the unique physical features of the Large Tail Sheep has made it suitable only to the plains. With an oversized tail weighing as heavy as 25kgs, the Large Tail Han Sheep has a difficult time moving around during grazing.

2. Dong Tao Chicken

The Dong Tao Chicken, fondly called as Dragon Chicken, is a domesticated fowl crossbreed that is most recognizable for its disproportionately oversized feet. This crossbreed got its name from the town where it is believed to have originated from---the small provincial village of Dong Tao in Khoai Chau District that sits 30kms from Hanoi.

Due to its limited numbers, the Dong Tao chicken is one of the few a rare domesticated chicken breeds in the world. Prized for its delicious meat, the Dong Tao chicken was once only bred exclusively for the consumption of royal families.  To this day, the Dong Tao Chicken remains a rarity because of the notorious difficulty that is involved in breeding them.

The high demand for the meat of the Dong Tao Chicken in conjunction with its constantly short supply has allowed it, as a commodity, to command an unreasonably high price, with a pair of Dong Taos selling for as high as P2,500USD.

Today, the Dong Tao Chicken is now mostly raised by professional chicken breeders. Still, much like the in the olden times, its meat can only cater to the wealthy who can afford to dine in luxury restaurants where it is almost exclusively served.

3. Damascene Goat

The Damascene Goat, also known as the Damascus Goat, regularly claims the title of “The Most Beautiful Goat” in Middle Eastern goat pageants, which are very popular in the region.  In 2013, the Damascus Goat named Qahr won the prize for the Most Beautiful Goat in the Mazayen al-Maaz competition held in Riyadh.

The Damascene Goat is a breed that is native to the Middle East. Today, it is most prominently raised in Cyprus, Lebanon, and Syria. Sometime in the 19th century, the British introduced the breed to Cyprus where it picked up the name Damascus Goat. The Damascus is so popular a breed that it is prominently referenced in a number of classical works in Arabic Literature.

It is not unheard of for professional goat breeders to breed Damascene Goat specifically for acquiring its many pronounced physical traits. The Damascene Goat is best known for its short and snubbed nose and its undershot jaws. If anything, the physical mutations of the Damascene Goat are rather similar to that of the Bulldog.

The mutation that is responsible for the facial contortions of the Damascene Goat has yet to be fully understood. But apart from its unique cosmetic traits, the Damascene is also a dairy goat breed that is raised by farmers for milk and meat production.

4.  Gibber Italicus Canary

Bird breeding methods, over the years, have progressed to the point where it has allowed breeders to practically control everything about the bird---from shaping their skeletal formation, to manipulating their feather color, density, and softness., to modulating their natural birdsong. The Gibber Italicus Canary is exactly the result of such bird breeding methods.

The Gibber Italicus Canary is a product of intensive close inbreeding efforts made by Italian breeders. Much like most inbred crossbreeds, this canary is prone to inbreeding depression that typically results to a host of health problems, including compromised fertility, high offspring mortality, and a shorter lifespan, among others.

The Gibber Italicus is considered to be among the most fragile canary breed in the world. It is specifically bred by bird hobbyist and breeders who appreciate the Gibber Italicus’ eye-catching humpbacked body, balding head, and skinny profile. To enthusiasts of this bird breed, the ideal Gibber Italicus Canary possesses a figure seven shaped body, long stiff legs, and unfeathered breastbone area,

This strangely appreciated weak and weird appearance of the Gibber Italicus, however, does come with a cost. This canary is notorious for producing offspring that have very low chances of survival, most of which are already dead in the egg.

5. Bubble Eye Goldfish

People have a particularly long relationship with the goldfish. For the longest time, the goldfish has been an aquarium staple. Having been specifically cultivated for purposes of ornamentation, the goldfish has undergone countless crossbreeding that it now comes in different shapes, and sizes---the strangest of which comes in the form of the Bubble Eye Goldfish.

It took many years of selective breeding and genetic tinkering to craft the distinctive appearance of the Bubble Eye Goldfish. The Bubble Eye Goldfish is most recognizably known for its grossly oversized, fluid-filled sacs that bubble under its eyes. These sacs or eye bubbles are known to occasionally deflate, and even burst. Punctured eye bubbles could easily result to injury and infections.

Among those considered as good specimens are with clean, unmarked back, and eye bubbles that closely match, both in color and size. Apart from its distinct eye bubble, the Bubble Eye Goldfish is unmistakable for its malformed, upward-turned eyes, and irregularly curved spine, and lack of dorsal fins. The traits that make the Bubble Eye Goldfish distinctive do not come without a cost, though. This breed of fish is abnormally fragile, even in carefully controlled environments. Their eye bubbles are too delicate to the point that the Bubble Eye should be kept away from moderately aggressive fish.

Through various selective breeding methods, professional crossbreeders have long acquired the ability to pinpoint and encourage specific traits in animals which they find appealing. Conversely, crossbreeding also has allowed us to eliminate specific characteristics in animals that we don’t particularly care for.

Despite the number of widely popular crossbreds, from American bulldogs to Savannah Cats, what remains relatively unknown to many people is the fact that it doesn’t take many qualifications to start messing around with the otherwise natural evolution of animals.

