Tiny lizards found in Madagascar

By Ella Davies

Reporter, BBC Nature

One of the world's tiniest lizards has been discovered by keen-eyed researchers in Madagascar.

The miniature chameleon, Brookesia micra, reaches a maximum length of just 29mm.

German scientists also found a further three new species in the north of the island.

The lizards were limited to very small ranges and scientists are concerned they could be at risk from habitat disturbance.

The discovery is reported in the journal PLoS ONE.

The research team, led by Dr Frank Glaw from the Zoologische Staatssammlung in Munich, have a specialist knowledge of Madagascar's dwarf chameleons having described other species in the past.

They conducted fieldwork at night during the wet season in order to find the easily overlooked animals.

"They mostly live in the leaf litter in the day... But at night they climb up and then you can spot them," said Dr Glaw, explaining that the animals moved up into branches to sleep.

The scientists carefully scanned the most likely habitats with torches and headlamps to find roosting sites.

They found the smallest species on a remote limestone islet and believe it may represent an extreme case of island dwarfism.

This phenomenon occurs when a species becomes smaller over evolutionary time in order to adapt to a restricted habitat such as an island.

According to Dr Glaw there could have been a "two-island effect" in the case of B. micra.

"It is possible that the big island of Madagascar has produced the general group of dwarf chameleons and the very small island has produced the tiny species," he told BBC Nature.

Read on:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/17028940

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/58514000/jpg/_58514405_tiny_chameleons_photo1_brookesia_micra_juvenile_on_match_joern_koehler.jpg

Madagascar Wildlife Facing Threat Of Illegal Hunting

Researchers have found that illegal hunting of protected species in Madagascar could cause an urgent threat to the country’s globally important biodiversity.


The scientists said that hunting of protected species in eastern Madagascar is increasing due to rapid social change.

“Our observations suggest that young men have more available cash and leisure time due to the transition from subsistence farming to panning for gold, and they spend more time in local bars, eating fried meat snacks with their drinks,” Julie Razafimanahaka from Madagasikara Voakajy, said in a press release.

Appetites for meats have increased, and traditional taboos protecting species like lemurs are becoming less powerful in the country.

“Lemur hunting appears to have increased to supply this new market. The power of the taboo is declining, under pressures of globalization and human mobility,” said Razafimanahaka.

Dr. Julia Jones of Bangor University, the study author, said that the country’s wildlife is an important asset to Madagascar’s future.

“They are worth much more to the economy alive than as meat. I sincerely hope Madagascar is able to tackle this problem,” Jones said in a press release.

The team found that people prefer to eat domestic meats like chicken and pork over bushmeat species like lemur, but in some cases they resort to eating wildlife because of the high cost of domestic alternatives.

“Improving access to alternatives would help,” Richard Jenkins of Bangor University, one of the authors of the study, said in a press release. “If domestic meats could be farmed more reliably and were therefore cheaper, the pressure on wild species may be reduced. More effort is needed to improve domestic animal husbandry methods and disease control in rainforest areas.”

Despite the country’s wildlife laws, they can be misunderstood and also go unenforced in many areas.

The researchers worked with the government of Madagascar on an education campaign to help people learn more about the law and to ensure they understand how vulnerable the lemurs are to hunting.

The research was published in the December 14 issue of PLoS ONE.

http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112441908/madagascar-wildlife-facing-threat-of-illegal-hunting

Defacing the world's rarest tortoises

2011 marks 25 years of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust's work in Madagascar to save native species, including the Critically Endangered ploughshare tortoise.

But with the explosive growth in demand for pet tortoises from Asia, the ploughshares' former safe haven of Baly Bay National Park is under increasing threat from poachers.

Richard Lewis is director of Durrell's Madagascar programme. Here he speaks about how the team and the local villagers are working to protect the world's rarest tortoise. This includes the drastic measure of "defacing" the beautiful shells in order to make the animals worthless on the black market.

See video here ...

Red list changes highlight threats from over-exploitation (Via Herp Digest)

Red list changes highlight threats from over-exploitation
The latest IUCN Red List finds an alarming 40% of Madagascar's terrestrial reptiles are threatened with extinction

Gland, Switzerland, 11/10/11-the latest update of the world's list of threatened animals and plant species-the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species-carried out by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) reveals mixed fortunes for many species.

"This update offers both good and bad news on the status of many species around the world," says Jane Smart, Director, IUCN Global Species Programme.

"We have the knowledge that conservation works if executed in a timely manner, yet, without strong political will in combination with targeted efforts and resources, the wonders of nature and the services it provides can be lost forever."

The revised list finds an alarming 40% of Madagascar's terrestrial reptiles are threatened. TRAFFIC has drawn attention to the rampant illegal trade in many of the country's threatened reptile species, which unless addressed will undermine the laudable creation of conservation areas to protect species like Tarzan's Chameleon Calumma tarzan, Bizarre-nosed Chameleon Calumma hafahafa and Limbless Skink Paracontias fasika.

Although the number of plant species assessed remains relatively low, some have deteriorated in status, like Taxus contorta, which has declined from Vulnerable to Endangered because of over-harvesting. In 2007, TRAFFIC documented China's role in the continuing and unsustainable trade in wild Yew trees in the Genus Taxus, whose bark and needles are harvested for the production of anti-cancer medicines.
Others, like the Coco de Mer from the Seychelles-known for its supposed aphrodisiac properties-have declined partly because although all collection and sale of its seed is highly regulated, there is thought to be a significant black market trade in its seed kernels.

The assessment of the world's tuna species is particularly serious, with five of the eight tuna species in the threatened or Near Threatened categories. TRAFFIC has highlighted the over-fishing of some tuna species, which is placing them at risk of extinction.

26 recently discovered amphibian species have been assessed for the first time, including two-the Blessed Poison Frog Ranitomeya benedicta and Summers' Poison Frog Ranitomeya summersi that are classified as Vulnerable and Endangered respectively. Both are threatened through a combination of habitat loss and harvesting for the international pet trade.

The ongoing poaching of rhinos is also reflected in the revised Red List, with the status of a number of subspecies deteriorating. It includes formal confirmation of the extinction of the Western Black Rhino Diceros bicornis longipes.

"Even a quick perusal of the threats facing the world's wild plants and animals identified through the IUCN Red List process reveal the problems caused by unsustainble trade and the danger it poses as a major driver of extinction," said Steven Broad, Executive Director of TRAFFIC.

Critically Endangered Ploughshare tortoises rescued from smugglers

Madagascar officials foil smuggling plot of rare tortoises August 2011. A shipment of extremely rare and threatened Malagasy tortoises has been seized by officials in Madagascar as smugglers attempted to board a flight with around 200 specimens. Two men, one a native of Madagascar and an Indian national were arrested.

27 Ploughshare and 169 Radiated tortoises
The haul of rare creatures was made up of 27 ploughshare tortoises, 169 radiated tortoises and one spider tortoise. The animals were divided into three suitcases and a number of boxes and following the Kenyan Airways flight to Nairobi the consignment was due to continue on to Dubai before reaching the final destination of Jakarta. The animals are worth tens of thousands of pounds in the illegal pet trade, where they are highly sought after.

