Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Where are we most likely to discover new animals?
Options
-
22-08-2011 12:54pm#1
Comments
-
-
-
-
-
-
Advertisement
-
-
-
Deep oceans are where the most new species are likely to be discovered. Very little of it has been explored. Completely new ecosystems are discovered every time we go for a look.
Megafauna? Dense forest may be home to some large animals, but the likelihood of a significant number of new species of megafauna being discovered there is probably low enough. Especially at the rate we're chewing it up. It is the megafauna that are sustaining the heaviest losses of the sixth extinction.
I think the coelacanth was off Eastern South Africa....
0 -
I think the coelacanth was off Eastern South Africa....
So did I tbh! I was almost sure it was off Madagascar that it was first found but when I went Googling apparently it was first found in the 30's off S. America, and typical me I never took the link for it. And I think there was another spp. discovered much more recently in Indonesia?0 -
So did I tbh! I was almost sure it was off Madagascar that it was first found but when I went Googling apparently it was first found in the 30's off S. America, and typical me I never took the link for it. And I think there was another spp. discovered much more recently in Indonesia?
Yes indeed there was and chances are It could be a different species of coelacant. Another more recent creature discovered was the megamouth shark which new evidence suggests could be related to the basking shark which was until recently thought to be the only member of its genus!
0 -
Advertisement
-
I would keep an eye on the Amazonian rainforest. It's very old, very large, and parts of it are still unexplored. New animals, including big ones, are reported every year there. Not so long ago, a potential third species of peccary was found (the giant peccary, Pecari maximus- not a monster but substantially larger than its relatives):
By the way, Marc van Roosmalen, the biologist who discovered the Giant Peccary has also discovered several other new species in the Amazon, including the dwarf or pigmy manatee Trichechus pygmaeus, which at 1.30 meters long is the smallest sirenian, as well as several kinds of monkeys.
Van Roosmalen has a VERY controversial story and some scientists don´t agree with him with some of his identifications of new species, but others have already been recognized as valid.
He is also following the track of several cryptids, including the famous White Throated Black Jaguar, a large cat that has long been reported by natives but has evaded scientists for a long time, as well as a tree-dwelling relative to the Giant Anteater.
Even if these creatures are never found, I am pretty sure that the Amazon still has many surprises and secrets to reveal.0 -
I would keep an eye on the Amazonian rainforest. It's very old, very large, and parts of it are still unexplored. New animals, including big ones, are reported every year there. Not so long ago, a potential third species of peccary was found (the giant peccary, Pecari maximus- not a monster but substantially larger than its relatives):
By the way, Marc van Roosmalen, the biologist who discovered the Giant Peccary has also discovered several other new species in the Amazon, including the dwarf or pigmy manatee Trichechus pygmaeus, which at 1.30 meters long is the smallest sirenian, as well as several kinds of monkeys.
Van Roosmalen has a VERY controversial story and some scientists don´t agree with him with some of his identifications of new species, but others have already been recognized as valid.
He is also following the track of several cryptids, including the famous White Throated Black Jaguar, a large cat that has long been reported by natives but has evaded scientists for a long time, as well as a tree-dwelling relative to the Giant Anteater.
Even if these creatures are never found, I am pretty sure that the Amazon still has many surprises and secrets to reveal.
Zoologist David Oren beleives the giant sloth still resides there and has collected over a hundred reports so who knows.0 -
steddyeddy wrote: »Zoologist David Oren beleives the giant sloth still resides there and has collected over a hundred reports so who knows.
I knew a guy who was in the Venezuelan rainforest and mentioned both giant sloths and Smilodon (!!!) as being still alive. According to him, natives have always known this and consider them to be normal jungle animals, although feared because of their rarity and dangerousness.
I for one love the idea
0 -
I knew a guy who was in the Venezuelan rainforest and mentioned both giant sloths and Smilodon (!!!) as being still alive. According to him, natives have always known this and consider them to be normal jungle animals, although feared because of their rarity and dangerousness.
I for one love the idea
Yes when you hear natives talking about things it really puts a new spin on it. The above Marc van Roosmalen is particularly keen to talk to the natives of any new region he enters. He puts down his high discovery rate to listening to the natives.0 -
steddyeddy wrote: »Yes when you hear natives talking about things it really puts a new spin on it. The above Marc van Roosmalen is particularly keen to talk to the natives of any new region he enters. He puts down his high discovery rate to listening to the natives.
Agreed. Science could make amazing discoveries by doing simply that. You know, in some parts of India and Siberia, natives claim that tigers can mimic the sounds of deer to attract them to an ambush. Scientists usually say it's a myth.
However, recently in (where else) the Amazon rainforest, some scientists found that the Margay (Leopardus wiedii) could imitate the sounds made by baby monkeys in distress, to attract the worried adults into an ambush. If Margay can do this, then surely Tigers may do it as well.
I think if scientists listen to more native "myths" they may found really cool stuff. Hey, maybe jaguars DO use their tails as lures to fish! Maybe Fossas do hunt in packs during mating season! Maybe Giant Forest Hogs do eat people sometimes! Who knows?0 -
Off SW coast
I think this is an example that there is much to discover in waters...even close to home0 -
-
Join Date:Posts: 30378
steddyeddy wrote: »Yes indeed there was and chances are It could be a different species of coelacant. Another more recent creature discovered was the megamouth shark which new evidence suggests could be related to the basking shark which was until recently thought to be the only member of its genus!
