Rare ‘baby dragons,’ Olms, discovered in five new caves thanks to DNA

endangereduglythings:

typhlonectes:

It was like identifying a criminal from a bit of DNA left at a crime
scene. No murder mystery was solved, but researchers have found rare
blind cave salamanders in five caves they were not previously thought to
live in, thanks to the DNA the animals shed in water.

This extends the known range of the vulnerable salamanders and raises hopes for their long-term monitoring and conservation.

The olms (Proteus anguinus), or baby dragons as locals call them,
spend their entire life in the underground waters of the Dinaric Alps
running from Slovenia through Croatia and several other Balkan
countries.

DNA from bits of skin that they have shed or their feces gets
dissolved into their watery habitat and can be washed out of the cave.
This is good news for biologists studying cave life, because most of the
7000 or so caves in Croatia are inaccessible to humans…

I’m always excited to hear good news about endangered species. This, along with the eggs hatched last June, show that there is some good news happening for these weird and wonderful little troglobites. As caves tend to be endangered ecosystems in general, any good news is welcome.

edge-of-existence-edge:

Anyone who has ever owned an axolotl can tell you that they are voracious eaters! Axolotls in the wild eat worms, insects, and small fish, sniffing out their prey and sucking it into their mouths along with anything in the surrounding water. This is why pet axolotls should never be kept on gravel; it is far too easy for the animal to suck up small stones and accidentally swallow them.

However, one of the problems facing wild axolotls is starvation. Introduced species of predatory fish such as tilapia and carp eat the same things as axolotls, and are rapidly out-competing the little amphibians. To add insult to injury, these fish will also feed on juvenile axolotls, as well as their eggs.

Re: Banning Salamanders

typhlonectes:

frumpytaco:

I’ve seen a post circulating on this website calling for people to sign a petition to repeal the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s ban on transporting newts and salamanders across state lines. Despite the (hopefully) low likelihood that such a ban could actually be repealed, nobody has said anything about it. I’m passionate about salamanders, so let’s go over *why* the ban is in place.

Some of you may have heard of Batrachochytridium dentrobatidis (Bd, or just chytrid fungus), a fungal pathogen that has wiped out frog populations around the world in the last 20 years, and has been implicated in the extinctions of several species.

Recently, a new species of the same fungus was discovered affecting salamander and newt populations in Europe. It is thought to have spread there from Asia via firebellied newts and related species through the pet trade.
The reason the ban on sending salamanders and newts is to prevent this pathogen from spreading into the country (initially) and then throughout populations in the United States, ultimately destroying the world’s biggest hotspots for salamander diversity.

This isn’t about the government being mean and not wanting people to have cute pets. This is about preserving biodiversity and preventing catastrophic extinction events.
Do not sign the petition, please!!

Links:
The USFWS ban
Chytrid fungus
Salamander chytrid
Scientific papers on the subject: link, link, link

THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!
We need to stop this deadly pathogen from entering North America and killing our salamanders. Keeping pets from other countries isn’t more important than protecting wild salamanders at home. Keeping pets isn’t more important…