Researchers stunned after rediscovering thought-to-be-extinct 'living fossil' in natural park: 'An exceptional amount of force was required'
The archipelago nation sits 300 miles off the coast of West Africa and boasts over 2,000 species of known terrestrial fauna, per Visit Santo Antão.
Among that number is a new species of grasshopper called a "living fossil" — the Eyprepocprifas insularis or the Monte Gordo grasshopper — originally found in Monte Gordo Natural Park in 1980. Researcher Michel Lecoq discovered a single male but declared the species extinct years later after failing to find another.
However, two researchers recorded the presence of this species at high elevations in the mountains, including the first recorded female in 2023. It all happened in the same park as the initial discovery 40 years before.
This grasshopper species, which is only on São Nicolau island, stands out with reduced wings highly unlikely to fly, super long legs, and a very thick exoskeleton.
The outer skeleton is so thick that researchers noted "an exceptional amount of force was required" to mount specimens. They suggest declaring it vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List — meaning a high risk for extinction in the wild, but not endangered.
Why is this species vulnerable? Existing only on a single island means a limited range, not helped by an inability to fly. The Cape Verde archipelago has experienced prolonged droughts and winds blowing elements from the nearby mainland that can threaten its survival, per Bioengineer.
Per the Journal of Orthoptera Research study, which marked the rediscovery, "Rain may be absent for several years, causing catastrophic droughts" on the island.
As Willy Gonçalves, a Cape Verde farmer, told Africa News, "From 2017 onwards, we began to feel these climate changes more strongly here in Cabo Verde … more pests, more difficulties, and since then everything we've planted has been a struggle."
With vegetation losses, humans, animals, and insects seeking habitats and food can be affected, especially herbivores like grasshoppers.
Do you think we still have a lot to learn from ancient cultures?
Definitely
Only on certain topics
I'm not sure
No — not really
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
However, with conservation efforts like planting native plants, watch lists, wildlife corridors, and new laws, such species have a better chance for survival and removal of such lists.
Another species, the rare San Francisco leaf-cutter bee, was spotted for the first time since 1980 by the Tamalpais Bee Lab. The golden lion tamarin is thriving again in Brazil after once only numbering 200.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Miami Herald
Rare and ‘secretive' snake — that can climb trees — found in Vietnam rainforest
In the protected, undisturbed limestone forests of central Vietnam, a 'secretive' creature emerged at nightfall. In a scene framed by the opening of a karst cave, the 20-inch black and cream-colored banded snake targeted an unknowing skink. It is an adept hunter, able to move swiftly over rocky terrain and even climb trees. Researchers have now confirmed the snake, discovered in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in the Northern Annamites, is a new species called Lycodon calcarophilus, or the Limestone wolf snake, according to a study published Aug. 12 in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa. The mountainous rainforest region where the limestone wolf snake was found is considered to be one of Vietnam's 'most significant protected areas' in terms of reptile and amphibian diversity, according to the study. 'Numerous studies have emphasised the remarkable species richness' and the large number of species that exist only in the karstic region and nowhere else in the world, researchers said. The new species is described as being relatively small compared to related species. Its blackish-brown body is 'laterally compressed' with between 19 and 25 'pinkish-cream' colored bands, researchers said. The new species has a head that is angular, slightly flattened, and distinct from the rest of its body, according to the study. Researchers said the species is 'likely rare, as suggested by the very limited number of observations.' The team encountered just six during their fieldwork. However, the limestone wolf snake is likely to be found in 'limestone massifs outside the park boundaries, where forest habitats are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic activities.' The discovery of the new species brings the known number of Lycodon species in Vietnam to 17, according to researchers. Researchers recommend listing the new species as data deficient on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List until more field surveys can determine its threatened status. The research team included Gernot Vogel, Andrey M. Bragin, Nikolay A. Poyarkov and Tan Van Nguyen.
5 days ago
Tuesday is World Elephant Day. 5 things to know about the world's largest land mammal
BELA-BELA, South Africa -- Tuesday is World Elephant Day. Here are five things to know about the largest land animals on our planet. There are three species of elephants: the African savanna or bush elephant, the African forest elephant and the Asian elephant. The African savanna elephant and the Asian elephant are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The forest elephant is critically endangered. The easiest way to tell the difference among the species is the ears. African elephants have larger ears that are shaped, conveniently, like the African continent. African elephants also have two finger-like prehensile extensions at the tips of their trunks to grip things with, while Asian elephants have one. The African savanna elephant is the biggest of the three species and the largest land animal on Earth. Adult males weigh around 5,000 to 6,000 kilograms, which is 11,000 to 13,000 pounds — or about six tons. Savanna elephants already weigh about 120 kilograms — 265 pounds — when they're born, heavier than your average NFL player. There are around 150,000 muscles in an elephant's trunk, making it an 'incredible piece of equipment,' according to Sean Hensman, an elephant specialist at the Adventures with Elephants sanctuary in South Africa. Because their trunks have no bones, elephants can curl or twist them in all sorts of directions, and even make them shorter or longer. They use them to suck up water to blow into their mouths and to pick up food, or just about anything else they need to do. Elephants can't jump. That's because of the enormous weight they are carrying. Elephants need at least three feet on the ground at any one time in order to move. They can, however, stand on their back legs if they need to reach food like fruits or leaves high on a tree. One of the most popular presumptions is that elephants have an incredible memory. That is true, Hensman said. They have a huge temporal lobe — the part of the brain that controls memory. Elephants need a good memory of the locations of numerous food and water sources to survive in some of the harshest climates.
San Francisco Chronicle
5 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Tuesday is World Elephant Day. 5 things to know about the world's largest land mammals
BELA-BELA, South Africa (AP) — Tuesday is World Elephant Day. Here are five things to know about the largest land animals on our planet. Tell them apart by their ears There are three species of elephants: the African savanna or bush elephant, the African forest elephant and the Asian elephant. The African savanna elephant and the Asian elephant are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The forest elephant is critically endangered. The easiest way to tell the difference among the species is the ears. African elephants have larger ears that are shaped, conveniently, like the African continent. African elephants also have two finger-like prehensile extensions at the tips of their trunks to grip things with, while Asian elephants have one. Biggest of the big The African savanna elephant is the biggest of the three species and the largest land animal on Earth. Adult males weigh around 5,000 to 6,000 kilograms, which is 11,000 to 13,000 pounds — or about six tons. Savanna elephants already weigh about 120 kilograms — 265 pounds — when they're born, heavier than your average NFL player. Trunks with thousands of muscles There are around 150,000 muscles in an elephant's trunk, making it an 'incredible piece of equipment,' according to Sean Hensman, an elephant specialist at the Adventures with Elephants sanctuary in South Africa. Because their trunks have no bones, elephants can curl or twist them in all sorts of directions, and even make them shorter or longer. They use them to suck up water to blow into their mouths and to pick up food, or just about anything else they need to do. Too heavy to jump Elephants can't jump. That's because of the enormous weight they are carrying. Elephants need at least three feet on the ground at any one time in order to move. They can, however, stand on their back legs if they need to reach food like fruits or leaves high on a tree. An elephant never forgets? One of the most popular presumptions is that elephants have an incredible memory. That is true, Hensman said. They have a huge temporal lobe — the part of the brain that controls memory. Elephants need a good memory of the locations of numerous food and water sources to survive in some of the harshest climates. ___