The reptiles, believed to range in age from babies through to adult were not picked up on the airport scanning system, and it was as the luggage was loaded onto the aircraft that the authorities became suspicious and the illegal haul was discovered. The tortoises are currently being held at secure quarantine centres while the case is being investigated

"It is a fantastic result that these animals were discovered and the perpetrators caught by the authorities before leaving Madagascar. It is very important that people understand that smuggling these highly threatened animals is a serious crime and we look to the judiciary to apply the full weight of the law." Commented Richard Lewis, Director of Durrell's Madagascar Programme.

Tortoise decline in Madagascar
The reduction in the tortoise population of Madagascar can be traced back to the 18th and 19th century when animals were taken as a valuable food source for visiting sailors; in the 20th century adult tortoises were often used as ‘courtyard cleaners' for the more wealthy locals. The 1990's saw an explosion in the illegal pet trade, when young ploughshares were particularly popular with the European and American markets and a single individual could fetch thousands of dollars a tempting proposition for some of the Malagasy people whose average wage is less than a dollar a day.

Catastrophic affect on the native population
Now the current political instability in Madagascar has exacerbated the trafficking situation as global animal smuggling groups have seized the opportunity to exploit the situation. This coupled with the increase in wealth in South East Asia and China where purchasers are willing to pay top prices for live specimens as pets has had a catastrophic affect on the native population.

"Like most illegal trade in wildlife, we are dealing with a situation where external demand for animals is corrupting poverty stricken communities. While we are trying to support the enforcement of wildlife laws within Madagascar, we must also tackle the demand coming from overseas. This remains the single greatest challenge for the future of the ploughshare tortoise and countless other species" said Andrew Terry, Head of Durrell's Field Programmes.

Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust have been working with the Critically Endangered ploughshare tortoise in Madagascar for the last 25 years and have over that time achieved considerable success with their captive breeding programme based in Ampijoroa; to date over 200 animals have been raised in the centre and 45 released into the wild. Durrell has started a new initiative with international partners to address the trade in ploughshare tortoises and to raise awareness of animals being traded illegally. We will continue to work with the national authorities and local NGOs such as Voahary Gasy in Madagascar and partners in South East Asia to halt the illegal trade in these species.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/madagascar-ploughshare011.html

200 of the world's rarest tortoises seized from smugglers in Madagascar

Two smugglers bound for Indonesia have been arrested

August 2011: Two hundred of the world's rarest tortoises have been seized in Madagascar, as during an attempt to smuggle them out of the country to Indonsia. Two men have been arrested.

Frontier Police found 26 ploughshare tortoises, 169 radiated tortoises and a spider tortoise in a box and three large bags that were transported directly to the tarmac, circumventing security scanners, according to local media reports.

very rare ploughshare tortoises

Upon scanning the bags, authorities discovered the tortoises hidden inside and proceeded to arrest two men, one of whom had already boarded the flight. The two arrested were a Malagasy and an Indian national.

Just a few hundred left in the wild
All three tortoise species only occur naturally in Madagascar - and there are thought to be only a few hundred ploughshare tortoises left in the wild. All three tortoises are classified by the IUCN as Critically Endangered.

Their international commercial trade is banned under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), yet these species frequently turn up in seizures and are seen for sale in markets of South-East Asia.

Earlier this year, TRAFFIC released the results of its investigations in Thailand, which found more than 100 radiated tortoises, dozens of spider tortoises, and three ploughshare tortoises for sale in markets and online. And in February, authorities in Bangkok arrested an Indonesian national with seven radiated and one ploughshare tortoise in his bags at Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

100 tortoises leave Madagscar each week
A WWF survey published last year showed that ten or more zebu carts filled with about 100 tortoises each are leaving the Mahafaly Plateau in south Madagascar every week, and pointed to ongoing political instability as the driver for the large jump in illegal collection of spider tortoises and radiated tortoises.

‘Those involved in apprehending these criminals in Ivato are to be congratulated,' says Chris Shepherd, deputy regional director of TRAFFIC South East Asia.

‘Responsibility does not lie with Madagascar alone, but also with importing countries. The authorities in Indonesia and other parts of South East Asia should take firm and immediate action against those trading in these species and put an end to this illicit trade.'

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/tortoise-smuggling.html#cr

Malagasy Frontier Police seize Indonesia-bound shipment of 'world's rarest' tortoises (Via HerpDigest)

Malagasy Frontier Police seize Indonesia-bound shipment of 'world's rarest' tortoises
Wednesday, July 27, 2011. Traffic

Antananarivo, Madagascar, 27th July 2011-Authorities in Madagascar on Monday arrested two men and seized close to 200 of some of the world's rarest tortoises that they were trying to smuggle out of Antananarivo's Ivato Airport to Jakarta, Indonesia.

Frontier Police found 26 Ploughshare Tortoises Astrochelys yniphora, 169 Radiated Tortoises Astrochelys radiata and one Spider Tortoise Pyxis arachnoides in a box and three large bags that were transported directly to the tarmac, circumventing security scanners, according to local media reports. 

Upon scanning the bags, authorities discovered the tortoises hidden inside and proceeded to arrest two men, one of whom had already boarded the flight

. The two arrested were a Malagasy and an Indian national. 

Local media have quoted Brunel Razafintsiandraofa, Chief of Border Police, as saying that the smuggler's final destination was Indonesia, via Nairobi and Dubai. He also told press that the principal destination of wildlife trafficked from Madagascar was to South-East Asia.

The shipment includes a stunning number of Ploughshare Tortoises, of which there are only a few hundred left in the wild, making it one of the world's rarest tortoise species. 

All three tortoise species seized are classified by IUCN as Critically Endangered-considered to be facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild-and fully protected by law in Madagascar.

All three occur naturally only in Madagascar. 

Their international commercial trade is also banned under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), yet these species frequently turn up in seizures and are seen for sale in markets of South-East Asia.



This June, TRAFFIC released the results of its investigations in Thailand, which found over a hundred Radiated Tortoises, dozens of Spider Tortoises, and three Ploughshare Tortoises for sale in markets and online. 

In February this year, authorities in Bangkok arrested an Indonesian national with seven Radiated and one Ploughshare Tortoise in his bags at Suvarnabhumi International Airport. 



In August 2010, TRAFFIC also observed these species for sale at an expo in Jakarta. Several large-scale seizures of these tortoises were also made in Malaysia and Thailand in 2010. Most were found stuffed and hidden in luggage smuggled through airports.

A WWF survey published last year showed that ten or more zebu carts filled with around 100 tortoises each are leaving the Mahafaly Plateau in south Madagascar every week, and pointed to ongoing political instability as the driver for the large jump in illegal collection of Spider Tortoises and Radiated Tortoises.

"Those involved in apprehending these criminals in Ivato are to be congratulated," says Chris R. Shepherd, Deputy Regional Director of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia.



"Responsibility does not lie with Madagascar alone, but also with importing countries. The authorities in Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia should take firm and immediate action against those trading in these species and put an end to this illicit trade."

Press reports say the turtles were given over to the Water and Forest Services.

Thailand’s booming illegal exotic pet trade is trashing Madagascar's wildlife

Paperwork just doesn't add up

June 2011: Thailand's pet dealers are supplying large numbers of Madagascar's most threatened reptiles and amphibians to local and international markets, despite unanswered questions over the legality of the imports, a new TRAFFIC report has found.

A 15-day survey of 32 vendors in Bangkok and eight Thai provinces by TRAFFIC investigators found 591 specimens of Malagasy reptiles and amphibians available for sale.


‘Of particular concern was the large scale trade in endemic Malagasy chameleons,' states the report.

