Posted on 01/16/2016 6:24:13 PM PST by presidio9
A breed of sea snake thought to be extinct for years was recently discovered off the west coast of Australia, another in a string of similar findings among species scientists believed were lost forever.
It was the first time the species of snakes was seen in more than 15 years since disappearing from the Timor Sea, according to researchers at Australia's James Cook University who identified the snakes.
The discovery of the Short Nose sea snake was confirmed after an Australia Parks and Wildlife officer sent a photo to researchers for identification, the university said.
The study's lead author, Blanche D'Anastasi, of the university's ARC Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, said the findings would give scientists a second opportunity to protect the species.
"But in order to succeed in protecting them we will need to monitor populations as well as undertake research into understanding their biology and the threats they face," D'Anastasi said in a statement.
D'Anastasi noted that the pair of snakes was believed to be "courting," indicating that there is a breeding population and offering a hope for a more sustainable comeback.
"We were blown away," D'Anastasi said. "These potentially extinct snakes were there in plain sight living on one of Australia’s natural icons, Ningaloo Reef."
A second breed of extremely rare Leaf Scaled sea snake was also recently found in Australia's Shark Bay, several hundred miles away from the species normal territory, which D’Anastasi called a "real surprise."
Both species had vanished from the Timor Sea, though in recent years scientists had seen examples of dead specimens.
The sightings are significant because it increases the known geographic range and habitats for the snakes, though their disappearance in the Timor Sea could not be explained, according to the study.
They also follow a trend of -SNIP-
(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...
[singing] Stromatolites, Stromatolites, Stromatolites, Stromatolites, Philadelphia Freedom...
I hope Dodo birds make a comeback. They are my favorite extinct animal.
True, there were a number of factors, but apparently when they finally realized they were approaching extinction, there were no enough of them left and I think they tried but just could not get them to breed in captivity.
Don't be too sure of that. There are numerous reported sightings in certain places along the Potomac River.
Lol! I thought at first you were referring to post 84.
Yikes!! We must find and destroy any existing DNA before this nightmare could ever happen!!
Oh, well. Give how destructive they were (like feathery locusts) I guess no one will miss them.
Be nice to bring back dodos, though.
Understand and agree, but the two are effectively the same from a regulatory perspective.
Sorry little guys, it's settled science that you're gone.
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