The Cockerell bumblebee bee is alive and well and living in New Mexico, scientists from the University of California, Riverside report. The Cockerell, the rarest species of bumblebee in the United States, was last seen in 1956.
But on August 31 a team from the university found three of them along a highway north of Cloudcroft, New Mexico. Cockerell's bumblebee is believed to live in an area of less than 300 square miles, giving it the most limited range of any bumblebee species in the world.
There are nearly 50 species of native U.S. bumblebees, several on the verge of extinction because of habituate loss. "Franklin's Bumblebee," for example, has been seen only once since 2003.
The good news for the Cockerell's Bumblebee is that unlike many rare species, its range is mostly composed of National Forest and Apache tribal land, so it's unlikely to be under serious threat of habitat loss at the moment, says Douglas Yanega, senior museum scientist at UC Riverside.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/sciencefair/index
Showing posts with label New Mexico. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Mexico. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Dead Rhino Remains in Albuquerque Creates Controversy
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- New Mexico authorities are making a stink after an odor wafting from a New Mexico property lead them to a foul discovery – dozens of dead animals, including the remains of a rhino named Sally.
Authorities plan to cite, Ruben Saavedra, with illegally stockpiling animal carcasses after finding two dozen sheep, three horses, and the rhinoceros on the Albuquerque property. Saavedra, who operates an animal disposal service, said Thursday that personal problems caused him to get behind on his work.
"So I know I did wrong, but we're remedying the problem," he said.
Saavedra says he took the carcasses to an animal interment site – where Sally, a 44-year-old zoo rhino euthanized in December, was laid to rest – and that authorities watched.
Saavedra faces a fine and jail time.
http://weirdnews.aol.com/2011/06/03/dead-rhino-remains-in-alb_n_870894.html
Authorities plan to cite, Ruben Saavedra, with illegally stockpiling animal carcasses after finding two dozen sheep, three horses, and the rhinoceros on the Albuquerque property. Saavedra, who operates an animal disposal service, said Thursday that personal problems caused him to get behind on his work.
"So I know I did wrong, but we're remedying the problem," he said.
Saavedra says he took the carcasses to an animal interment site – where Sally, a 44-year-old zoo rhino euthanized in December, was laid to rest – and that authorities watched.
Saavedra faces a fine and jail time.
http://weirdnews.aol.com/2011/06/03/dead-rhino-remains-in-alb_n_870894.html
Monday, December 20, 2010
Dunes Sagebrush Lizard Proposed for Endangered Listing in ESA
More than eight years after the Center for Biological Diversity first petitioned to earn protection for the imperiled dunes sagebrush lizard, this week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finally proposed to declare the species endangered. The light-brown, yellow-eyed lizard -- about the length of a human hand from nose to tail -- dwells in the dunes of New Mexico and Texas, where it buries itself in cool, white sand in the shade of shinnery oaks to avoid predators and regulate its body temperature. Unfortunately, oil and gas development and herbicide spraying are fast destroying the habitat of this rare reptile -- which already has the second-smallest range of any North American lizard. The species was first found to warrant federal protection in 2004 following our 2002 petition, but instead of adding it to the endangered species list, the feds made it a "candidate" for Endangered Species Act status -- putting off real protection indefinitely.
"The unique dunes sagebrush lizard may finally be receiving the help it needs to survive," said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center. "Unfortunately, during eight years of delay, the lizard lost more of its habitat to oil and gas development, putting it at greater risk of extinction and making recovery harder."
Herp Digest Volume # 10 Issue # 54 12/16/10
"The unique dunes sagebrush lizard may finally be receiving the help it needs to survive," said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center. "Unfortunately, during eight years of delay, the lizard lost more of its habitat to oil and gas development, putting it at greater risk of extinction and making recovery harder."
