Weird mammals struggling for survival

Nov. 19, 2010 - PRLog -- Conservationists from the Zoological Society of London’s (ZSL) EDGE of Existence programme have drawn on the latest research to create a new list of the of the world’s most unique and threatened mammal species. Three species of long-beaked echidna - extraordinary egg-laying mammals related to the duck-billed platypus – are ranked equal first on the new list.

Ranging from wide-eyed primates to hose-nosed tapirs, EDGE species exhibit the natural world’s most weird and wonderful features, but despite their unique appeal, nature’s ‘ugly ducklings’ are struggling to compete with the poster boys of conservation and secure the funding needed to save them from extinction.

“EDGE mammals are one-of-a-kind and they represent the true diversity of life on earth.  If we let these species disappear, their extraordinary features and unique behaviours will be lost forever,” says Carly Waterman, EDGE Programme Manager.

The original number one EDGE mammal, the Yangtze River dolphin, is already believed to have gone extinct.  Conservationists are now racing against time to raise the profile and initiate conservation for the other underrated species on the EDGE list in order to avoid them suffering the same fate.

“There are mammals across the world requiring conservation attention, but EDGE species must be our top priority.  Variety is truly the spice of life when it comes to the natural world and if we fail to preserve this variety, we are threatening our very own existence,” says Craig Turner, EDGE Conservation Biologist.

The EDGE team are now in the process of recruiting a new cohort of in-country conservationists to fly the flag for EDGE mammals that include the Asian tapir and the Ganges River dolphin.  

ENDS

Notes for editors

• Founded in 1826, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is an international scientific, conservation and educational charity: our key role is the conservation of animals and their habitats.  The Society runs ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, carries out scientific research at the Institute of Zoology and is actively involved in field conservation overseas. For further information please visit www.zsl.org

• ZSL’s EDGE of Existence programme ranks species according to their evolutionary distinctiveness and how globally endangered they are. Species that are both highly distinct and highly threatened are highlighted as immediate priorities for conservation attention. There are currently EDGE lists for amphibians and mammals. Research is currently underway to expand the approach to additional taxa.

• The EDGE of Existence programme aims to increase awareness of forgotten EDGE species, build conservation capacity in countries in which they occur through awarding Fellowships to future conservation leaders, and initiate targeted conservation action for top 100 EDGE species that are being overlooked by other conservation initiatives. For further information please visit: www.zsl.org/edge

• The following top 100 EDGE mammals are currently held in ZSL’s Living Collections at ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo and are available to film:
Bactrian camel
Asian elephant
Asian tapir
Pygmy hippopotamus
Black and white ruffed lemur
Red panda

• New entries to the top 100 include:

Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna – one of the most primitive mammals on the planet, this species lays eggs like a reptile. Known only from the Cyclops Mountains of Papua (Indonesia), it was presumed extinct until ZSL researchers uncovered evidence of its continued existence in 2007.

Pygmy three-toed sloth – only discovered in 2001, this miniature sloth is the smallest and most threatened of all the sloth species. It is confined to a single tiny island off the coast of Panama.

Asian tapir – the only Old World tapir species, the Asian tapir has a distinct black and white body pattern. Its most distinctive feature is its long, fleshy, prehensile nose which it uses to grab leaves. Although threatened mostly by habitat loss, hunting is becoming an increasing threat to this shy, gentle creature as hunters switch from depleted preferred large prey species to tapir.

Rondo dwarf galago – the smallest and most threatened of the galagos (bushbabies), this species is known from just seven isolated and highly threatened forest patches in Tanzania. It is listed as one of the world’s top 25 most endangered primates.

Black and white ruffed lemur - the largest of the true lemurs and Madagascar’s answer to the bumblebee, this species is thought to be the word’s largest pollinator. It has developed a unique relationship with the traveller’s tree, unwittingly collecting pollen on its fur as it sips nectar from the tree’s flowers.

Saola – incredibly, this “Asian unicorn” was unknown to western science until 1992. Its discovery is one of the most exciting animal finds of the last 50 years. The population is now critically low – it’s possible that only a few tens of individuals survive in the mountainous jungle region that separates Lao and Vietnam

Ganges River dolphin – the last descendant of one of the earliest groups of long-beaked dolphins that used to occur across the world’s seas millions of years ago. Extremely unusually looking with a needle thin beak, this freshwater dolphin is virtually blind. It swims on its side and upside down and, being virtually blind, uses finger-like projections on its fins to find food along the bottom of the rivers in which it lives.

Chinese pangolin – unusually for a mammal, pangolins are covered in scales, which are formed from fused hair and contribute to a quarter of the species’ total weight. With its powerful claws and long (up to 40cm) tongue, Chinese pangolins are specialised for feeding solely on ants and termites, resulting in them sometimes being given the alternative common name of scaly anteaters.  This species is being massively overexploited for its meat – which is considered a delicacy – and for its skin and scales which are used in traditional Chinese medicine.


• You are an integral part of nature; your fate is tightly linked with biodiversity, the huge variety of other animals and plants, the places they live and their surrounding environments, all over the world.  You rely on this diversity of life to provide you with the food, fuel, medicine and other essentials you simply cannot live without. Yet this rich diversity is being lost at a greatly accelerated rate because of human activities. This impoverishes us all and weakens the ability of the living systems, on which we depend, to resist growing threats such as climate change.  2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity, and people all over the world are working to safeguard this irreplaceable natural wealth and reduce biodiversity loss. This is vital for current and future human wellbeing. We need to do more. Now is the time to act.

Images: High resolution images of Asian tapir, rondo dwarf galago (low res version attached), Chinese pangolin, pygmy three-toed sloth, black and white ruffed lemur and camera trap images of the saola are available on request.
Interviews: EDGE conservationists are available for interview on request

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Founded in 1826, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is an international scientific, conservation and educational charity: our key role is the conservation of animals and their habitats. For further information please visit http://www.zsl.org