✴ Conservation by Ty Buchanan ✴
Showing posts with label threatened. Show all posts
Showing posts with label threatened. Show all posts
New Clam in Australia
There are many kinds of clams, some of them very large. The bigger ones are classified as "giant" clams. All were thought to be known. However, a new species has been identified. Examples were found at Ningaloo in Western Australia and near the Solomon Islands.
The reason it has been overlooked for so long is because it is very similar to Tridacna maxima, which is quite common. There are a plethora of colors including yellow, green, brown and blues. They are in many different shades of these main colors.
Clams produce large amounts of edible meat for human consumption. Their shells are also valuable for displays. Many species are under threat. They cannot run away and hide from divers and snorkelers. Two similar species in the same region means numbers for each are lower than first thought.
Conservation by Ty Buchanan
Reptiles Are at Greater Risk of Extinction
Though there are worries over extinction of all animals, it is reptiles who are in most danger. Some reptiles are pretty, but for the most part they are seen as ugly. Because of this they lose out on conservation funding. This is serious with one in five reptile species predicted to die out.
People are moving into previously pristine regions of the tropics to log valuable trees and to practice logging. The conclusion about endangered reptiles has been reached by 200 of the world's scientific experts. Funding is not enough. We need to change human behavior. This of course means changing human needs, which is more challenging.
Concentrating on saving turtles is good for them. Other reptiles, however, remain at risk. The living and reproductive systems of many reptiles is still unknown. Out of sight, out of mind leads to extinction. Reptiles tend to live in the toughest of environments. Such specialization does result in their demise when humans change the habitat.
Those who should know better have forgotten about reptile extinction. Threatened species are logged in the IUCN Red List. Only a third of endangered reptiles are on the list. In depth recording of reptiles tends to be regional and is not collated worldwide.
Conservation
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