New population of critically endangered Darwin’s fox discovered in Chile
New population of critically endangered Darwin’s fox discovered in Chile
May 8th, 2014 at 12:53:00 am category Science.
By Matthew Owens
Chilean scientists have discovered an entirely new population of Darwin’s fox, one of the most endangered mammals on the planet. The researchers call for further measures to reassess the conservation status of the species.
Darwin’s fox (Lycalopex fulvipes), endemic to the temperate forest of Southern Chile, has been classified ‘critically endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (next stop ‘extinct in the wild’ then ‘extinct’) for the past 10 years. The elusive canid was first collected by Darwin in 1834 who described the encounter on his second Beagle voyage that surveyed the South American coast:
“In the evening we reached the island of S. Pedro [Chiloé], where we found the Beagle at anchor… A fox, of a kind said to be peculiar to the island, and very rare in it, and which is an undescribed species, was sitting on the rocks… I was able, by quietly walking up behind, to knock him on the head with my geological hammer. This fox, more curious or more scientific, but less wise, than the generality of his brethren, is now mounted in the museum of the Zoological Society.”
Today Darwin’s fox, once thought to be a subspecies of the South American Gray fox (Lycalopex griseus), is also known to inhabit areas in the Nahuelbuta National Park on the mainland of Southern Chile, as well as Chiloé as Darwin described. Until now the population was thought to total less than 600, with around 90% found on Chiloé. However, numbers have proved difficult to estimate due to the non-coterminous distribution of the population coupled with a lack of surveys. This has raised questions over the existence of new populations in under-explored regions, waiting to be discovered. As fox expert, Dr Jaime Jiménez from the University of North Texas points out, “Years ago we were similarly surprised to find this fox in Nahuelbuta, when it was only known from Chiloé Island.”
More:
http://www.chileno.co.uk/science/a-new-population-of-darwin#.U2rdO2cU_mQ
[center]
"Smiteth not the small fox, nay, nor mounteth
it in the museum of the Zoological Society"[/center]
= new reply since forum marked as read
than Darwin and his hammer.
We can only hope that there aren't any crazy furries in Chile