Hundreds Of Giant Mysterious Tunnels Discovered In Brazil

Brazil – a tropical paradise and home to some of the best athletes in the world.

It is the largest country in both South America and Latin America and boasts a beautiful culture and stunning scenery. In Brazil, you can find the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue and the awe-inspiring Corcovado and Sugarloaf Mountains. Travelers and explorers will find a wonderful slate of fauna such as the giant anteater, several varieties of sloths, armadillos, otters, and even capybara in the country.

However, Brazil has more than meets the eye. In fact, the country has its fair share of mysteries.

In 2010, geologist Amilcar Adamy from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, found a giant hole a few miles north of the Bolivian border. Upon investigation, he realized that the hole could not have been naturally made. None of the caves Adamy explored looked like anything the tunnels featured, with their round passages and smooth floors.

The mysterious tunnels have since then been discovered by various experts around the country and have opened up an entirely new realm of possibilities for geological studies.   

The Tunnels

source: Disclose.tv

Geologist Heinrich Theodor Frank stumbled across the tunnels while driving on the national Novo Hamburgo Highway. While driving, a hole of around one meter in diameter caught his attention. The hole was located at a construction site, and after further investigation, Frank discovered that the hole led to a complex underground tunnel. The tunnel was about 70 centimeters high and a few meters in length, with what appeared to be strange scratches on the ceiling of its walls. 

After further exploration, Frank realized that hundreds of similar tunnels existed all over Brazil. The state of Rondonia alone has a large complex of 600 meter-long tunnels. Not only that, 2,000 burrows with similar characteristics have also been found. 

Not even the locals in the area knew about the origins of the tunnels. Further tests showed that the tunnels were not man-made in origin. 

The Mysteries

Urban legends point towards various "historical" and even supposed "mythological" origins of the mysterious tunnels. Some say the tunnels were created by Indians, Jesuits, slaves, or even revolutionaries. Others believe the tunnels are a giant anthill or were even made by bears. Very rare few point towards a great mythological serpent that may have used the tunnel as its home.

Regardless, geological evidence alone proves that the tunnels were not created by Brazilian natives. The Indians who lived in Brazil even before the Europeans arrived did not use iron, and therefore had no means of digging through the hard rocks around the tunnels. 

According to Frank, there is no natural geological process known to man that can produce the features of the tunnels. These features include the circular or elliptical cross-sections that branch, rise, and fall around the area.

The geographic distribution of the tunnels is another mystery to scientists. The tunnels were only found in the southern parts of Brazil - particularly in the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. They don't exist anywhere else. 

source:Earth Touch News Network

The claw marks on the walls of the tunnels are also peculiar.

Prehistoric animals such as giant armadillos or possibly mega-sloths are thought by many to be possible creators of such marks.

The biggest burrows, with sizes of up to five feet in diameter, may have been dug by ground sloths that have adapted to the area’s environment and developed digging skills.

Giant armadillos, though shorter than sloths, may also have the skills necessary to dig these tunnels as well. The grooves along the ceiling may, in fact, be marks the animals have left whenever they pause or stop working. 

Unfortunately, there are no specific indications of these animals living in the country. Moreover, the sheer size of the tunnels cannot possibly be made by any “giant” armadillos or sloths – at least, ones that we know of.

The giant armadillo, the largest existing member of its family, weighs between 65 and 90 pounds and is native to South America. However, its burrows are about 16 inches in diameter, and only up to 20 feet long. If the tunnels’ five foot wide and 250-feet long burrows are in fact dug my animals, then it should be one extremely big creature – one that has not been discovered yet. 

However, it seems there is still another possibility.

Historical Evidence

source: Ancient Origins

Frank eventually sent photographs of the tunnels to Marcelo Rasteiro of the Brazilian Society of Speleology. He introduced the notion of "paleoburrows" excavated by living organisms in any geological age.

Examples of these organisms include worms in the Cambrian Era, mollusks in the Mesozoic Era, or rats in the Pleistocene. These are all organisms that have lived millions of years ago.

Until the early 2000s, hardly any burrows attributed to extinct animals can be found in scientific literature. In fact, it was only in 2015 that Adamy himself had the opportunity to extensively explore the mysterious tunnels. 

If this paleoburrow theory is to be believed, then the tunnels in Brazil may have been created between 10,000 and 8,000 years ago. If this is the case, then the Rondonia tunnels Frank have discovered may be the first - and the largest - paleoburrow in the Amazon.

These tunnels can actually be found all over the world, which adds even more depth to the mystery. Frank said similar caves could be found in countries such as Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina. 

Until scientists can figure out who, what, or how these paleburrows were made, they will remain an unfathomable enigma.

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Sources:

http://www.ancient-code.com/experts-baffled-discovery-hundreds-mysterious-tunnels-brazil/
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2017/03/28/paleoburrows-south-america/#.WPiI9tKGOUk
http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/extinct-megafauna-dug-these-incredible-tunnels-in-brazil/
http://www.ufrgs.br/paleotocas/Producao.htm