The investigators found 233 chameleons representing 16 species for sale in markets, shops and internet traders' homes, including the Antsingy Leaf Chameleon, a species whose international commercial trade is prohibited under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

While some chameleon species from Madagascar can be legally traded with permits, up to 78 per cent - some 3,738 individuals - imported to Thailand between 2004 and 2005, had been declared as ‘captive-bred' in Kazakhstan or re-exported from Lebanon, notes the report.

However, analysis of official trade data showed that Kazakhstan had reported no imports of chameleons from Madagascar, nor had any country reported exports of Malagasy chameleons to Kazakhstan. Clearly imports of Malagasy chameleons are a pre-requisite to establishing captive breeding populations and many of the exports went to Lebanon, from where they were re-exported to Thailand.

If there is a large-scale breeding operation - where did they source their breeding stock?

‘If large-scale captive-breeding operations of Malagasy chameleons are indeed taking place in Kazakhstan, where did they source their breeding stock and why are many of the exports going via Lebanon, a country that is not a party to CITES?' asks Chris Shepherd, deputy director of TRAFFIC South-East Asia.

Official trade data show Lebanon legally imported 32 Madagascan chameleons in 2005 from CITES Parties.

‘Even at the highest theoretical hatching and survival rates, it is impossible for 32 chameleons to produce the thousands of offspring Thailand declared as imported from Lebanon in subsequent years, so how is the shortfall accounted for?' asks Shepherd.

Critically endangered tortoises also on sale
Other species discovered during TRAFFIC's investigations in Thailand included more than 100 radiated tortoises, dozens of spider tortoises, and three ploughshare tortoises-three of the world's rarest tortoise species. All are classified by IUCN as Critically Endangered and international commercial trade in all is banned under CITES. The radiated tortoise population is believed to have shrunk to 30 per cent or less of its former range in south-west Madagascar since 2009.

According to Richard Hughes, WWF's representative in Madagascar: ‘We know there is a significant ongoing illegal trade in protected species from Madagascar, mainly destined for Asia, which has been exacerbated by the current political situation in the country leading to weaker enforcement of existing laws and safeguarding of protected areas.'

800 protected reptiles seized at Bangkok airport
TRAFFIC's investigations found that trade in Malagasy reptiles and amphibians, once concentrated in Bangkok's Chatuchak market, has now spread to provincial towns and is rife on the internet, with evidence to suggest a network of dealers who supply both national and international clients.

‘Traders who sell illegally acquired reptiles and amphibians show total contempt for the law and undermine Thailand's enforcement efforts,' said Shepherd.

For example, earlier this month more than 800 protected reptiles were interdicted by Thai authorities at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport.

‘Seizures of Malagasy chameleons by airport authorities are testament to the continuing illegal trade, but as the current report amply demonstrates, only through making regular visits to markets stalls and other vendors can we hope to unearth the true scale of the illicit trade and its potential impact on wild chameleon populations,' said Dr Richard Jenkins, chair of the IUCN/SSC Chameleon Specialist Group.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/illegal-wildlife-thailand.html#cr

Conservationists sound alarm over Madagascar's Radiated Tortoise (Via Herp Digest)

Conservationists sound alarm over Madagascar's Radiated Tortoise
Traffic, Ryan Walker, By RFI 4/16/11

Conservationists say a 'Tortoise Mafia' is driving Madagascar's tortoises to extinction. Armed gangs of up to 100 have been sweeping the countryside for their slow-moving prey. They say insatiable appetites at home for the meat and as pets in booming Asian markets are leaving species such as the Radiated Tortoise close to extinction.

Formerly protected under a cultural taboo among local tribes in southwest Madagascar, tortoise meat used to be served up only on special occasions. Conservation groups now say immigration and poor harvests have led to massive and unsustainable consumption.

They claim the streets are littered with the remnants of hundreds of pieces of tortoise shells as some communities eat the meat as a part of their daily diet.

Ryan Walker, biologist at Nautilus Ecology, says the large and slow-moving Radiated Tortoise is literally defenseless against a poaching 'mafia', as are the communities that try to respect the or tortoise.
Traffic, an organization that monitors trade in endangered wildlife, recently reported that the stunningly beautiful Radiated Tortoise is the most common tortoise in Asia's illegal pet-markets.

Smugglers are known to pack up to 400 tortoises the size of grapefruits into suitcases to fly from Madagascar to Bangkok in Thailand.

Bizarre mammals filmed calling using their quills

Watch more video clips of tenrecs

Friday, 11 February 2011

By Ella Davies
Earth News reporter

Unique hedgehog-like mammals have been filmed using their quills to communicate.

A BBC film crew captured footage of the streaked tenrecs in the eastern rainforests of Madagascar.
By rubbing together specialised quills on their backs, the tenrecs made high pitch ultrasound calls to each other in the forest undergrowth.

The footage is the first of a mammal communicating in this way, a technique called "stridulation".

The lowland streaked tenrec (Hemicentetes semispinosus) resembles both a hedgehog and a shrew with black and yellow stripes, and is found only in Madagascar.


A film crew hoping to feature these visually striking animals in the BBC series Madagascar faced a number of challenges.

As eaters of invertebrates, particularly earthworms, the best time of year to film the tenrecs was the rainy season.

The time of day also played a considerable role.

"They're active during the day and during the night but they hide a lot so it can be difficult," said local conservation expert Dr Rainer Dolch who assisted the crew in their search.

Despite being crepuscular and used to twilight conditions, the streaked tenrecs were unconcerned by the crew's lights as they foraged on the forest floor.

However, recording the sounds the animals made required more sophisticated technology.

Streaked tenrecs are known to communicate using high-pitch tongue clicks when foraging but many of the sounds are beyond human hearing.

"Most of the sounds are too high for us to hear so we took a bat detector so that we could also pick up ultrasonic noises," said researcher Emma Napper.

Using the bat detector, the filmmakers found that the seemingly "quiet" mammals were constantly communicating.

Scientists have theorised that tenrecs could also be using high pitched calls to echolocate in the dark forest, finding their way with sound rather than sight in a similar way to bats.

The film crew were also hoping to record evidence of a particularly bizarre audio behaviour, unique to streaked tenrecs.

In the 1960s, streaked tenrecs were found to communicate using specialised quills on their backs, rubbing them together to make high pitch ultrasound calls.

Animals such as crickets, beetles and vipers are known to communicate by rubbing together body parts in behaviour known as "stridulation".

However, stridulation had never been filmed before in mammals.

The crew captured footage of the tenrecs rubbing together these specialist quills on their back as they foraged.

Few studies have been made to investigate why streaked tenrecs communicate both vocally and via their quills but they are currently the only mammals known to do so.

Tenrecs are a diverse family of mammals that resemble shrews, mice and even otters.

There are approximately 30 species in Madagascar including the rare web-footed aquatic tenrec (Limnogale mergulus) and the spiny, rabbit-sized common tenrec (Tenrec ecaudatus).

The rich diversity of tenrecs on Madagascar is explained by scientists as evidence of the Darwinian theory of "adaptive radiation".

They propose that the tenrecs evolved from a single ancestor 60 million years ago, possibly a mammal that floated across the sea from mainland Africa.

With no other mammals on the island at the time, the different species of tenrecs are thought to have evolved into a diverse family as they adapted to Madagascar's wide variety of environments, free from competition.

