#peerjs

[thepastisalreadywritten]

The spotless giraffe, born at a Tennessee zoo, is the first one seen in more than 50 years.

By Dina Fine Maron

24 August 2023

Just a few weeks old and still without a name, a newborn giraffe at a zoo in northeastern Tennessee could rightly be nicknamed “spotless.”

The female giraffe born without its characteristic spots instead boasts a solid brown coat, a phenomenon that hasn’t been observed in any giraffe for more than 50 years.

She was born last month at Brights Zoo, a family-owned facility in Limestone, Tennessee.

A spotless giraffe was last reported at a Tokyo zoo in 1972.

“The spotless giraffe calf is certainly an interesting case and that type of coloring has never been seen in the wild," says Sara Ferguson, a wildlife veterinarian and conservation health coordinator at the Giraffe Conservation Foundation.

The animal’s rare coloring is likely due to some sort of mutation in one or more genes, she says.

But there’s no indication of underlying medical issues or that the newborn reticulated giraffe — a subspecies native to eastern Africa — is at a genetic disadvantage.

David Bright, zoo director at the Brights Zoo, says that the baby’s nine-year-old mother, Shenna, had previously birthed three other calves and the trio were all spotted.

This latest addition to the zoo’s giraffe family was born at a weight of around 190 pounds, he says, and her veterinary care team concluded “she’s healthy and normal” — though her coloring was a surprise.

A case of spotlessness

Genetics often influence animal coloring in diverse ways.

Giraffes with all white coloring have previously been spotted in the wild, including two at a reserve in Kenya in 2017.

Those animals had a genetic condition called leucism, which blocks skin cells from producing pigments.

"There’s no known explanation for the spotless giraffe in Tennessee beyond that it’s almost certainly due to some kind of genetic mutation or mutations," says Fred Bercovitch, a wildlife conservation biologist at the Anne Innis Dagg Foundation, a nonprofit that focuses on giraffe conservation.

The last known case of a spotless giraffe was an animal named Toshiko born in 1972 at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Japan, CBS News reported.

That giraffe’s mother had birthed another spotless calf several years earlier, according to Bright.

The Brights Zoo, which is home to just over 700 animals of 126 different species, including nine giraffes, asked the public to vote on four potential names for the giraffe calf on its Facebook page.

It accrued over 17,000 votes in the first day, Bright says.

There are four candidate names, all in Swahili: Kipekee (unique), Firyali (extraordinary or unusual), Shakiri (she is most beautiful), and Jamelia (one of great beauty).

What’s in a spot?

A 2018 study published in the journal PeerJ found that certain aspects of giraffe spots are passed down from mother to calf, such as how round the spots are and their smoothness (which is technically referred to as “tortuousness”).

The study authors also noted that bigger, rounder spots seemed linked to higher survival rates for young giraffes.

Still unanswered, however, was if that was possibly due to better camouflage or other unknown factors like enhanced ability to regulate temperature.

Bercovitch, who wasn’t involved in that study, says he wouldn’t be concerned about the spotless giraffe’s health even if the giraffe was born in the wild and away from a zoo’s medical care.

“Among mammals, the fur and the hair are the primary features that assist in thermoregulation, not the color of the fur,” he says.

“Giraffes can regularly raise their body temperature by a few degrees … they don’t sweat,” he says.

“That’s one of the reasons you find giraffes under trees—they want to keep their body temperatures within certain limits.”

Even the lack of camouflage wouldn’t necessarily mean the giraffe would be at a disadvantage in the wild, he says, since the mortality rate for young giraffes from lion predation is already so high.

Ferguson, the wildlife veterinarian says she looks forward to hearing more about the giraffe in the years to come.

“What would be cool,” she says, “would be to take an infrared light photo or a thermograph of her to see if the spot pattern is still there but invisible to our eye.”

🤎🦒🤎

[xtruss]

Extremely Rare Spotless Giraffe Born in U.S. Zoo! This Phenomenon Has Never Been Observed in the Wild, a Sign of its Scarcity.