Herp Digest Volume # 10 Issue # 54 12/16/10
Dunes Sagebrush Lizard Proposed for Endangered Listing in ESA
More than eight years after the Center for Biological Diversity first petitioned to earn protection for the imperiled dunes sagebrush lizard, this week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finally proposed to declare the species endangered. The light-brown, yellow-eyed lizard -- about the length of a human hand from nose to tail -- dwells in the dunes of New Mexico and Texas, where it buries itself in cool, white sand in the shade of shinnery oaks to avoid predators and regulate its body temperature. Unfortunately, oil and gas development and herbicide spraying are fast destroying the habitat of this rare reptile -- which already has the second-smallest range of any North American lizard. The species was first found to warrant federal protection in 2004 following our 2002 petition, but instead of adding it to the endangered species list, the feds made it a "candidate" for Endangered Species Act status -- putting off real protection indefinitely.
"The unique dunes sagebrush lizard may finally be receiving the help it needs to survive," said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center. "Unfortunately, during eight years of delay, the lizard lost more of its habitat to oil and gas development, putting it at greater risk of extinction and making recovery harder."
Herp Digest Volume # 10 Issue # 54 12/16/10
"The unique dunes sagebrush lizard may finally be receiving the help it needs to survive," said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center. "Unfortunately, during eight years of delay, the lizard lost more of its habitat to oil and gas development, putting it at greater risk of extinction and making recovery harder."
Herp Digest Volume # 10 Issue # 54 12/16/10
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Parasite Caused Frogs With Too Many Legs, Scientist Says
LOS LUNAS, N.M. -- Frogs in a Los Lunas pond are surfacing with either too many legs or too few, and one university researcher said he’s pinpointed the cause.
Worried viewers called Target 7 to find out if the water was contaminated and if it was harmful to humans.
Los Lunas officials didn’t know about the frogs until they were contacted by Target 7. Immediately, Parks and Recreation Director Michael Jaramillio closed off the pond and had the water tested.
Target 7 also conducted water tests, and reporter Anna Velasquez broke out in rashes after collecting samples.
Mason Ryan is an amphibian expert at the University of New Mexico who is investigating the frog deformities.
“In the big picture of the number of ponds and the number of frog species we have in this country, it's kind of a relatively rare event,” Ryan said.
Ryan said this is New Mexico’s first known case of bullfrog deformities. Out of the 178 frogs collected, he said 80 percent were deformed and all were juveniles.
“As with most stories in biology, it's a complex story with multiple things happening to cause this,” Ryan said.
Predators are responsible for the frogs that are missing legs, and a parasite called trematode caused three or more legs in some frogs, Ryan said.
“They have a complex life cycle where they go through a bird, into a snail, and they live in the water and then they enter the developing tadpole,” Ryan said.
Ryan said he believes something must have happened in the pond to trigger a spike in the parasite’s population.
“Our nitrogen level may have been high in the pond some time last year due to possibly and overspill of fertilizer,” Jaramillo said.
Jaramillo admits that a groundskeeper fertilized the grass around the pond and accidentally spilled some into the water.
“How much of it? They're thinking a couple pounds at the most, it wasn't like it was intentionally put in there,” Jaramillo said.
The amount of fertilizer was not enough to kill off the pond’s fish or other organisms, but may have been enough to cause the frogs’ deformities.
Worried viewers called Target 7 to find out if the water was contaminated and if it was harmful to humans.
Los Lunas officials didn’t know about the frogs until they were contacted by Target 7. Immediately, Parks and Recreation Director Michael Jaramillio closed off the pond and had the water tested.
Target 7 also conducted water tests, and reporter Anna Velasquez broke out in rashes after collecting samples.
Mason Ryan is an amphibian expert at the University of New Mexico who is investigating the frog deformities.
“In the big picture of the number of ponds and the number of frog species we have in this country, it's kind of a relatively rare event,” Ryan said.
Ryan said this is New Mexico’s first known case of bullfrog deformities. Out of the 178 frogs collected, he said 80 percent were deformed and all were juveniles.
“As with most stories in biology, it's a complex story with multiple things happening to cause this,” Ryan said.
Predators are responsible for the frogs that are missing legs, and a parasite called trematode caused three or more legs in some frogs, Ryan said.
“They have a complex life cycle where they go through a bird, into a snail, and they live in the water and then they enter the developing tadpole,” Ryan said.
