Doreen Fräßdorf - Species Extinction

The dwarf elephant species Palaeoloxodon cypriotes, found exclusively in Cyprus, weighed around 500 kilograms, while the dwarf hippopotamus Phanourios minor (pictured) reached only 130 kilograms. (© GeorgeLyras at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

2024-09-21 Doreen Fräßdorf

New Study: Dwarf Hippopotamuses and Elephants in Cyprus Driven to Extinction by a Few Thousand People

New research reveals that dwarf elephants (Palaeoloxodon cypriotes) and dwarf hippopotamuses (Phanourios minor) on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus were driven to extinction after the arrival of Paleolithic humans around 14,000 years ago. A small population of possibly just 3,000 people was enough to wipe out these animals within a

Illustration from 1902. Rocky Mountain locusts belong to the suborder of Caelifera, which includes short-horned grasshoppers. (© Julius Bien (1826-1909) biography, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

2024-09-20 Doreen Fräßdorf

Rocky Mountain Locust

Record: A swarm of 12.5 trillion locusts The correct biological term for animals that form large groups is “swarm,” but when it comes to large assemblies of migratory locusts, the term “plague” is used because they not only migrate but also devastate entire regions. Migratory locusts differ from ordinary grasshoppers

The long-nosed stubfoot toad (Atelopus longirostris) was also rediscovered in Ecuador in 2015, after being missing for 30 years. (© Luis Aurelio Coloma, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

2024-09-19 Doreen Fräßdorf

Pristimantis ruidus: Frog Species Missing for 100 Years Rediscovered in Ecuador

During a 2022 expedition to the Molleturo forest in the Ecuadorian Andes, biologist Juan Sánchez-Nivicela and his team made a remarkable discovery: two tiny frogs that could not be immediately identified. Now, as the researchers report in the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution, the frogs belong to the species Pristimantis ruidus,

Giant Haast's eagle attacking New Zealand moa

A Haast's eagle attacks already extinct New Zealand moas. The largest moas were the female South Island giant moas. They could reach a weight of up to 300 kilograms. (© John Megahan, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons)

2024-09-17 Doreen Fräßdorf

Haast’s Eagle

The largest bird of prey in modern times Before humans settled in New Zealand around 700 years ago and introduced invasive species like cats and rats, there were no land-dwelling mammals on the islands – aside from three species of bats. Instead, the ecosystem was dominated by approximately 250 bird

Male huias (bottom) reached a length of around 45 centimeters, while female huias (top) measured between 48 and 55 centimeters. The illustration is by John G. Keulemans from Walter Buller's A History of the Birds of New Zealand (1873). (© John Gerrard Keulemans, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

2024-09-15 Doreen Fräßdorf

Huia

When males and females appear as two different species The pronounced sexual dimorphism between female and male huia caused confusion in the past. This confusion was so significant that, in 1836, the English ornithologist John Gould described male and female huia as different species. Even today, the development of gender-specific

A prepared huia pair (female on the right, male on the left) in the Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum. This specimen is not up for auction. (© Dr Mirko Junge, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

2024-09-15 Doreen Fräßdorf

Taxidermied Huia Pair Expected to Fetch Up to NZ$128,000 at London Auction

A rare taxidermied pair of huia birds could fetch up to NZ$128,000 at an auction in London. Organized by Roseberys London, the auction is scheduled for October 2024. The huia pair, consisting of a male and a female, dates back to the late 19th century and is considered extremely rare.

Mecodema oconnori belongs to the same genus as the Stephens Island weevil

Images of the Stephens Island weevil are rare; the image shows the ground beetle Mecodema oconnori, which belongs to the same genus. (© S.E. Thorpe, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

2024-09-11 Doreen Fräßdorf

Stephens Island Weevil

From isolated paradise to endangered habitat Stephens Island, a small rocky island in the Cook Strait, is renowned for its unique wildlife. Despite covering only 1.5 square kilometers, the island boasts a remarkable ecosystem that was once home to numerous endemic species, including many land and seabirds. Among its notable

Traversia lyalli Stephens Island wren or Lyall's wren

The flightless Stephens Island wren, measuring around ten centimeters in total length, was a relatively small bird. (© Avenue, GFDL 1.2, via Wikimedia Commons)

2024-09-11 Doreen Fräßdorf

Lyall’s Wren

The tragic story of the Lyall’s wren Like the dodo, the Lyall’s wren, also known als Stephens Island wren, stands as one of the most well-known examples of bird species extinction, as the circumstances of its disappearance are both poignant and tragic. The story of the Lyall’s wren is often

dodo reconstruction in National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France

This reconstruction of a dodo is the result of interpretative work based on historical and scientific research: testimonies, representations, and bones. There is no taxidermized specimen of the species. The bird was created by the artist Camille Renversade and realized in collaboration with the taxidermy workshops of the Museum. (© Doreen Fräßdorf, photo taken at Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris, France, 2024)

2024-09-05 Doreen Fräßdorf

Dodo

Dead as a dodo The dodo, a relative of pigeons (Columbidae), is perhaps the most famous example of a species driven to extinction by humans. Representations of the bird in literature and art are common, such as in the third chapter of the children’s book Alice in Wonderland (1865) by

The Abrau sprat, with a body length of about 9.5 centimeters, is a relatively small fish. (© Лев Семёнович (Симонович) Берг (2 (14) марта 1876 — 24 декабря 1950), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

2024-09-05 Doreen Fräßdorf

Russia: Believed-to-be-extinct Abrau Sprat Rediscovered

In October 2019, researchers collected nine small fish during an expedition from Lake Abrau in the Krasnodar region of western Russia. Recent DNA analyses have confirmed that the captured fish are indeed the endemic Abrau sprat (Clupeonella abrau), a species that had not been recorded since 2008. Challenges for the