— By Dina Fine Maron | August 23, 2023

A reticulated Giraffe was born without spots at Brights Zoo in Northeastern Tennessee at the end of July. The Zoo is asking the public to cast their vote on what to name her. Tony Bright/Brights Zoo via AP. The spotless giraffe is ​the first one seen in more than 50 years.

Just a few weeks old and still without a name, a newborn giraffe at a zoo in northeastern Tennessee could rightly be nicknamed “spotless.”

The female giraffe born without its characteristic spots instead boasts a solid brown coat, a phenomenon that hasn’t been observed in any giraffe for more than 50 years. She was born last month at Brights Zoo, a family-owned facility in Limestone, Tennessee. A spotless giraffe was last reported at a Tokyo zoo in 1972.

“The spotless giraffe calf is certainly an interesting case,” and that type of coloring has never been seen in the wild, says Sara Ferguson, a wildlife veterinarian and conservation health coordinator at the Giraffe Conservation Foundation.

The animal’s rare coloring is likely due to some sort of mutation in one or more genes, she says. But there’s no indication of underlying medical issues or that the newborn reticulated giraffe—a subspecies native to eastern Africa—is at a genetic disadvantage.

David Bright, zoo director at the Brights Zoo, says that the baby’s nine-year-old mother, Shenna, had previously birthed three other calves and the trio were all spotted. This latest addition to the zoo’s giraffe family was born at a weight of around 190 pounds, he says, and her veterinary care team concluded “she’s healthy and normal”—though her coloring was a surprise.

A Case of Spotlessness

Genetics often influence animal coloring in diverse ways. Giraffes with all white coloring have previously been spotted in the wild, including two at a reserve in Kenya in 2017. Those animals had a genetic condition called leucism, which blocks skin cells from producing pigments.

There’s no known explanation for the spotless giraffe in Tennessee beyond that it’s almost certainly due to some kind of genetic mutation or mutations, says Fred Bercovitch, a wildlife conservation biologist at the Anne Innis Dagg Foundation, a nonprofit that focuses on giraffe conservation.

The last known case of a spotless giraffe was an animal named Toshiko born in 1972 at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Japan, CBS News reported. That giraffe’s mother had birthed another spotless calf several years earlier, according to Bright.

The Brights Zoo, which is home to just over 700 animals of 126 different species, including nine giraffes, asked the public to vote on four potential names for the giraffe calf on its Facebook page, and it accrued over 17,000 votes in the first day, Bright says. There are four candidate names, all in Swahili: Kipekee (unique), Firyali (extraordinary or unusual), Shakiri (she is most beautiful), and Jamelia (one of great beauty).

What’s in a Spot?

A 2018 study published in the journal PeerJ found that certain aspects of giraffe spots are passed down from mother to calf, such as how round the spots are and their smoothness (which is technically referred to as “tortuousness”). The study authors also noted that bigger, rounder spots seemed linked to higher survival rates for young giraffes. Still unanswered, however, was if that was possibly due to better camouflage or other unknown factors like enhanced ability to regulate temperature.

Bercovitch, who wasn’t involved in that study, says he wouldn’t be concerned about the spotless giraffe’s health even if the giraffe was born in the wild and away from a zoo’s medical care.

“Among mammals the fur and the hair are the primary features that assist in thermoregulation, not the color of the fur,” he says. “Giraffes can regularly raise their body temperature by a few degrees … they don’t sweat,” he says. “That’s one of the reasons you find giraffes under trees—they want to keep their body temperatures within certain limits.”

Even the lack of camouflage wouldn’t necessarily mean the giraffe would be at a disadvantage in the wild, he says, since the mortality rate for young giraffes from lion predation is already so high.

Ferguson, the wildlife veterinarian says she looks forward to hearing more about the giraffe in the years to come. “What would be cool,” she says, “would be to take an infrared light photo or a thermograph of her to see if the spot pattern is still there but invisible to our eye.”

[alphynix]

Miosiren kocki was a sirenian (sea cow) that lived during the early Miocene (~20-15 million years ago) in what is now the North Sea basin in northwestern Europe.

