A quick wrap-up of the animals discovered not to be extinct this week:
Armoured mistfrog
This Armoured Mistfrog, thought by many experts to be extinct due to the recent amphibian chytrid fungus epidemic, was rediscovered by my boss, enterprise search god, Chris Cleveland, while he should have been working, on CNN. And more specifically, in a remote tropical area in northern Australia.
Tadpole Shrimp
Heavy rains in Scotland have created perfect conditions for the reemergence of the tadpole shrimp, thought extinct in the UK until recently. The little critter resembles a tiny horseshoe crab and lays eggs which can lie dormant in dry pools for decades, making this discovery maybe not so unexpected. Also called triops, these crustaceans are most notable for appearing in this awesome YouTube video.
Okapi (not wiped out by civil war)
While hoof prints and dung have been identified in the past, okapi in the wild have never been caught on film. Well the Zoological Society of London has finally done so, proving that the okapi does not actually possess the power of invisibility, the ZSL's previous working hypothesis. This close relative of the giraffe is a frequent target of poachers and publicity hungry ZSL cameramen.
Thanks to JP Berkery for cluing us into this last one.
Environment
Comments
Um, I saw a pair of okapis in the San Diego zoo a few years back, so they were known to not be all that extinct. Or, I guess, all that elusive. Is the news here only that they were filmed in the wild?
Posted by: synapse | September 11, 2008 8:12 PM
maybe?
Posted by: Andrew | September 11, 2008 8:23 PM
I adored the Triops video. The music really made the video. And, I apparently like to watch the little critters do their thing. Thanks for sharing. The narration was a hoot, loved it all.
Pat
Posted by: Pat | September 12, 2008 9:24 AM
The okapi might just be my favorite animal ever! I'm so glad there are still wild ones out there!!!
Posted by: Melissa G | September 12, 2008 10:01 PM
okapi is unknown for me . I am so much glad to see the pictures of it but i want to know more about it.
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brianna
A.H. Infosource
Posted by: brianna | September 13, 2008 3:53 AM
I have seen Triops in temporary waters in Texas and in Venezuela. I would guess, not having checked, that they are present on all continents except Antarctica.
Posted by: Jim Thomerson | September 14, 2008 12:31 PM
I'm cheering for the golden toad (Bufo periglenes) to make the list one of these days . . .
Posted by: Homie Bear | September 15, 2008 1:56 AM
Thanks for keeping us all so well informed. :)
Posted by: juliagoolia | September 16, 2008 8:31 AM
For anyone interested in raising some triops, I stumbled upon this: http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/science/75ab/?cpg=ab
Posted by: Zellychan | September 17, 2008 5:29 AM
The narration was a hoot, loved it all.
thanks...
Posted by: cabbagepow | September 18, 2008 11:01 AM