Madagascar continues on BBC TWO at 2000 GMT on Wednesday, February 16.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9392000/9392070.stm

The 'weird' predatory fossa of Madagascar is threatened

Friday, 4 February 2011

By Matt Walker
Editor, Earth News

It is one of the most unusual of all big predators, but the odd-looking, cat-like fossa, the largest carnivore on the island of Madagascar, faces an uncertain future.

Few fossa can now be found in a place that was once a stronghold, as villagers hunt the animal as bushmeat and in a bid to protect their own livestock, which the fossa eats.

Its population may be declining rapidly, says one of the few scientists to have studied it in the wild, and it could already be critically endangered.

Fossa are a highly specialised predator.

Secretive and cat-like, they are expert climbers and well equipped for chasing down lemurs in the forest, preying on even the largest lemur species.

But they also take small shrew-like creatures called tenrecs and almost any other vertebrate animal living in Madagascar's forests, with the exception of humans, crocodiles and possibly wild boar.

However, very little is known about them, as only a handful of scientists have been able to study fossa closely in the wild.

For example, it was once thought to be closely related to civets and their relatives, but genetic evidence suggests it is actually related to other Malagasy carnivores that together are related to mongooses.

Little is also known about how many fossa exist on Madagascar, with official estimates suggesting that fewer than 2500 survive and the animal should be considered as Endangered.

But according to one scientist studying it, the fossa could be in an even more perilous state.

Ms Mia-Lana Lührs is currently studying the fossa for her PhD at Germany's University of Göttingen and the German Primate Center.

She has also helped the upcoming BBC natural history series Madagascar film the creatures in the wild.

Within the past three years, she has recorded a substantial fall in the numbers of fossa living in Kirindy, a reserve within forests on the west of the island.

This area was considered to be a stronghold of the fossa.

In 2007, Ms Lührs recorded 18 different males regularly visiting a particular tree that male and female fossa use to mate in.

In 2008, she recorded 14 males, and in 2009 just ten.

Last year, only two males were sighted.

"Fortunately, I have seen seven males shortly before in another part of the forest where I observed, so I know that at least nine males are still alive," she told BBC News.

But overall, her studies, which use GPS tracking collars to follow individual fossa, suggest no more than 30 fossa of either sex now exist in Kirindy.

A forest fragment that size would be expected to be home to many times that number.

"That is not sufficient for the population to survive without management," she says.

Habitat destruction is one significant cause of the fossa's recent decline reason.

But the large predator is also coming into conflict with people, as it leaves the dwindling forest in search of food.

A survey conducted last year by colleague Moritz Rahlfs in villages surrounding Kirindy found that 12 fossa had been killed recently by people living in just eight villages, to prevent the fossa from stealing their chickens.

"If the killings continue at such high rates, we have three years left to see fossas in Kirindy," says Ms Lührs.

The carnivore also faces other threats.

A separate recent piece of research by PhD student Christopher Golden of the University of California, Berkeley, has already found that fossa are hunted for food by people within 55 to 60% of those villages studied in northeastern Madagascar.

Fossa body parts are also used in traditional medicines in some parts of the island.

Ms Lührs suspects the fossa may already be critically endangered.

"There is this fascinating weird creature at the other end of the world and it might soon go extinct," she says.

The story of the fossa will be told in the natural history series Madagascar, which broadcasts on BBC Two on Wednesday 9 February at GMT 20.00.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9385000/9385018.stm

32 Lemurs killed by poacher in Madagascar

Lemur poacher arrested in Madagascar

January 2011. 32 poached lemurs were found by police in north east Madagascar on New Year's Eve. The poacher, who was caught during a routine check, confessed that he had-at least- two other accomplices. Once again, among the 32 seized corpses, the crowned lemur (Eulemur Coronatus) is one of the main victims of this latest deadly discovery. There is at least one more, as yet unidentified species, amongst the grisly haul. DNA tests will reveal which species it is.

In 2009 Malagasy NGO Fanamby identified a case of large scale lemur hunting - with the support of local communities, and alerted the international community. Since then, poachers have become more careful within the area and operate at night only.

"The use of poison for lemur poaching is new and could have an impact on the consumer's health" reflects Sylvain, one of the few environmentalists in the region.

Despite the vigilance of some local communities that have been involved in conservation for several years, demand for bushmeat (especially turtles and lemurs) is increasing in the nearby cities of Sambava and Antalaha. The economy of Antalaha is already known to be deeply involved with the illicit rosewood trade.

Lemur poaching is illegal
According to forestry regulations, lemur poaching is prohibited by law, and traffickers risk imprisonment of 2 to 5 years. Unfortunately, these sentences do not stop the traffic as there is strong demand from restaurants and other Bushmeat markets.

"I am horrified by this continuing situation; the environment should not be the scapegoat of any crisis" said Russ Mittermeier, president of the Conservation International.

The prosecutor of Antalaha welcomes this arrest and has encouraged the police to do more.

"I feel helpless, this sad situation resurfaced despite the conservation work we do everyday" says Serge Rajaobelina, President of Fanamby. "But let's face it; this is not an isolated case. We should be all involved and act if we do not want our heritage to disappear!"


http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/lemur-poaching.html

32 Lemurs killed by poacher in Madagascar

Lemur poacher arrested in Madagascar

January 2011. 32 poached lemurs were found by police in north east Madagascar on New Year's Eve. The poacher, who was caught during a routine check, confessed that he had-at least- two other accomplices. Once again, among the 32 seized corpses, the crowned lemur (Eulemur Coronatus) is one of the main victims of this latest deadly discovery. There is at least one more, as yet unidentified species, amongst the grisly haul. DNA tests will reveal which species it is.

In 2009 Malagasy NGO Fanamby identified a case of large scale lemur hunting - with the support of local communities, and alerted the international community. Since then, poachers have become more careful within the area and operate at night only.

"The use of poison for lemur poaching is new and could have an impact on the consumer's health" reflects Sylvain, one of the few environmentalists in the region.

Despite the vigilance of some local communities that have been involved in conservation for several years, demand for bushmeat (especially turtles and lemurs) is increasing in the nearby cities of Sambava and Antalaha. The economy of Antalaha is already known to be deeply involved with the illicit rosewood trade.

Lemur poaching is illegal
According to forestry regulations, lemur poaching is prohibited by law, and traffickers risk imprisonment of 2 to 5 years. Unfortunately, these sentences do not stop the traffic as there is strong demand from restaurants and other Bushmeat markets.

"I am horrified by this continuing situation; the environment should not be the scapegoat of any crisis" said Russ Mittermeier, president of the Conservation International.

The prosecutor of Antalaha welcomes this arrest and has encouraged the police to do more.

"I feel helpless, this sad situation resurfaced despite the conservation work we do everyday" says Serge Rajaobelina, President of Fanamby. "But let's face it; this is not an isolated case. We should be all involved and act if we do not want our heritage to disappear!"


http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/lemur-poaching.html

Rampant logging, illegal collection and slash and burn agriculture driving Madagascar’s rare frogs towards extinction

Amphibians in the mist: Madagascar's endemic frogs increasingly under threat

By Derek Schuurman and Franco Andreone

The frogs of Madagascar: A rich endemic biodiversity
Recently, some of the leading experts on the endemic herpetofauna of Madagascar estimated that the island possesses 450-500 species of amphibians, with many still awaiting formal classification. However, this stunning array of often remarkable and endemic amphibians is up against a catalogue of increasingly overwhelming threats. These are principally habitat loss due to inappropriate agricultural practices; forest degradation due to illegal logging; climate change, and the pet trade.