Similar in size to the very largest modern manatees, about 4-4.5m long (~13-14'10"), it has traditionally been classified as an early member of the manatee lineage – but a study in 2022 suggested it may instead represent a much earlier stem of the sirenian evolutionary tree, with its ancestors potentially having diverged around 34 million years ago.

It had unusually thickened bones in its skull, especially around the roof of its mouth, which would have given its jaws a very strong chewing force. Isotope analysis of its teeth show it was part of a marine algae-based food web, unlike the seagrass-based diets of other sirenians, so it may have been specialized to feed on a much tougher diet. Possibly it was eating something like calcareous algae, or more speculatively it might even have been crunching on hard-shelled algae-consuming marine invertebrates.

———

NixIllustration.com | Tumblr | Patreon

References:

Clementz, Mark T., Silvia Sorbi, and Daryl P. Domning. "Evidence of Cenozoic environmental and ecological change from stable isotope analysis of sirenian remains from the Tethys-Mediterranean region." Geology 37.4 (2009): 307-310. https://doi.org/10.1130/G25533A.1

Domning, Daryl P. "What Can We Infer About the Behavior of Extinct Sirenians?." Ethology and behavioral ecology of Sirenia. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2022. 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90742-6_1

Heritage, Steven, and Erik R. Seiffert. "Total evidence time-scaled phylogenetic and biogeographic models for the evolution of sea cows (Sirenia, Afrotheria)." PeerJ 10 (2022): e13886. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13886

Wikipedia contributors. “Miosiren” Wikipedia, 18 Nov. 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miosiren

[new-dinosaurs]

Lokiceratops rangiformis Loewen et al., 2024 (new genus and species)

(Reconstructed skull of Lokiceratops rangiformis [scale bar = 1 m], with unpreserved portions in gray, from Loewen et al., 2024)

Meaning of name: Lokiceratops = [Norse deity] Loki's horned face [in Greek]; rangiformis = Rangifer [genus of the extant reindeer]-shaped [in Latin]

Age: Late Cretaceous (Campanian), roughly 78.1 million years ago

Where found: Judith River Formation, Montana, U.S.A.

How much is known: Partial skeleton of one individual, including a partial skull, several vertebrae, and some limb bones.

Notes: Lokiceratops was a centrosaurine cereratopsian, making it a horned dinosaur more closely related to Styracosaurus and Pachyrhinosaurus than to Triceratops. It is one of the largest known centrosaurines, with its skull alone being nearly 2 m long.

The skull of Lokiceratops was highly distinctive. A pair of very large, curved horns at the back of its frill pointed out to the sides. Furthermore, a pair of smaller horns closer to the center of the frill was asymmetrical, with one horn being larger than the other. Asymmetrical head ornamentation is also seen in the antlers of reindeer, hence the species name "rangiformis".

Lokiceratops is known from approximately the same time and location as three other centrosaurines, Albertaceratops, Medusaceratops, and Wendiceratops. Despite their diversity, all centrosaurines discovered so far are only known from very narrow ranges in both time and space. This may suggest that these horned dinosaurs diversified rapidly into numerous forms differentiated primarily by display features such as the shape of their horns and frills, with each species lasting only a short time in a small geographic region before evolving into new species or going extinct.

Reference: Loewen​​, M.A., J.J.W. Sertich​, S. Sampson, J.K. O’Connor, S. Carpenter, B. Sisson, A. Øhlenschlæger, A.A. Farke, P.J. Makovicky, N. Longrich, and D.C. Evans. 2024. Lokiceratops rangiformis gen. et sp. nov. (Ceratopsidae: Centrosaurinae) from the Campanian Judith River Formation of Montana reveals rapid regional radiations and extreme endemism within centrosaurine dinosaurs. PeerJ 12: e17224. doi: 10.7717/peerj.17224

[typhlonectes]

Jolts from electric eels cause fish to absorb free-floating DNA

Zebrafish larvae took up genes for fluorescent proteins and began to glow after swimming with eels.

