Latest news with #LuanThanhNguyen
Miami Herald
16-05-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Pregnant creature found in ‘rotting leaves' on Vietnam peak. It's a new species
As night stretched across a mountain in southern Vietnam, a pregnant creature waited under some 'rotting leaves.' But its hiding place wasn't hidden enough. Visiting scientists found the 'orange-tailed' animal — and discovered a new species. A team of researchers trekked up Tà Cú Mountain several times between 2018 and 2020 to search for wildlife. The 'isolated mountain' was already known to have three native species of lizard, so the team suspected it might have even more biodiversity, according to a study published May 14 in the peer-reviewed European Journal of Taxonomy. During their night hikes, researchers spotted some orange tails peeking out from the bushes and found several unfamiliar-looking lizards. They took a closer look at the lizards, tested their DNA and realized they'd discovered a new species: Scincella auranticaudata, or the orange-tailed ground skink. Orange-tailed ground skinks are considered 'medium'-sized, reaching about 6 inches in length, the study said. They have 'robust' bodies with 'short' snouts and yellow-tinged eyes. Photos show the coloring of the new species. Its upper body has a mixture of brown and bright orange becoming more brown toward the middle of its body then fading to pale orange on its tail. Some 'large black spots' also run down its back. Seen from below, it has a 'pink' and 'yellowish' belly. Researchers said they named the new species after the Latin words for 'orange-colored' and 'tail' because of its vibrant tail. Orange-tailed ground skinks were found at night 'on the ground among rotting leaves in evergreen forest on a mountain slope' at elevations of about 1,700 feet, researchers said. Two female skinks were found pregnant. Much about the lifestyle of orange-tailed ground skinks remains unknown. So far, the new species has only been found on Tà Cú Mountain, also spelled Ta Kou Mountain, in Bình Thuận Province of southern Vietnam and a roughly 105-mile drive east from Ho Chi Minh City. A 2021 YouTube video shared by 24 Go Somewhere shows a hike up Tà Cú Mountain. The new species was identified by its size, scale pattern, finger and toe shape, genitalia, coloring and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 9% genetic divergence from other related species. The research team included Sang Ngoc Nguyen, Luan Thanh Nguyen, Manh Van Le, Vu Dang Hoang Nguyen, Khanh Duy Phan, Thi-Dieu-Hien Vo, Robert Murphy and Jing Che. The team also discovered a second new species: the Hon Ba ground skink.
Miami Herald
25-04-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Two pets found on island in Vietnam turn out to be critically endangered species
On a small island off the coast of Vietnam, a cow herder paused near a rice field and noticed a brown and yellow creature hidden under the grass. He picked up the animal and decided to keep it as a pet. It turned out to be a critically endangered species and a first-of-its-kind sighting. Scientists visited Hon Lao Island in 2015 and 2022 as part of a turtle conservation project with the Asian Turtle Program of Indo-Myanmar Conservation, according to a study published April 25 in the peer-reviewed journal Check List. Their goal was to survey the island's turtles and potential turtle habitats. During the visits, researchers met two residents with pet turtles who let them photograph and analyze the animals, the study said. To the team's surprise — and excitement — the pets turned out to be Vietnamese pond turtles, a critically endangered species. Scientifically known as Mauremys annamensis, Vietnamese pond turtles are freshwater reptiles 'found only in the densely populated coastal lowlands of a few provinces of central Vietnam,' according to the Asian Turtle Program. The species is 'heavily hunted for sale into the wildlife trade' and, in 2006, was found in the wild for the first time 'in over 67 years.' Photos show the two Vietnamese pond turtles found on Hon Lao Island. The larger turtle weighed just under 2 pounds and was found by a cow herder in 2015 'near a rice field at the mountain's foot,' the study said. 'Based on the information obtained from the owner and our observation of suitable habitat, it can be inferred that the turtle was collected from the wild.' The smaller turtle weighed about 11 ounces and was 'picked up in a small stream' in 2022, researchers said. The pets are the first known record of the species on Hon Lao Island, but the discovery suggest the species naturally occurs on the island, the study said. Researchers suggested further surveys of the island, the expansion of a nearby protected area to include the turtle's preferred wetland habitat and, potentially, the reintroduction of some animals to 'restock this natural population.' The wild population of Vietnamese pond turtles on Hon Lao Island is one of — 'if not the last' of — the species' few remaining natural habitats, the study said. Hon Lao Island is about 10 miles off the coast of Vietnam and roughly 375 miles northeast of Ho Chi Minh City. A video shared on YouTube by the Thinking Nomads shows one of the islands in the surrounding Cu Lao Cham Archipelago. The research team included Luan Thanh Nguyen, Tuyet-Dzung Thi Tran, Sanh Cong Phan, Thomas Ziegler, Minh Le and Timothy McCormack.