Illegal logging threatening the country and its wildlife
Since the democratically elected president was deposed and replaced by a transitional authority in 2009, illegal logging in Madagascar's protected north-eastern rainforests - many of which fall under the World Heritage Site of the Atsinanana Rainforests - has escalated to nightmarish proportions. The consequent degradation of these fragile, remote rainforests has placed the continued survival of any rainforest-dependent species sensitive to habitat disturbance, in jeopardy.

Protected rainforests most affected by the illegal logging activities include the national parks of Marojejy, Masoala and Mananara, and the Natural Park of Makira. In June 2010, the journal Madagascar Conservation & Development (MCD) published the most comprehensive analysis of Madagascar's illegal logging trade to date. Its Malagasy and Chinese authors outlined how the trade in illegally harvested precious timbers generated some $200 million for a small group of individuals over the past year. As the authors of the MCD journal article reported, illegal logging activities peak shortly before national elections and are probably a source of funds for political campaigns.

10,000 people living inside Masaola National Park
Any logging activities in legally protected areas are illegal, and such activities continue to take a heavy toll on the lowland rainforests of Madagascar in particular, with certain species now more at risk than ever. In November 2010, a team of field researchers from Missouri Botanical Garden, returned from a field expedition to Masoala National Park and reported the presence of approximately 10,000 people living inside the park and harvesting precious hardwoods.

Given the current state of affairs in Masoala National Park - which clearly indicates a lack of enforcement of the mentioned decree - coupled with constant reports from underground sources in northeast Madagascar describing rampant logging in Mananara and Makira protected areas - the situation appears bleak. It is difficult to say how severely this extensive logging can affect the wildlife, but it is clear that there will be negative impacts. Recent studies in the Atsinanana rainforests have also revealed that there are still many undescribed frog species which are classified as Data Deficient. Herpetological experts believe that some of these species have very narrow ranges, mostly limited to river systems, and that therefore damage wrought by logging may already have affected certain species heavily, possibly even leading to extinctions. We can confirm that some of these species are already extinct, and it is likely that future assessment based on genetic differentiation will unveil a worrying, hidden rate of extinction within the frogs of Madagascar.

Slash and burn and massive fire damage
For centuries, inappropriate traditional agricultural techniques or ‘tavy' (slash & burn) have been considered the major reason for habitat loss in Madagascar, and primarily the activity which has reduced Madagascar's diverse forest types to mere thumb-prints of their original extent. In November 2010 we received a report from a conservationist based in the SAVA region of north-east Madagascar (where most of the logging problems occurred throughout 2009), to the effect that there are so many forest fires, it has been impossible to see the sun for days. Frequently in the burning season (September to November), fires set by farmers to stimulate new growth of grass for their herds of Zebu cattle, spiral out of control and in many cases, these fires have caused severe habitat damage to officially protected areas.

6,000 hectares of Isalo National Park destroyed by fire
One such fire was reported by various sources in mid September 2010, as having destroyed 6,000 ha of the 81,000 ha Isalo National Park, a rugged sandstone massif in the country's semi-arid south-western interior.

Pet trade

Desolate and naturally parched as this massif may be, it supports some of the island's most interesting and localized amphibians, reptiles and plants. At the same site, Franco Andreone witnessed a fire in November 2009, while conducting a radio-tracking study on the remarkable rainbow frog (Scaphiophryne gottlebei), which due to its almost psychedelic appearance, is also a target of the pet trade. This species, together with the blue-legged mantilla (Mantella expectata) represents two of the most striking localised amphibians of the Isalo Massif.

Formerly known only from only a few breeding sites, they have both been found slightly more widespread. The influence of the fire on their survival and on their long-term conservation is not yet properly understood. It is hoped that their common habit of seeking refuge within deep fissures and in wet canyons of the massif can help them survive the regular, devastating fires.

Locally endemic
Other notable recent fires include the destruction of exotic pine forest on the Ankaratra Massif. This replanted forest provided some forest cover on the Ankaratra, one of the highest peaks in Madagascar. The massif is home to a select group of reptiles and frogs: two critically endangered frog species - Boophis williamsi and Mantidactylus pauliani - exist nowhere else. Now that most of the pine has been burned there will be serious consequences for the general habitat quality: with the forthcoming rains in the austral summer of 2010, the ground will be transformed into mud and this, together with ash, can pollute the montane streams severely.

Wildlife smuggling
Reports on incidents of reptile and amphibian smugglers being apprehended nowadays are commonplace, with many stories displayed on the internet and in daily newspapers. An example is that of a South African zoology student from Pretoria, who was caught trying to smuggle 388 reptiles and frogs - including such sought-after species such as Uroplatus leaf-tailed geckoes, in the lining of his jacket. In July 2010, TRAFFIC reported the discovery of hundreds of endemic Malagasy tortoises, for which two women were arrested. According to the report, the women were sentenced to a year in prison under Section 10 (a) of the International Trade in Endangered Species Act 2008.

TRAFFIC added that they were the first people to be prosecuted under the Act which came into force on 28 June. The women had filled two bags with 369 Madagascar radiated tortoises, 5 critically endangered Ploughshare tortoises and also 47 Tomato frogs and numerous chamleons. TRAFFIC noted that this was the second instance in just over a month involving smuggling of rare Malagasy reptiles into Malaysia, because in June 2010, customs officers in Kuala Lumpur International Airport discovered 285 Madagascar radiated tortoises, 14 Spider tortoises (Pyxis arachnoides) and a single Ploughshare tortoise, in two unclaimed suitcases.


Although the impact of collecting for the pet trade (either legal or illegal) is still a matter of debate, it cannot be denied that, especially in heavily degraded situations, this activity represents a threat as it is the case with the extremely rare harlequin mantella (Mantella cowani), known from a few sites in the highlands, and which was until a few years ago collected in high numbers.

Fortunately a commercial ban implemented in 2003 and the creation of a protected site, represent a glimmer of hope for the species' long-term survival.

Frog fungus - Not yet
Amazingly, Madagascar has not yet been affected by the lethal killer fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis which has caused local and global extinctions of amphibian species, and population crashes around the world. Or, at least, this is a result revealed after a spate of research carried out by the South African specialist C. Weldon and colleagues, and also independently by A. Crottini and M. Casiraghi (at Itremo Massif). All these studies, conducted using both histopathological and molecular methods, revealed negative results. However, taking into consideration what has happened elsewhere around the globe, there is always the possibility that this pathology could arrive in Madagascar - either with trade of infected animals, plants and materials - or via boots and equipment used by eco-tourists and scientists.

Madagascar therefore, is in a uniquely privileged position to act as a laboratory for counteracting the Bd introduction. In April and October 2010 workshops were carried out respectively at Antananarivo and Ivoloina (Toamasina) and a specific action plan was created, together with the constitution of an "emergency cell" composed by foreign and national experts. The "emergency cell" will take decisions regarding the actions necessary in case the chytrid alarm is sounded. In the meantime, it will coordinate a monitoring program, that involves 8 sites in Madagascar (chosen within a series of rainforest, dry forest and a high plateau site), and for which two species will be sampled twice a year to get a 50 + 50 annual sample.