Think of it as a sort of superhero origin story for zebrafish:  Getting zapped by electric eels can allow them to acquire new DNA—and new abilities—researchers reported yesterday in PeerJ. Scientists working with genetic engineering sometimes use electricity to open temporary holes in cell membranes to allow foreign DNA to enter. To find out whether a version of this phenomenon can happen in nature, the team put electric eels (Electrophorus electricus, pictured) and larvae from zebrafish (Danio rerio) into a tank together, along with free-floating genes that code for a green fluorescent protein. After a day swimming amid the eels’ electric shocks, some larvae started to glow green, New Scientist reports, indicating their cells had taken in and begun to express the foreign genes. The newly acquired DNA degraded quickly—the larvae only glowed for about a week—but it caused scientists to wonder: Could a wild animal acquire genes in this way and pass them to its offspring? Researchers aren’t yet sure, but if so, they say it could introduce new mutations that influence the species’ evolution.

via: https://www.science.org/content/article/jolts-electric-eels-cause-fish-absorb-free-floating-dna

[mantismage]

Honeypot ants are fascinating, but feel like something that in concept, is terrifying. And would definitely be a plotline in a Mad Max movie.

These are specalised worker ants that deliberately consume huge amounts of food, to the point where their abdomens will swell to ridiculous sizes. The sclerites (the thickened keratin armour) on their abdomens will separate, revealing the honey inside of their abdominal membrane.

These ants will collect and store liquid which other ants in the colony will then consume, basically functioning as living larders. When they become big enough, they'll hang from the ceiling and can reach the size of a blueberry or a small grape:

They're mostly found in more arid areas of the world; in hot deserts, dry woodlands and other similar habitats (Australia, North Africa, some areas in the Americas etc.). Their existence is likely to allow for colonies to store food during extreme dry seasons, or during periods where food is scarce.

There's been some research indicating that honeypot ants contain unique antimicrobial properties within their honey, which has been used by indigenous people in Australia for centuries!

(Extra note: They also go by repletes or rotunds?? I love scientists.)

Resources and extra reading:

Conway, J. R. (1991). The biology and aboriginal use of the honeypot ant, “Camponotus inflatus” Lubbock, in Northern Territory, Australia. Australian Entomologist, 18(2), 49–56. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.108392124224680

Dong AZ, Cokcetin N, Carter DA, Fernandes KE. (2023). Unique antimicrobial activity in honey from the Australian honeypot ant (Camponotus inflatus) PeerJ, 11:e15645 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15645

National Geographic (2016). Honey Ant Adaptations. Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20210120124043/https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/honey-ant-adaptations-wbt/

[mindblowingscience]

In a succession of studies published this week and last month in the journals PeerJ and Zootaxa, researchers at Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) Toonen-Bowen (ToBo) Lab, using a technique that explores both genes and structural characteristics, have introduced 10 new species of marine sponge. Despite their distinction as one of Earth's oldest lifeforms and the key role they play in sustaining coral reef ecosystems, marine sponges are vastly understudied. Kāne'ohe Bay, where HIMB is located and the research was conducted, is abundant with small, isolated "patch reefs," which are teeming with undescribed sponge species as well as non-native species introduced from the Caribbean and the Western Indo-Pacific. These findings contribute to a broadening understanding of sponge biodiversity within the Hawaiian archipelago and throughout Oceania.

Continue Reading.

[herpsandbirds]

Simplifying the Centrolene buckleyi complex (Amphibia: Anura: Centrolenidae): a taxonomic review and description of two new species

Franco-Mena, De la Riva, et al

Abstract

Centrolenidae is a Neotropical family widely distributed in Central and South America, with its species richness concentrated in the tropical Andes. Several taxonomic problems have been identified within this family, mostly related to species with broad geographic distributions. In this study, we assessed and redefined the species boundaries of the Centrolene buckleyi species complex, and formally described two new species from the Andes of Ecuador. These new taxa are recognized by a combination of morphometric, osteological, acoustic, and genetic data. Following IUCN criteria, we propose that the two new species should to be considered as Endangered (EN), mainly because of their small distributions and habitat loss. The C. buckleyi complex provides insights into the biogeography of closely related Andean species. As in other glassfrogs, speciation in Centrolene seems to be mediated by the linearity of the Andes, where gene flow can be restricted by topography and, also, local extinctions.

