Wellington: The world's rarest whale species - the spade-toothed beaked whale has been spotted for the first time by scientists of New Zealand in the Pacific Ocean. "This is the first time a spade-toothed beaked whale has been seen as a complete specimen, and we were lucky enough to find two of them," says Rochelle Constantine, from the University of Auckland, who led the study. "It's incredible to think that, until recently, such a large animal was concealed in the South Pacific Ocean and shows how little we know about ocean bio-diversity," adds Constantine, the journal Current Biology reports.
The scientists used DNA evidence to prove that a mother and her male calf which stranded in New Zealand in late 2010 were the first animals of their kind ever seen, according to an Auckland statement. Since the two animals are the only intact members of their species sighted, the spade-toothed beaked whale is the world's rarest whale. Until now the only evidence for the species' existence came from three skull and jaw fragments found around New Zealand and Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile.
The spade-toothed beaked whale was discovered on Pitt Island in the Chatham Islands in 1872, but it wasn't until 2002 that scientists from The University of Auckland analysed DNA from the three skull fragments, recovered from museum archives, and realised that their genetic profiles were the same and did not correspond to any other known species. On Dec 31, 2010, a female whale (5.3 metres) and
10:19 AM, Nov 06, 2012
Thiruvananthapuram: Rare bird species like the Red-necked Phalarope (Pambarakkada) and a tiny wader that swims in open sea have been sighted during the first pelagic bird expedition in southern Kerala. Red-necked Phalarope was recorded in Neendakara in Kollam district for the first time in the Kerala coast, a release said here on Wednesday. Streaked Shearwater (Varayan Thiravetti), another rare bird, was recorded twice by bird-watchers who participated in the event,...
12:53 PM, Oct 03, 2012
Hyderabad: An Asiatic male lion cub was born a couple of days ago at Hyderabad Nehru zoological park besides a a male baby rhino was born on July 5. So far, as many as 46 endangered species of animals, birds and reptiles have been born in the last year at the zoo. The Nehru zoological park has also been named as the second best zoo in the country after the...
01:41 PM, Jul 30, 2012
Thrissur: Another exotic fish species from North-East India, Bangladesh and Myanmar - Parambassis lala - which is found in the kole wetlands of Thrissur is posing serious threat to the states fish bio-diversity. Earlier, there were reports that exotic fish species from South America and Africa like the red piranha, pacu and catfish are posing a severe threat to the states rich fish biodiversity. While piranhas were netted by fishermen...
12:44 PM, Jul 30, 2012
Washington: Remember when 30,000 kinds of plants and animals sounded like a lot? That was three years ago. When the Encyclopedia of Life released its first online version in February 2008, it offered 30,000 pages on individual species. Version 2, released this week, features some 700,000 species pages and more than 600,000 still images and videos on more than one-third of all living things known to science. This version runs...
07:39 PM, Sep 06, 2011
Singapore: Scientists have yet to discover, or classify, about 90 per cent of the plant and animal species on Earth, which is estimated to be home to just under 9 million species, a study says. The study, published in the open-access journal PLoS Biology on Wednesday, vastly increases the estimated richness of life on the planet. More than 1.2 million species have been formally described and named so far. Scientists...
03:34 PM, Aug 24, 2011
New Delhi: The Black Necked Crane found only in the high altitude wetlands of China, Tibet, Bhutan and India, is fighting for its survival today in India. A latest survey shows that there is viable population of a mere 73 out of which there are 15 breeding pairs left in the country and that too is restricted to Ladakh. Pankaj Chandan, manger, High altitude wetland programme, WWF said, "It's of...
05:20 PM, May 01, 2011
Dibrugarh, Assam: In a bid to conserve India's easternmost rainforest here, home to seven wildcat species, authorities are trying to promote the wildlife preserve as an eco-tourism destination by involving the local populace. The first Rainforest Festival is being held on the banks of the Burhidihing at Jeypore in this district since Friday and tourists, including foreigners, have thronged in large numbers. The Jeypore rainforest is home to a number...
03:35 PM, Feb 13, 2011
Huron Beach, Michigan: In the never-ending battle to prevent blood-sucking sea lamprey from wiping out some of the most popular fish species in the Great Lakes, biologists are developing new weapons that exploit three certainties in the eel-like parasites' lives: birth, sex and death. Researchers are beginning the third and final year of testing lab-refined mating pheromones - scents emitted by male lampreys to attract females. They're also working on...
01:56 PM, Jan 03, 2011
London: Of the estimated 70,000 species of flowering plants yet to be described by scientists, more than half are lying unknown and unrecognised in collections around the world, a new study suggests. A lack of resources for collections of plant specimens known as 'herbaria' and a lack of experts who can identify new species are leaving a vital reservoir of information about global biodiversity untapped, the authors of the study...
07:00 PM, Dec 08, 2010
Gecko that looks like leopard, frog that eats birds live in Mekong River region. ...
11:31 PM, Sep 27, 2009
CNN-IBN's Juhi Chaudhary finds out why the bee is losing its buzz. ...
01:28 PM, Sep 18, 2009
A new report by the World Wildlife Fund or WWF has cheered conservationists. ...
05:40 PM, Aug 11, 2009
A research balloon collected air samples at heights between 20 and 41 km. ...
11:52 PM, Mar 17, 2009
The discovery of 12 new frog species in the Western Ghats is a big boost. ...
11:28 PM, Feb 04, 2009
It is illegal to kill leopards in India, endangered specie, often hunted for fur. ...
08:06 PM, Jan 03, 2009
It's the most comprehensive study of 5,500 species across 130 countries. ...
01:15 PM, Oct 07, 2008
Around Rs 150 from each watch sold will go into the WWF's pocket. ...
02:51 AM, Sep 12, 2008
Chennai: The inaugural match of the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will have the defending champions Chennai Super Kings taking on the Harbhajan Singh-led Mumbai Indians at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday. Sachin Tendulkar has decided to step down as skipper of the Mumbai franchise, handing over the reins to Harbhajan, who helped Mumbai lift their maiden title, the Champions League Twenty20, last year in the...
08:47 PM, May 08, 2008
Former India captain Rahul Dravid feels that the team should just focus on the task ahead in the World Cup final. ...
01:44 PM, Jan 10, 2008