These samples will be analysed for the presence of the Bd. At the same time, a program of captive breeding is being launched, with the aim of acquiring the knowledge of basic husbandry science, as this will be useful in case an infected species or population needs to be removed from its natural sites.

Comparatively little is known on the captive husbandry of most of the 270 described species of Malagasy frogs. Only a few species, like mantellas and some microhylids (Dyscophus) have been studied in captivity. Of the rest, virtually nothing is known, so there is an urgency to develop these skills and increase the knowledge in Madagascar and abroad.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/madagascar-frogs.html

Rampant logging, illegal collection and slash and burn agriculture driving Madagascar’s rare frogs towards extinction

Amphibians in the mist: Madagascar's endemic frogs increasingly under threat

By Derek Schuurman and Franco Andreone

The frogs of Madagascar: A rich endemic biodiversity
Recently, some of the leading experts on the endemic herpetofauna of Madagascar estimated that the island possesses 450-500 species of amphibians, with many still awaiting formal classification. However, this stunning array of often remarkable and endemic amphibians is up against a catalogue of increasingly overwhelming threats. These are principally habitat loss due to inappropriate agricultural practices; forest degradation due to illegal logging; climate change, and the pet trade.

Illegal logging threatening the country and its wildlife
Since the democratically elected president was deposed and replaced by a transitional authority in 2009, illegal logging in Madagascar's protected north-eastern rainforests - many of which fall under the World Heritage Site of the Atsinanana Rainforests - has escalated to nightmarish proportions. The consequent degradation of these fragile, remote rainforests has placed the continued survival of any rainforest-dependent species sensitive to habitat disturbance, in jeopardy.

Protected rainforests most affected by the illegal logging activities include the national parks of Marojejy, Masoala and Mananara, and the Natural Park of Makira. In June 2010, the journal Madagascar Conservation & Development (MCD) published the most comprehensive analysis of Madagascar's illegal logging trade to date. Its Malagasy and Chinese authors outlined how the trade in illegally harvested precious timbers generated some $200 million for a small group of individuals over the past year. As the authors of the MCD journal article reported, illegal logging activities peak shortly before national elections and are probably a source of funds for political campaigns.

10,000 people living inside Masaola National Park
Any logging activities in legally protected areas are illegal, and such activities continue to take a heavy toll on the lowland rainforests of Madagascar in particular, with certain species now more at risk than ever. In November 2010, a team of field researchers from Missouri Botanical Garden, returned from a field expedition to Masoala National Park and reported the presence of approximately 10,000 people living inside the park and harvesting precious hardwoods.

Given the current state of affairs in Masoala National Park - which clearly indicates a lack of enforcement of the mentioned decree - coupled with constant reports from underground sources in northeast Madagascar describing rampant logging in Mananara and Makira protected areas - the situation appears bleak. It is difficult to say how severely this extensive logging can affect the wildlife, but it is clear that there will be negative impacts. Recent studies in the Atsinanana rainforests have also revealed that there are still many undescribed frog species which are classified as Data Deficient. Herpetological experts believe that some of these species have very narrow ranges, mostly limited to river systems, and that therefore damage wrought by logging may already have affected certain species heavily, possibly even leading to extinctions. We can confirm that some of these species are already extinct, and it is likely that future assessment based on genetic differentiation will unveil a worrying, hidden rate of extinction within the frogs of Madagascar.

Slash and burn and massive fire damage
For centuries, inappropriate traditional agricultural techniques or ‘tavy' (slash & burn) have been considered the major reason for habitat loss in Madagascar, and primarily the activity which has reduced Madagascar's diverse forest types to mere thumb-prints of their original extent. In November 2010 we received a report from a conservationist based in the SAVA region of north-east Madagascar (where most of the logging problems occurred throughout 2009), to the effect that there are so many forest fires, it has been impossible to see the sun for days. Frequently in the burning season (September to November), fires set by farmers to stimulate new growth of grass for their herds of Zebu cattle, spiral out of control and in many cases, these fires have caused severe habitat damage to officially protected areas.

6,000 hectares of Isalo National Park destroyed by fire
One such fire was reported by various sources in mid September 2010, as having destroyed 6,000 ha of the 81,000 ha Isalo National Park, a rugged sandstone massif in the country's semi-arid south-western interior.

Pet trade

Desolate and naturally parched as this massif may be, it supports some of the island's most interesting and localized amphibians, reptiles and plants. At the same site, Franco Andreone witnessed a fire in November 2009, while conducting a radio-tracking study on the remarkable rainbow frog (Scaphiophryne gottlebei), which due to its almost psychedelic appearance, is also a target of the pet trade. This species, together with the blue-legged mantilla (Mantella expectata) represents two of the most striking localised amphibians of the Isalo Massif.

Formerly known only from only a few breeding sites, they have both been found slightly more widespread. The influence of the fire on their survival and on their long-term conservation is not yet properly understood. It is hoped that their common habit of seeking refuge within deep fissures and in wet canyons of the massif can help them survive the regular, devastating fires.

Locally endemic
Other notable recent fires include the destruction of exotic pine forest on the Ankaratra Massif. This replanted forest provided some forest cover on the Ankaratra, one of the highest peaks in Madagascar. The massif is home to a select group of reptiles and frogs: two critically endangered frog species - Boophis williamsi and Mantidactylus pauliani - exist nowhere else. Now that most of the pine has been burned there will be serious consequences for the general habitat quality: with the forthcoming rains in the austral summer of 2010, the ground will be transformed into mud and this, together with ash, can pollute the montane streams severely.

Wildlife smuggling
Reports on incidents of reptile and amphibian smugglers being apprehended nowadays are commonplace, with many stories displayed on the internet and in daily newspapers. An example is that of a South African zoology student from Pretoria, who was caught trying to smuggle 388 reptiles and frogs - including such sought-after species such as Uroplatus leaf-tailed geckoes, in the lining of his jacket. In July 2010, TRAFFIC reported the discovery of hundreds of endemic Malagasy tortoises, for which two women were arrested. According to the report, the women were sentenced to a year in prison under Section 10 (a) of the International Trade in Endangered Species Act 2008.

TRAFFIC added that they were the first people to be prosecuted under the Act which came into force on 28 June. The women had filled two bags with 369 Madagascar radiated tortoises, 5 critically endangered Ploughshare tortoises and also 47 Tomato frogs and numerous chamleons. TRAFFIC noted that this was the second instance in just over a month involving smuggling of rare Malagasy reptiles into Malaysia, because in June 2010, customs officers in Kuala Lumpur International Airport discovered 285 Madagascar radiated tortoises, 14 Spider tortoises (Pyxis arachnoides) and a single Ploughshare tortoise, in two unclaimed suitcases.


Although the impact of collecting for the pet trade (either legal or illegal) is still a matter of debate, it cannot be denied that, especially in heavily degraded situations, this activity represents a threat as it is the case with the extremely rare harlequin mantella (Mantella cowani), known from a few sites in the highlands, and which was until a few years ago collected in high numbers.

Fortunately a commercial ban implemented in 2003 and the creation of a protected site, represent a glimmer of hope for the species' long-term survival.