Read the paper here:

Simplifying the Centrolene buckleyi complex (Amphibia: Anura: Centrolenidae): a taxonomic review and description of two new species [PeerJ]

[raptorregalia]

🦕Anyone say Walking with Dinosaurs?🦖

Presenting my very first project, honoring my absolute favorite Dinosaur!

✨Deinonychus pants!✨

Featuring the Tibia and Foot as presented in the original description of Deinonychus in 1969 by John Ostrom :D

The feet are embroidery, the rest of the bones are bleached on directly

Sources ⬇️

Femur:

Bishop, P. J. (2019). Testing the function of dromaeosaurid (Dinosauria, Theropoda) ‘sickle claws’ through musculoskeletal modelling and optimization. PeerJ, 7, e7577. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7577

Tibia & Foot:

Ostrom, J. (1969). Osteology of Deinonychus antirrhopus,  an Unusual Theropod from the  Lower Cretaceous of Montana. Peabody Museum of Natural History  and Department of Geology and  Geophysics, Yale University.

[comrade-leonurus]

🔬Микроскопические твари и где они обитают (пилотный выпуск)

Кошачий дьявол

😺Эй, народ! Кто из вас любит котиков? Уж как 12 тысяч лет человек живёт с ними бок о бок. Мы их кормим и обеспечиваем безопасность от крупных хищников, а они в свою очередь героически защищают от грызунов, и радуют нас своим беззаботно-милым поведением. Ничего бы не помешало этой идиллии, если бы не один сумеречный гений...

Да да, я про тебя,Toxoplasma gondii.

Токсоплазма-одноклеточный паразит из класса споровиков.

🌎Цифры разнятся, но по разным данным им инфецированно от 30% до 60% населения планеты. Рекордсменами являются страны Африки, Южной и латинской Америки( в некоторых странах носителями является до 90% населения ). В России этот показатель примерно 20%.

У большинства болезнь протекает бессимптомно.

🐈Основным хозяином является кошка, а в качестве промежуточных могут выступать мыши, человек, крысы, скот, домашние и дикие птицы и др. Пути заражения фекально-оральный и трансплацентарный.

Паразит весь свой жизненный цикл циркулирует между кошками и мышами, причём управляя их поведением.🐀

💞Кошка становиться более ласковой по отношению к человеку, а мышь перестаёт бояться кошки, и даже напротив, мышь начинает испытывать сексуальное влечение к своему заклятому врагу. Кошка съедает больную мышь и заражается. Круг замкнулся.

🏥Согласно большинству учебников заражение человека-тупиковая ветвь для паразита. Но как бы не так! Согласно исследованиям финских учёных 2022 года, опубликованным в журнале"PeerJ", у носителей токсоплазмы выравнивается симметрия лица, отмечается более стройное телосложение, они выглядят более привлекательно и чувствуют себя более уверенно. У мужчин поднимается уровень тестостерона и они становятся более агрессивным и уверенными в себе, а женщины наоборот, более ласковыми. Вероятнее всего, паразиту необходимо для распространения заставить людей больше контактировать друг с другом, а повышение агрессивности может привести к более частым дракам между мужчинами, что позволит паразиту вырваться наружу с кровью и продолжить заражать дальше (хотя это всего лишь гипотеза).

Кто из приведённых на фото кажется вам более симпатичным?

a-инфецированные токсоплазмой

b-здоровые

ПАРНИ, СТОЯТЬ!!!

🗿Пока вы не побежали в ближайший подвал, обниматься с первой попавшейся киской, спишу напомнить, что клиника токсоплазмоза весьма разнообразная. Он может проявляться от бессимптомного носительства (90-95 % носителей), до острых неврологических нарушений, повышения температуры и увеличения лимфоузлов, также возможно нарушение зрения, целый букет психических нарушений и много чего ещё.

Отношения шансов для различных психических заболеваний при латентном токсоплазмозе, скомпилированные из двух разных исследований.

Хотя острая форма как правило возникает у людей с ослабленным иммунитетом.

