When is extinct not extinct?

I ran onto a really cool list today on another blog; Top Ten Extinct Creatures That Are Not Extinct. image courtesy of http://www.goosen.org/index.html via Wikipedia Commons

It is amazing how often we can be wrong about extinction. I was surprised the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, recently rediscovered in the United States didn’t make the list. One of the interesting things about that, was when the articles first came out and photos were published - a number of people who were casual birdwatchers emailed me to say “Well, that bird has been coming to my backyard all summer” or variations thereof! Of course, they wouldn’t have been believed if they had reported it. In fact, the National Geographic ended up mounting an expedition to bring back video and photos before the scientific world really acknowledged that the birds were “back”.

The Coelacanth is a sentimental favorite of mine. When they first began appearing - in fish markets in South Africa - again, the scientists were disbelieving. Here is just a fragment of the story surrounding the rediscovery of this prehistoric fish. I read a book some years ago about the discovery of living Coelacanths - which I think was Living Fossil: The Story of the Coelacanth - now available online from Google books Here is the link If it is the same book - it is quite an intriguing and exciting story about some very interesting creatures - oh, and the fish, too.

*chuckle*

Summer Fey Foovay

Filed under fish, marine life, prehistoric animals | Comment (1)

Live birth started earlier than we thought!

Researchers in Australia have discovered an amazing fossil that shows indisputable proof of a live birth. Dubbed “Mother Fish”, the fossil placoderm has a tiny embryo, still attached by a placenta, tucked under her fin. She is also a new genus and species, Materpiscis attenboroughi, named for the naturalist David Attenborough who first discovered the location of the find. You can read the full story here.

I am having some connectivity problems out here in my beloved desert Eden, so I apologize if I am not able to write as much as I’d like. We’ve ordered equipment from a different company and different provider which should arrive in a few days. Hopefully, it will resolve the problems.

Summer Fey Foovay

Filed under animals in the news, fish, marine life, prehistoric animals | Comment (0)