Frog fungus - Not yet
Amazingly, Madagascar has not yet been affected by the lethal killer fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis which has caused local and global extinctions of amphibian species, and population crashes around the world. Or, at least, this is a result revealed after a spate of research carried out by the South African specialist C. Weldon and colleagues, and also independently by A. Crottini and M. Casiraghi (at Itremo Massif). All these studies, conducted using both histopathological and molecular methods, revealed negative results. However, taking into consideration what has happened elsewhere around the globe, there is always the possibility that this pathology could arrive in Madagascar - either with trade of infected animals, plants and materials - or via boots and equipment used by eco-tourists and scientists.

Madagascar therefore, is in a uniquely privileged position to act as a laboratory for counteracting the Bd introduction. In April and October 2010 workshops were carried out respectively at Antananarivo and Ivoloina (Toamasina) and a specific action plan was created, together with the constitution of an "emergency cell" composed by foreign and national experts. The "emergency cell" will take decisions regarding the actions necessary in case the chytrid alarm is sounded. In the meantime, it will coordinate a monitoring program, that involves 8 sites in Madagascar (chosen within a series of rainforest, dry forest and a high plateau site), and for which two species will be sampled twice a year to get a 50 + 50 annual sample.

These samples will be analysed for the presence of the Bd. At the same time, a program of captive breeding is being launched, with the aim of acquiring the knowledge of basic husbandry science, as this will be useful in case an infected species or population needs to be removed from its natural sites.

Comparatively little is known on the captive husbandry of most of the 270 described species of Malagasy frogs. Only a few species, like mantellas and some microhylids (Dyscophus) have been studied in captivity. Of the rest, virtually nothing is known, so there is an urgency to develop these skills and increase the knowledge in Madagascar and abroad.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/madagascar-frogs.html

Scientists investigate potential new lemur species (via Chad Arment)

Shanta Barley

The Guardian,
Scientists believe they have discovered a new species of lemur in the forests of Madagascar.

The animal's unique, feathery structure under its tongue – that may be used to gather nectar – distinguishes it as a new species, researchers say. They are waiting for the results of a genetic analysis to confirm the claim.

Primatologist Russ Mittermeier, who is now the president of Conservation International, first glimpsed the lemur in 1995 in Daraina, a forest in north-east Madagascar. It had a black stripe on its back that forked on its face, suggesting to Mittermeier that it was a fork-marked lemur belonging to the genus phaner.

"I was surprised to see a fork-marked lemur there, since this animal had not yet been recorded from the region," he said. "I immediately knew that it was likely a new species to science."

It was not until October this year, however, that Mittermeier returned to Daraina, along with a film crew from the BBC's Natural History Unit, to investigate. After hearing the distinctive calls of a fork-marked lemur, the team tracked it through the forest and shot it with a tranquilliser gun. They took blood samples from the lemur for genetic analysis and returned it to the wild when it regained consciousness.

Footage of the lemur will air tomorrow on the BBC programme, Decades of Discovery, in which filmmaker Chris Packham goes in search of his top 10 favourite new species of the last decade.

Although the results from the genetic analysis have not yet been revealed, Mittermeier is convinced that the creature is a new species of fork-marked lemur that is uniquely adapted to the forests of Dairana. Sandwiched between its toothcomb and tongue is a "strange structure" that has never been seen before in species belonging to the phaner genus, according to Mittermeier. White and feathery, the structure flicks upwards when the lemur's tongue is extended. He believes that it helps the lemur to capture nectar.

Apart from the strange structure in its mouth, the lemur is otherwise very similar in appearance to other species of fork-crowned lemur. It has a "toothcomb" – a mesh of incisors that it uses to scrape tree sap off bark – and a long, spindly tongue that it uses to eat nectar and tree sap. It also sounds a loud, high-pitched call just after sunset and leaps between branches without pausing.

There are four known species of phaner – or fork-marked – lemur: the Amber mountain fork-marked dwarf lemur, the eastern fork-marked dwarf lemur, the western fork-crowned dwarf lemur and the Sambirano fork-crowned dwarf lemur. Although 42 species of lemur have been discovered in Madagascar since 2000, not a single new species belonging to the phaner genus has been found. "This would be the first, and that's very exciting," Mittermeier said.

"This is yet another remarkable discovery from the island of Madagascar, the world's highest priority biodiversity hotspot and one of the most extraordinary places in our planet," Mittermeier said. "It is particularly remarkable that we continue to find new species of lemurs and many other plants and animals in this heavily impacted country, which has already lost 90% or more of its original vegetation."

Linn Groeneveld, a primatologist based at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, is sceptical of Mittermeier's claims, however. "A great number of new lemur species have been described in the last decades and I think people have rightly so expressed concern about the validity of some of these species. I believe that we should use an integrative approach to species delimitation, which relies on multiple lines of evidence."

According to Groeneveld, conservationists are sometimes too hasty to declare the discovery of new species, because it helps them to protect threatened ecosystems. "Every new - especially primate - species can serve as an extra argument for the much needed protection of remaining forest," she said. But not everyone agrees. According to Christopher Golden, who researches Madagascan conservation at the University of California in Berkeley, even the discovery of a new species of lemur will not be enough to protect Madagascar's forests.

"Discoveries of new species have historically altered the fate of threatened ecosystems during the era of the Durban Vision, but since the change in political regime, the hope for illuminating hidden biodiversity to enhance incentives for conservation has been lost amid political strife," said Golden. The Durban Vision was a promise made by former president Marc Ravalomanana to triple the area of the country's national parks. It was sidetracked in March 2009, when a violent coup overturned the government, according to Golden.

In addition to footage of the potentially new species of lemur, the BBC programme will include exclusive footage of a host of other unusual, recently discovered species. On the list is the pygmy three-toed sloth, the sengi; Chan's megastick – the world's longest insect, and the bamboo shark, which walks along the sea bed on fins.

Also featured in the documentary is the barreleye, a deep sea fish with a transparent head that protects its tubular, green eyes from the stinging tentacles of the jellyfish that it eats. In 2009, footage of the fish captured by remotely operated vehicles at a depth of 700m revealed that the eyes point upwards when the fish is looking for food, and swivel forwards when it is feeding.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/dec/13/lemur-species-madagascar?CMP=twt_fd



----

Adios

Scientists investigate potential new lemur species (via Chad Arment)

Shanta Barley

The Guardian,
Scientists believe they have discovered a new species of lemur in the forests of Madagascar.

The animal's unique, feathery structure under its tongue – that may be used to gather nectar – distinguishes it as a new species, researchers say. They are waiting for the results of a genetic analysis to confirm the claim.

Primatologist Russ Mittermeier, who is now the president of Conservation International, first glimpsed the lemur in 1995 in Daraina, a forest in north-east Madagascar. It had a black stripe on its back that forked on its face, suggesting to Mittermeier that it was a fork-marked lemur belonging to the genus phaner.

"I was surprised to see a fork-marked lemur there, since this animal had not yet been recorded from the region," he said. "I immediately knew that it was likely a new species to science."

It was not until October this year, however, that Mittermeier returned to Daraina, along with a film crew from the BBC's Natural History Unit, to investigate. After hearing the distinctive calls of a fork-marked lemur, the team tracked it through the forest and shot it with a tranquilliser gun. They took blood samples from the lemur for genetic analysis and returned it to the wild when it regained consciousness.

Footage of the lemur will air tomorrow on the BBC programme, Decades of Discovery, in which filmmaker Chris Packham goes in search of his top 10 favourite new species of the last decade.