🚔И да, я не упомянул о том, что носители этого паразита чаще попадали в ДТП, по сравнению со здоровыми людьми( видимо из-за снижения скорости реакции), согласно одному из исследований проведенных в Польше в 2010-ых.

🤰Особенно токсоплазмоз опасен для детей в утробе матери. Токсоплазма может вызывать гидроцефалию, микроэнцефалопатию, остеомиелит, увеит и другие про��лемы у ребёнка.

Спешу успокоить всех мам, кто меня читает.Токсоплазмоз входит в перечень так называемых TORCH-инфекций, на которые проверяются все беременные.

Подведём итоги:

✍️Тихо и незаметно Toxoplasma gondii подчинил себе половину мира и играет с нами и братьями нашими меньшими точно кукловод, при этом оставаясь в тени. Всё для продолжения рода. Должен признать, я весьма впечатлён, насколько изящно одноклеточное животное размером в 6 мкм . Любой зомби-вирус из голливудских фильмов нервно курит в сторонке .

⚖️Однако как и любому паразиту ему не выгодно нас убивать. Ему выгодно, чтобы мы жили долго, а он и дальше мог распространяться.Основной группой риска являются лица с ослабленным иммунитетом (больные ВИЧ, туберкулезом и прочим), а также беременные. Но у нас есть весьма эффективные способы диагностики(ПЦР и анализ на антитела )и лечения. Так что в случае выхода его из-под контроля мы знаем как его приструнить.🗡️

👨‍⚕️Профилактикой же является своевременная диагностика, личная гигиена, термическая обработка мяса, мытьё овощей и фруктов перед их употреблением, а также ветеринарный контроль провианта на ножках и наших пушистых любимцев.

В случае какого-либо недомогания нужно обратиться к врачу.

p.s. так как это мой первый пост подобного плана, то я буду рад любой обратной связи. Как вам повествование и оформление? Что бы хотелось исполнить ?Если же кто-то из коллег хочет внести правки, то милости прошу в комментарии 🙂

[arminreindl]

"Baru" huberi

Baru is a genus of decently big mekosuchine crocodilian from the Oligocene and Miocene of Australia. The two currently accepted species, Baru wickeni and Baru darrowi, clock in between 4 to 5 meters, which puts them in a range not dissimilar to today's niles and salties. But when Baru wickeni was named in 1997, a third species was also coined. Baru huberi, simply described as having been "much smaller" Having started working on the wikipedia page for Baru recently, I did get curious to see how much smaller and well the results are....I mean "much smaller" seems like an understatement to me. Baru wickeni, which lived in the same area and at the same time as "Baru" huberi, dwarfed the other mekosuchine. Which brings us to "Baru" huberi's TRUE identity.

You see, tho named as a species of Baru, mekosuchine research has been mostly confied to the last 30 years and this paper came fairly early on in our understanding of the group, Naturally, things move around and change, as was the case for "Baru" huberi. Nowadays, researchers agree that "Baru" huberi is not a species of Baru. No, instead "Baru" huberi was a distinct genus seemingly more closely related to animals like Trilophosuchus or Mekosuchus and thus should get a new name. That...obviously didn't happen yet but we'll get there eventually. Just gotta give it some more time. Meanwhile, I tried my hands at reconstructing the animal behind the name.

The grey area marks the big unknowns in "Baru" huberi, all the stuff we don't know. I based my interpretation primarily on Trilophosuchus, the best known member of this branch. On the left, you see the sympatric Baru wickeni. It's an older illustration of mine, but one that should mostly hold up.

Baru huberi - Wikipedia

The biochronology and palaeobiogeography of Baru (Crocodylia: Mekosuchinae) based on new specimens from the Northern Territory and Queensland, Australia [PeerJ]

New crocodilians from the late Oligocene White Hunter Site, Riversleigh, northwestern Queensland (biostor.org)

[wayti-blog]

"The electric eel is the biggest power-making creature on Earth. It can release up to 860 volts, which is enough to run a machine. In a recent study, a research group from Nagoya University in Japan found electric eels can release enough electricity to genetically modify small fish larvae. They published their findings in PeerJ."

