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Odd-colored creature seen falling from tree turns out to be first-of-its-kind sighting
Odd-colored creature seen falling from tree turns out to be first-of-its-kind sighting

Miami Herald

time21-02-2025

  • Science
  • Miami Herald

Odd-colored creature seen falling from tree turns out to be first-of-its-kind sighting

In a rainforest of central Belize, a wildlife ranger saw an oddly colored animal fall out of a tree. The fleeting glimpse sparked a larger search project — and revealed a first-of-its-kind sighting. Mark Faux, a field technician, visited Toucan Ridge Ecology and Education Society research station in March 2023 for a trail-cleaning project. While there, he saw a 'small group' of bats 'falling to the ground' when their roost 'was cut,' according to a study published Feb. 13 in the peer-reviewed journal Neotropical Biology and Conservation. One of the bats looked 'completely white,' an unusual color for the animal, so Faux reported the sighting to wildlife rangers at the station. Intrigued, the rangers decided to track down the oddly colored animal and, later that year, they succeeded, the study said. The team found a colony of Thyroptera tricolor, or Spix's disc-winged bats, with a 'leucistic adult male,' the study said. A photo shows the white bat inside its typical roost, a specific type of 'rolled' up leaf. Spix's disc-winged bats normally have 'dark brown fur' with some 'reddish brown' patches and a lighter underside, but this bat had 'uniform white' fur, researchers said. 'Although chromatic (color) disorders are widely reported in the animal kingdom, few reports of true leucism have been published in Neotropical bats,' the study said. 'Our observations represent the first documented case of leucism in Spix's disc-winged bat or any chromatic disorder in the Thyropteridae (disc-winged bat) family.' Leucism is often confused with albinism. Albino animals lack pigment in their fur and have eyes which 'appear red,' the study said. Leucistic animals also lack pigment in their fur, but their 'eyes retain their normal color.' Later, in April 2024, rangers documented another sighting of a male Spix's disc-winged bat with leucism. Researchers suspect all three sightings are 'the same individual moving between' roosting locations but don't know for sure. A close-up photo shows the pale Spix's disc-winged bat, which has 'adhesive discs' for hands and feet. The bat was fully grown and part of a close-knit colony, indicating its odd coloring had 'potentially little effect' on its survival and socialization, the study said. Spix's disc-winged bats are considered vulnerable in Belize 'due to its restricted distribution and specific roosting requirements,' researchers said. Their main threats include 'climate change and localized commercial harvesting of Heliconia leaves (their preferred roost) for tamales.' Belize is a coastal country in Central America, bordering Mexico to the north and Guatemala to the south and west. The research team included Vanessa Martin, Vanessa Kilburn, Mathieu Charette and Bruce Miller.

Researchers make stunning discovery after sightings of critically endangered animal: 'This shift is particularly concerning'
Researchers make stunning discovery after sightings of critically endangered animal: 'This shift is particularly concerning'

Yahoo

time10-02-2025

  • General
  • Yahoo

Researchers make stunning discovery after sightings of critically endangered animal: 'This shift is particularly concerning'

A lone jaguar roaming the forests of northwest Ecuador was responsible for the species' first appearance in two separate areas in years. Panthera onca had not been seen in the Río Manduriacu Reserve in seven years or in the Junín Community Forest in 15 years, Mongabay reported. Two camera trap surveys produced video and photographs of the big cat in November 2023 and January 2024. The findings, along with the simultaneous presence of an Andean bear, were revealed in Neotropical Biology and Conservation in November. The Central University of Ecuador, Andean Condor Foundation, and EcoMinga Foundation were responsible for the first sighting. The Defense and Ecological Conservation of Intag and Ecoforensics recorded the second, which took place in a mining concession. The researchers compared notes and came to the conclusion that the same jaguar had traveled for almost two months through the forests and "human-altered zones," per the study, to be captured by both camera traps. Lowland habitat loss is forcing the species to seek new territory at higher elevations. "This shift is particularly concerning for the Critically Endangered western population of jaguars, which faces greater threats compared to the eastern population," Javier Torres, study co-author and UCE professor, told Mongabay in an email. Other wildcats have been similarly documented, allowing scientists to learn more about them and create conservation programs that help them thrive. In March 2023, miners were forced out of part of Junín by a court order. The researchers wrote that this could have encouraged the individual jaguar to return to an area it may have previously avoided because of human activity. The creature is also thought to be responsible for a nearby livestock attack, which occurred between the two camera trap sightings. "In this sense, while the presence of jaguars in areas where they were previously considered absent is a positive sign of biodiversity, it underscores the importance of addressing human-wildlife conflicts and other threats like mining activities and habitat fragmentation," Torres wrote. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. The researchers will continue to monitor both forests to improve their understanding of the beings that live there and how they coexist. They said local populations should be educated about the environment, "especially since jaguars are among the species most targeted in retaliatory killings in the Americas," according to Mongabay. 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.

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