Although the results from the genetic analysis have not yet been revealed, Mittermeier is convinced that the creature is a new species of fork-marked lemur that is uniquely adapted to the forests of Dairana. Sandwiched between its toothcomb and tongue is a "strange structure" that has never been seen before in species belonging to the phaner genus, according to Mittermeier. White and feathery, the structure flicks upwards when the lemur's tongue is extended. He believes that it helps the lemur to capture nectar.

Apart from the strange structure in its mouth, the lemur is otherwise very similar in appearance to other species of fork-crowned lemur. It has a "toothcomb" – a mesh of incisors that it uses to scrape tree sap off bark – and a long, spindly tongue that it uses to eat nectar and tree sap. It also sounds a loud, high-pitched call just after sunset and leaps between branches without pausing.

There are four known species of phaner – or fork-marked – lemur: the Amber mountain fork-marked dwarf lemur, the eastern fork-marked dwarf lemur, the western fork-crowned dwarf lemur and the Sambirano fork-crowned dwarf lemur. Although 42 species of lemur have been discovered in Madagascar since 2000, not a single new species belonging to the phaner genus has been found. "This would be the first, and that's very exciting," Mittermeier said.

"This is yet another remarkable discovery from the island of Madagascar, the world's highest priority biodiversity hotspot and one of the most extraordinary places in our planet," Mittermeier said. "It is particularly remarkable that we continue to find new species of lemurs and many other plants and animals in this heavily impacted country, which has already lost 90% or more of its original vegetation."

Linn Groeneveld, a primatologist based at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, is sceptical of Mittermeier's claims, however. "A great number of new lemur species have been described in the last decades and I think people have rightly so expressed concern about the validity of some of these species. I believe that we should use an integrative approach to species delimitation, which relies on multiple lines of evidence."

According to Groeneveld, conservationists are sometimes too hasty to declare the discovery of new species, because it helps them to protect threatened ecosystems. "Every new - especially primate - species can serve as an extra argument for the much needed protection of remaining forest," she said. But not everyone agrees. According to Christopher Golden, who researches Madagascan conservation at the University of California in Berkeley, even the discovery of a new species of lemur will not be enough to protect Madagascar's forests.

"Discoveries of new species have historically altered the fate of threatened ecosystems during the era of the Durban Vision, but since the change in political regime, the hope for illuminating hidden biodiversity to enhance incentives for conservation has been lost amid political strife," said Golden. The Durban Vision was a promise made by former president Marc Ravalomanana to triple the area of the country's national parks. It was sidetracked in March 2009, when a violent coup overturned the government, according to Golden.

In addition to footage of the potentially new species of lemur, the BBC programme will include exclusive footage of a host of other unusual, recently discovered species. On the list is the pygmy three-toed sloth, the sengi; Chan's megastick – the world's longest insect, and the bamboo shark, which walks along the sea bed on fins.

Also featured in the documentary is the barreleye, a deep sea fish with a transparent head that protects its tubular, green eyes from the stinging tentacles of the jellyfish that it eats. In 2009, footage of the fish captured by remotely operated vehicles at a depth of 700m revealed that the eyes point upwards when the fish is looking for food, and swivel forwards when it is feeding.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/dec/13/lemur-species-madagascar?CMP=twt_fd



----

Adios

Should Smuggled Madagascar Frogs Be Returned Home? (Via HerpDigest)

Should Smuggled Madagascar Frogs Be Returned Home?
by John Bohannon on July 19, 2010

Conservation biologists are celebrating last week's bust of Madagascar animal smugglers at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. But in an ironic twist, they're now scrambling to ensure that the animals aren't shipped back home. The 40 extremely rare tomato frogs that were found hidden in a piece of luggage "should not be returned under any circumstances," says Joseph Mendelson, a herpetologist at Zoo Atlanta. They could bring home the amphibian-killing Chytrid fungus, found in Malaysia that the entire island of Madagascar has so far avoided.
E-mails have been flying fast and furious between herpetologists today with proposals for what to do with the stranded frogs. Euthanasia seems to have been ruled out. "The best thing is to ship them to a zoo with a captive breeding program," says Mendelson. "There's a good one in Hong Kong." But Mendelson and others say that they fear that the frogs could pick up the fungus during their several-day stay in the airport. The only way the fungus moves across the ocean is on the bodies of amphibians; scientists have called for a complete ban on amphibians crossing Madagascar's borders.

The smuggling of the animals off the island is the latest sign that Madagascar's new military rulers have not brought the illegal trade of the country's unique species under control. Scientists have been cautiously optimistic since 2 April when the regime caved to pressure to reinstate the ban on the logging of Rosewood trees. Since then, allegations of government complicity with species trafficking have not abated. But the orphaned tomato frogs pose a far greater threat to the island's biota, says Mendelson. "Madagascar is one of the few places left that has escaped the fungus," and just a single contaminated amphibian could spark "an extremely rapid loss of species."

Everglades and Madagascar forests on Unesco danger list

A UN panel has added Florida's Everglades National Park and Madagascar's tropical rainforest to a list of world heritage sites at risk.

Unesco's World Heritage Committee said development in the Everglades had caused water flow to fall 60% in the wetland, a major wildlife sanctuary.

The pollution level there was so high it was killing marine life, it added.

Illegal logging and poaching following last year's military coup has meanwhile imperilled Madagascar's rainforests.

On Thursday, the committee voted to remove the Galapagos Islands from the at-risk list, saying Ecuador had made significant progress protecting its ecosystem.

Unique species

At a meeting in Brazil, the Unesco panel said the Everglades had been added to the List of World Heritage in Danger at the request of the US government because of "serious and continuing degradation of its aquatic ecosystem".

Agricultural and urban development were the main reasons for the decrease in water flow and increase in pollution levels, Unesco said.

It is the second time the Everglades, home to 20 endangered species, have been added. The wetlands were first classified as at risk between 1993 and 2007 after being devastated by Hurricane Andrew.

"We commend the USA's request to re-inscribe the site on the danger list, and its plans for major infrastructure overhaul to restore the Everglades's fragile wetland ecosystem," said Mariam Kenza Ali of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The Atsinanana rainforests of Madagascar, which lie within six national parks in the east of the island, were put on the list because of the threat to the many unique species inhabiting them, especially primates and lemurs.

"In adding this site to the danger list, we are calling for international action to halt illegal logging and to also ensure that no illegally logged precious woods from Madagascar enter national markets," said Tim Badman, head of World Heritage at the IUCN.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-10825472

Malaysian airport staff rescue smuggled tortoises

Jun 14, 5:03 AM EDT

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- Tortoises may move slowly, but even a little movement can be a lifesaver.

Customs staff at Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur International Airport noticed something stirring in two bags and discovered 300 tortoises hidden amid shredded paper.

Found taped up inside the sacks were 285 radiated tortoises, 15 spider tortoises, and one Madagascar tortoise - all endangered species indigenous to Madagascar, said Loo Kean Seong, a senior official of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks.

Two slabs of cannabis weighing about 4 1/2 pounds (2 kilograms) were also discovered, said Nordin Kadir, narcotics chief of central Selangor state, where the airport is located.

The bags were abandoned by a passenger who arrived on a flight from Mauritius, he said. The passenger walked out and escaped after seeing customs officials screening luggage.

Misliah Mohamed Basir, another senior wildlife department official, said Monday the tortoises will be returned to Madagascar.

Radiated tortoises are coveted by collectors and sold internationally as pets or food.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_MALAYSIA_SMUGGLED_TORTOISES