The researchers' findings add to what we know about electroporation, a gene delivery technique. Electroporation uses an electric field to create temporary pores in the cell membrane. This lets molecules, like DNA or proteins, enter the target cell."

"The researchers discovered that 5% of the larvae had markers showing gene transfer. "This indicates that the discharge from the electric eel promoted gene transfer to the cells, even though eels have different shapes of pulse and unstable voltage compared to machines usually used in electroporation," said Iida. "Electric eels and other organisms that generate electricity could affect genetic modification in nature.".

Other studies have observed a similar phenomenon occurring with naturally occurring fields, such as lightning, affecting nematodes and soil bacteria. Iida is very excited about the possibilities of electric field research in living organisms. He believes these effects are beyond what conventional wisdom can understand.

He said, "I believe that attempts to discover new biological phenomena based on such 'unexpected' and 'outside-the-box' ideas will enlighten the world about the complexities of living organisms and trigger breakthroughs in the future.""

continue article

[alphynix]

Lokiceratops rangiformis was a ceratopsian dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous (~78 million years ago) in what is now Montana, USA. Estimated at about 6.7m long (~22ft), it was one of the largest known members of the centrosaurine branch of the ceratopsians.

It had a unique arrangement of ornamentation on its skull, with no nose horn, two long brow horns, and a pair of huge asymmetrical curving blade-like spikes on the top of its square frill – some of the largest known frill spikes of any ceratopsian.

It lived in a swampy environment near the shore of the Western Interior Seaway, in an area that seems to have had an unusually high diversity of ceratopsians – along with Lokiceratops there were three other centrosaurines (Medusaceratops, Albertaceratops, and Wendiceratops), and one chasmosaurine (Judiceratops).

(There's also a possibility that it might not actually be a unique species. We know some other ceratopsians' faces changed quite drastically as they aged, so Lokiceratops could instead represent a fully mature individual of Medusaceratops.)

———

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References:

Gramling, Carolyn. "Meet Lokiceratops, a newly discovered species of horned dinosaur." Science News, 20 June 2024, https://www.sciencenews.org/article/lokiceratops-new-species-horned-dinosaur

Loewen, Mark A., et al. "Lokiceratops rangiformis gen. et sp. nov.(Ceratopsidae: Centrosaurinae) from the Campanian Judith River Formation of Montana reveals rapid regional radiations and extreme endemism within centrosaurine dinosaurs." PeerJ 12 (2024): e17224. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17224

Molinek, Rudy. “Dinosaur with Giant, Loki-like Horns Has the ‘craziest, Coolest’ Headgear-and Could Be a New Species.” Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2024, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dinosaur-with-giant-loki-like-horns-has-the-craziest-coolest-headgear-and-could-be-a-new-species-180984577/

Wikipedia contributors. “Lokiceratops.” Wikipedia, 1 Jul. 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lokiceratops

[new-dinosaurs]

Lishulong wangi Zhang et al., 2024 (new genus and species)

(Skull of Lishulong wangi, from Zhang et al., 2024)

Meaning of name: Lishulong = Lishu dragon [in Chinese]; wangi = for Wang Zheng-Ju [Chinese fossil hunter]

Age: Early Jurassic (Sinemurian–Toarcian)

Where found: Lufeng Formation, Yunnan, China

How much is known: Partial skull and nine neck vertebrae of one individual.

Notes: Lishulong was an early sauropodomorph. Although many Early Jurassic sauropodomorphs have been named from the Lufeng Formation, Lishulong is the largest one yet found among them, and differs from the others in details of its skull and neck vertebrae. It appears to be closely related to fellow Lufeng sauropodomorph Yunnanosaurus.