Where was that shark discovered? When I looked at the pic I thought it was just a basking shark, any idea what differentiates it from basking sharks?
I seem to remember reading somewhere that it's thought there could be lots more populations of Jaguar scattered around the globe than anyone realises since they're such reclusive cats and some known species have barely,if at all, ever been filmed. They even suggested that the supposed sightings of big cats in the UK could be brief glimpses of indigenous populations. It's probably not true of course with regards to the UK.0 -
Where was that shark discovered? When I looked at the pic I thought it was just a basking shark, any idea what differentiates it from basking sharks?
I seem to remember reading somewhere that it's thought there could be lots more populations of Jaguar scattered around the globe than anyone realises since they're such reclusive cats and some known species have barely,if at all, ever been filmed. They even suggested that the supposed sightings of big cats in the UK could be brief glimpses of indigenous populations. It's probably not true of course with regards to the UK.
That pic IS a basking shark.
This is the megamouth shark:
It was first found in Hawaii but has been seen (rarely) in many parts of the world. Most of what we know about the megamouth shark comes from dead specimens washed ashore or accidentally caught in nets; it usually lives in deep water so live ones are really rare to find. It is, by the way, an incredibly ancient creature, with members of the same genus known from the Cretaceous period.
As for the big cats, there's lots of mysterious species around the world, including some that MAY be surviving sabertoothed cats, but the ones sighted often in the UK and US (and even Australia) and described as black panthers are probably just that- panthers (leopards) and other known big cats escaped from circuses, zoos and private collections, or purposedly released by irresponsible owners. Big cats are perfectly able to survive anywhere as long as there's prey animals and a water source.0 -
-
Advertisement
-
That pic IS a basking shark.
This is the megamouth shark:
It was first found in Hawaii but has been seen (rarely) in many parts of the world. Most of what we know about the megamouth shark comes from dead specimens washed ashore or accidentally caught in nets; it usually lives in deep water so live ones are really rare to find. It is, by the way, an incredibly ancient creature, with members of the same genus known from the Cretaceous period.
As for the big cats, there's lots of mysterious species around the world, including some that MAY be surviving sabertoothed cats, but the ones sighted often in the UK and US (and even Australia) and described as black panthers are probably just that- panthers (leopards) and other known big cats escaped from circuses, zoos and private collections, or purposedly released by irresponsible owners. Big cats are perfectly able to survive anywhere as long as there's prey animals and a water source.
I am in contact with a cryptozoologist called Scott Marlowe who is one of the main investigators of black panther sightings. Scott thinks surviving remnants of the american lion (Panthera atrox) are responsible for the sightings. Incidentally there is no such thing as a panther! When people talk about panthers they usually mean a melanistic jaguar or leapard!0 -
Join Date:Posts: 30378
That pic IS a basking shark.
D'oh my badsteddyeddy wrote: »I havent heard about jaguars existing outside south america but I have heard of mystery cats around the world such as the onza in south america.
Yea I meant Leopard, always confuse the two. Apparently there's still a population of Jaguar in Arizona but that's the only one outside central/south America.0 -
-
-
steddyeddy wrote: »Good post! I dont think the "panther" sightings are a melanistic cougar due to the amount of hunters who have claimed to have seen one. They likened it to a large black lion! The flordia panther is a fantastic example of how rewilding can work. Yes some onzas were shot and dna tests have indeed confirmed its a genetic variant of the cougar. I dont know why but I never studied anything about mexican wildlife! I had no idea the arizona jaguars were anything but a myth, thanks for telling me otherwise!
Well, anything u want to know about Mexican wildlife, ask away
Actually, Arizona jaguars have even been photographed:
But like I said, these jaguars come from northern Mexico, are usually males looking for new territories, and are very, very rare to encounter. The jaguar populations that were actually native to the US are now extinct.
They were also thought to be extinct in many parts of Northern Mexico but camera traps have proved otherwise. Also, recently, the belief that black jaguars weren´t found in Northern Mexico was disproved when a melanistic female was photographed near the border with the US:
0 -
Well, anything u want to know about Mexican wildlife, ask away
Actually, Arizona jaguars have even been photographed:But like I said, these jaguars come from northern Mexico, are usually males looking for new territories, and are very, very rare to encounter. The jaguar populations that were actually native to the US are now extinct.
They were also thought to be extinct in many parts of Northern Mexico but camera traps have proved otherwise. Also, recently, the belief that black jaguars weren´t found in Northern Mexico was disproved when a melanistic female was photographed near the border with the US:
Ill have to do more reaserch Adam thanks again! My favouraite locations to spot wildlife were all in the coniferous temperate forests of the pacific northwest, specifically British columbia!0 -
steddyeddy wrote: »Ill have to do more reaserch Adam thanks again! My favouraite locations to spot wildlife were all in the coniferous temperate forests of the pacific northwest, specifically British columbia!
No prob
British Columbia... one of my dreams is to go kayaking in those orca watching trips there 0 -
-
-
Advertisement
-
Just announced to be a separate species from the common bottlenose dolphin, the genetically distinct Burrunan dolphin (Tursiops australis) lives in the southern coast of Australia.
Also, in India's Western Ghats (where a yet-to-be-described big cat is said to roam), twelve new species of frog have been found, thus rising the number of amphibian species known in India to 317.
0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5726yg7-5js
Advertisement