June 11, 2008

TOP STORIES

Persistent Man-made Chemical Pollutants Found In Deep-sea Octopods And Squids
ScienceDaily - www.sciencedaily.com (Source: NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service)
09 Jun 2008
Photo courtesy of Michael Vecchione, NOAA

New evidence that chemical contaminants are finding their way into the deep-sea food web has been found in deep-sea squids and octopods, including the strange-looking “vampire squid". These species are food for deep-diving toothed whales and other predators. In a study to be published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, Michael Vecchione of NOAA Fisheries’ National Systematics Laboratory and colleagues Michael Unger, Ellen Harvey and George Vadas at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science of The College of William and Mary report finding a variety of chemical contaminants in nine species of cephalopods, a class of organisms that includes octopods, squids, cuttlefishes and nautiluses. “It was surprising to find measurable and sometimes high amounts of toxic pollutants in such a deep and remote environment,” Vecchione said.

Among the chemicals detected were tributyltin (TBT), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), brominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs), and dichlorodiphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT). They are known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) because they don't degrade and persist in the environment for a very long time. Cephalopods are important to the diet of cetaceans, a class of marine mammals which includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. Cephalopods are the primary food for 28 species of odontocetes, the sub-order of cetaceans that have teeth and include beaked, sperm, killer and beluga whales and narwhals as well as dolphins and porpoises.




Crocodile Deaths Puzzle Ecologists
South African National Parks - www.sanparks.org/parks
03 Jun 2008
Area: South Africa - Map It

A think tank of veterinary surgeons, scientists, researchers, rangers and managers met in Skukuza in the Kruger National Park (KNP) yesterday (Tuesday June 3, 2008) to discuss the discovery of at least 30 of crocodile carcasses found in the Olifants River last week. “We are in unknown territory and we certainly don’t have the answers as to why these crocodiles seem to be dying, so we need to look at the problem closely and find a solution,” said the KNP’s Head of Department for Scientific Services, Mr Danie Pienaar after the meeting. Carcasses were first spotted by trails rangers from the Olifants Wilderness Trails on Tuesday May 27, 2008 and these were reported to Skukuza. A veterinary surgeon from Phalaborwa went to the Olifants River and found one decomposed crocodile with a distinctive yellow-orange hardened fat in its tail.

In turn, this information was reported and, on Thursday May 29, 2008 a helicopter with researchers and veterinary technologists on board flew over the entire length of the Olifants River within the boundaries of the park and the Letaba River from Letaba Rest Camp to the confluence of the Letaba and Olifants rivers. During this aerial survey, 30-odd crocodile carcasses were discovered in various stages of decomposition and sample tissue of the yellow-orange hardened fat was taken, as well as a fresh crocodile carcass, and sent to the University of Pretoria’s Onderstepoort for further analysis. It is believed at this stage that the yellow-orange fat is a condition known as Pansteatitis which is usually associated with the consumption of rotten or rancid fish.





Mystery of dolphin mass stranding
BBC News - news.bbc.co.uk
10 Jun 2008
Area: St Mawes, England United Kingdom - Map It

Post-mortem examinations of some of 26 dolphins found dead in Cornwall have revealed no clues as to the cause of a mass stranding. They appear to have been well fed and there were no obvious signs of disease or poisoning, results showed. The dolphins died when they became trapped in several different river creeks near St Mawes on Monday. Confusing sonar signals from ships are among the possible causes being considered by wildlife experts.

And they are continuing to search the area in case there are more dolphins in trouble. David Jarvis, from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue organisation, told BBC News there are several different theories about why the common dolphins ended up trapped in Porth creek. "They could have been looking for food," he said. "It could have been something to do with sonar, it could have been that there was a killer whale out there that frightened them."





Climate Change Hastens Extinction In Madagascar's Reptiles And Amphibians
ScienceDaily - www.sciencedaily.com (Source: National Science Foundation)
10 Jun 2008
Photo courtesy of AMNH

New research from the American Museum of Natural History provides the first detailed study showing that global warming forces species to move up tropical mountains as their habitats shift upward. Christopher Raxworthy, Associate Curator in the Department of Herpetology, predicts that at least three species of amphibians and reptiles found in Madagascar's mountainous north could go extinct between 2050 and 2100 because of habitat loss associated with rising global temperatures. These species, currently moving upslope to compensate for habitat loss at lower and warmer altitudes, will eventually have no place to move to. "Two things together--highly localized distribution close to the very highest summits, and the magnitude of these upslope shifts in response to ongoing warming--make a poisonous cocktail for extinction," said Raxworthy.

In a paper recently published in Global Change Biology, Raxworthy and colleagues found overall trends for elevation changes among 30 species of amphibians and reptiles. Uphill movement is a predicted response to increased temperatures, and other studies, including that of J. Alan Pounds in Costa Rica, have provided some empirical evidence of how tropical animals respond to climate change. Raxworthy's research, however, is distinguished by the number and diversity of species, the demonstrated meteorological changes over the same time period, the relatively large shifts in elevation, and the broader assessment of extinction vulnerability for tropical montane communities. Currently, there is also a dearth of information available concerning climate impacts on biodiversity for tropical regions.





OTHER WILDLIFE RELATED HEALTH NEWS
Photo courtesy of LiveScience.com



WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED PUBLICATIONS

First outbreak of Trypanosoma evansi in camels in metropolitan France
The Veterinary Record. 2008; 162:750-752 [online abstract only]
M Desquesnes et al.

Effects of climate change on Arctic marine mammal health
Ecological Applications. 2008 Mar;18(2 Suppl):S126-34 [free full-text available]
KA Burek et al.

Colony Collapse Disorder: Many Suspects, No Smoking Gun
BioScience. 2008 May; 58(5): 384-388
ME Watanabe

at Wednesday, June 11, 2008

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