Reference: Zhang, Q.-N., L. Jia, T. Wang, Y.-G. Zhang, and H.-L. You. 2024. The largest sauropodomorph skull from the Lower Jurassic Lufeng Formation of China. PeerJ 12: e18629. doi: 10.7717/peerj.18629

[typhlonectes]

A spectacular new species of Hyloscirtus (Anura: Hylidae) from the Cordillera de Los Llanganates in the eastern Andes of Ecuador

Juan P. Reyes-Puig​, Darwin Recalde, Fausto Recalde, Claudia Koch, Juan M. Guayasamin, Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia, Lou Jost, Mario H. Yánez-Muñoz

Abstract

We have discovered a spectacular new species of frog in the genus Hyloscirtus, belonging to the H. larinopygion species group. The adult female is characterized by a mostly black body with large bright red spots on the dorsal and ventral surface, extremities, and toe pads. The adult male is unknown. Small juveniles are characterized by a yellow body with variable black markings on the flanks; while one larger juvenile displayed irregular orange or yellow marks on a black background color, with light orange or yellow toe pads. Additional distinctive external morphological features such as cloacal ornamentation are described, and some osteological details are imaged and analyzed. The performed phylogeny places the new species as the sister to a clade consisting of ten taxa, all of which are part of the H. larinopygion group. We use genetic distances to fit the new species into a published time-calibrated phylogeny of this group; our analysis based on the published chronology suggests that the divergence of the new species from its known congeners pre-dates the Quaternary period. The new species is currently only known only from Cerro Mayordomo, in Fundación EcoMinga´s Machay Reserve, at 2,900 m in the eastern Andes of Tungurahua province, Ecuador, near the southern edge of Los Llanganates National Park, but its real distribution may be larger.

Read the paper here: A spectacular new species of Hyloscirtus (Anura: Hylidae) from the Cordillera de Los Llanganates in the eastern Andes of Ecuador [PeerJ]

[xtruss]

A Spotless Giraffe, Pictured in Namibia 🇳🇦, was seen and photographed for the first time in the wild just weeks after another animal with this type of coloring was born at a U.S. 🇺🇸 Zoo. Photograph By Eckart Demasius and Giraffe Conservation Foundation

Another Rare Spotless Giraffe Found—the First Ever Seen in the Wild

The sighting occurred just weeks after the unusual condition was seen in a newborn giraffe at a Tennessee zoo. Is it more common than scientists thought?

— By Dina Fine Maron | September 12, 2023

Just weeks after a giraffe at a U.S. Zoo was born missing its characteristic spots, another spotless giraffe calf has now been seen and photographed in the wild for the first time.

The unprecedented sighting occurred at Mount Etjo Safari Lodge, a private game reserve in central Namibia. Tour guide Eckart Demasius saw and photographed the solid-brown calf during a game drive on the roughly 90,000-acre reserve, according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. Demasius, who was not immediately available for comment, shared his photos with the giraffe nonprofit.

Sara Ferguson, a wildlife veterinarian and conservation health coordinator at the foundation, says the two recent spotless sightings are pure coincidence and that there’s no data to suggest this coloring is occurring more frequently than it had in the past.

This finding is just another example of “the weird way the world works” she says, adding that she’s “so amazed and pleased there is so much more to learn and discover about giraffe.”

Genetic Anomalies

The spotless reticulated giraffe born at Brights Zoo in Limestone, Tennessee, earlier this summer was recently named Kipekee, which means “Unique” in Swahili. The recent wild sighting occurred in another giraffe subspecies found in southern Africa, the Angolan giraffe.

Before these recent births, a giraffe with all-brown coloring was last seen at a Tokyo Zoo in 1972.

The spotless giraffe and its mother were photographed on a reserve with around 800 giraffes in central Namibia 🇳🇦. Photograph By Eckart Demasius and Giraffe Conservation Foundation

Scientists, including Ferguson, believe the solid coloring is likely due to one or more genetic mutations that haven’t yet been identified.

Some aspects of giraffe spots are passed down from mother to calf, according to a 2018 study in the Journal Peer J, and larger, rounder spots appear to be linked to higher survival rates for younger giraffes, but the reasons for that remain unclear.

Derek Lee, a Biology Professor at Penn State University and a co-author on the PeerJ Study, says that technically these two recent examples are not spotless animals, but instead —"one-spot-all-over giraffes."

It’s impossible to say what this genetic anomaly means for the animal’s health, he says, but there’s no evidence the color difference puts the animal at a disadvantage.

“We have a sample size here of one, so time will tell what happens.”