Ryan said he believes something must have happened in the pond to trigger a spike in the parasite’s population.
“Our nitrogen level may have been high in the pond some time last year due to possibly and overspill of fertilizer,” Jaramillo said.
Jaramillo admits that a groundskeeper fertilized the grass around the pond and accidentally spilled some into the water.
“How much of it? They're thinking a couple pounds at the most, it wasn't like it was intentionally put in there,” Jaramillo said.
The amount of fertilizer was not enough to kill off the pond’s fish or other organisms, but may have been enough to cause the frogs’ deformities.
Parasite Caused Frogs With Too Many Legs, Scientist Says
LOS LUNAS, N.M. -- Frogs in a Los Lunas pond are surfacing with either too many legs or too few, and one university researcher said he’s pinpointed the cause.
Worried viewers called Target 7 to find out if the water was contaminated and if it was harmful to humans.
Los Lunas officials didn’t know about the frogs until they were contacted by Target 7. Immediately, Parks and Recreation Director Michael Jaramillio closed off the pond and had the water tested.
Target 7 also conducted water tests, and reporter Anna Velasquez broke out in rashes after collecting samples.
Mason Ryan is an amphibian expert at the University of New Mexico who is investigating the frog deformities.
“In the big picture of the number of ponds and the number of frog species we have in this country, it's kind of a relatively rare event,” Ryan said.
Ryan said this is New Mexico’s first known case of bullfrog deformities. Out of the 178 frogs collected, he said 80 percent were deformed and all were juveniles.
“As with most stories in biology, it's a complex story with multiple things happening to cause this,” Ryan said.
Predators are responsible for the frogs that are missing legs, and a parasite called trematode caused three or more legs in some frogs, Ryan said.
“They have a complex life cycle where they go through a bird, into a snail, and they live in the water and then they enter the developing tadpole,” Ryan said.
Ryan said he believes something must have happened in the pond to trigger a spike in the parasite’s population.
“Our nitrogen level may have been high in the pond some time last year due to possibly and overspill of fertilizer,” Jaramillo said.
Jaramillo admits that a groundskeeper fertilized the grass around the pond and accidentally spilled some into the water.
“How much of it? They're thinking a couple pounds at the most, it wasn't like it was intentionally put in there,” Jaramillo said.
The amount of fertilizer was not enough to kill off the pond’s fish or other organisms, but may have been enough to cause the frogs’ deformities.
Worried viewers called Target 7 to find out if the water was contaminated and if it was harmful to humans.
Los Lunas officials didn’t know about the frogs until they were contacted by Target 7. Immediately, Parks and Recreation Director Michael Jaramillio closed off the pond and had the water tested.
Target 7 also conducted water tests, and reporter Anna Velasquez broke out in rashes after collecting samples.
Mason Ryan is an amphibian expert at the University of New Mexico who is investigating the frog deformities.
“In the big picture of the number of ponds and the number of frog species we have in this country, it's kind of a relatively rare event,” Ryan said.
Ryan said this is New Mexico’s first known case of bullfrog deformities. Out of the 178 frogs collected, he said 80 percent were deformed and all were juveniles.
“As with most stories in biology, it's a complex story with multiple things happening to cause this,” Ryan said.
Predators are responsible for the frogs that are missing legs, and a parasite called trematode caused three or more legs in some frogs, Ryan said.
“They have a complex life cycle where they go through a bird, into a snail, and they live in the water and then they enter the developing tadpole,” Ryan said.
Ryan said he believes something must have happened in the pond to trigger a spike in the parasite’s population.
“Our nitrogen level may have been high in the pond some time last year due to possibly and overspill of fertilizer,” Jaramillo said.
Jaramillo admits that a groundskeeper fertilized the grass around the pond and accidentally spilled some into the water.
“How much of it? They're thinking a couple pounds at the most, it wasn't like it was intentionally put in there,” Jaramillo said.
The amount of fertilizer was not enough to kill off the pond’s fish or other organisms, but may have been enough to cause the frogs’ deformities.
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