Related Posts
Conservation International Launches Search For Amphibian “Coal Mine Canaries” The CI campaign to find missing frogs will help us protect the creatures that ward off crop...
Tip of the Day
Go grocery shopping locally to help reduce your carbon footprint
Eyeless, lungless amphibian looks like a…
photo: Juliano Tupan (Wikimedia Commons)
I don’t mean to lower the tone of the website by posting about an animal that looks like a male generative organ, but I’m going to do just that.
This slimy beast has been making a bit of a splash on the science and environment pages of many a website of late after Brazilian biologists found six examples of the blind and lungless species of amphibian called the Atretochoana eiselti at the bottom of a drained river in the northern state of Rondonia. A ‘member’ (stop it) of the caecilian order of amphibians, which physically resemble earthworms or snakes, very little is known of the ‘floppy snake’.
From the LA Times:
The discovery was made last November, but was not announced until Wednesday, when researchers had confirmed that it is a new species. Biologist Julian Tupan told Brazil’s Estado website that, of the six collected, one died, two were kept for studies, and three were released back into the river.
Until last November the only known, confirmed examples of the Atretochoana eiselti existed in Vienna’s Natural History Museum and at the University of Brasília. The Viennese specimen originated somewhere in South America and was found some time before 1945 and the Brasília example was found in 1998.
Tags: amphibian, Atretochoana eiselti, lungless
Other Greenfudge.org posts
Wildlife Souvenirs: Bring Back the Memories, Leave the Endangered Animals
Going on holiday is the ultimate time to tune out. You get to leave work and even your mother-in-law behind in the home country. For a few blissful weeks, the rainforest and the tropical ocean are your habitats, not the office cubicle. Ahhh … what a great vacation, nothing beats a rejuvenated attitude upon returning home. What could possibly go wrong after a delightful stay in the tropics? Well nothing except a customs officer confiscating your luggage, issuing a huge fine...
Green Home Makeover: Helpful and Concise Environmental Videos from National Geographic
A kind of video supplement to National Geographic’s Green Guide, Green Home Makeover is a series of videos with helpful hints on making your home more energy conscious and environmentally friendly. National Geographic’s websites can be a bit tricky to navigate and use a Flash platform (so clicking the ‘back’ button won’t help) but once you familiarize yourself with the many sections available, you will find a vast wealth of Green resources. There is no video section on the Green...
How to Prepare for a Winter Storm: Forecasts, Power Outages, Snow Shoveling and More
Big winter storms have been sweeping across the US this season. A number of cities, including Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Atlantic City are expected to see record numbers in snowfall—perhaps this week. Schools, businesses and airports are closing down and even the south is still receiving a bit of a cold snap. For some, it’s been quite a while since they’ve had to deal with such large amounts of snow. A friend of mine in Virginia Beach could not believe how...
New podcast from Lloyd & Land – Armageddon in a hexayurt: Gaia is having a laugh
Is an environmental catastrophe on its way? How would you fare in a world where ecological disaster tests the limits of your archery and tent-setting-up skills? Would you be the rugged survivalist, the cannibal or the brainy nerd in the Hawaiian shirt? Saci Lloyd and Graham Land have fun discussing climate change-induced end of the world scenarios, Gaia theory and the Dark Mountain Project. To download this podcast in mp3, AAC or Ogg Vorbis click here Join the Facebook group for El Pod...
Endangered Species of the Week: Markhor
Species: Markhor (Capra falconeri) Status: Endangered (EN) Interesting Fact: The horns of the male markhor can reach up to 1.6 metres in length! The stunning markhor is a species of goat that roams the precipitous rock faces of central Asia. It is a highly skilled climber and nimbly traverses mountains in order to avoid predators such as the snow leopard. Mainly feeding on tussock grass, female and young markhor live in small herds whilst the males are solitary until the breeding season or ‘rut’....
Green Products: What Don’t They Make These Days?
It seems inevitable: with the rise of the environmentally conscious culture, someone’s bound to try and make some serious scratch. Try walking around the store or the mall and you’ll find it easy to run into “green” products – organic produce, chemical-free cleaners, all-natural t-shirts – these are a few of the common items you’ll find that are for sale. There are products out there that seem practical. Who wouldn’t love cleaning supplies that not only are good for the environment,...
Eco Solutions – more on conservation, eco warriors and green tech
Since it's the weekend, why not sit back, put your feet up and watch an environmentally themed video report? This month's Eco Solutions from CNN starts with a recap of an earlier report on Japan's efforts to develop new ways for farming the endangered and highly valued bluefin tuna. It's a classic example of supply and demand vs. practical conservation and environmentalism. Feel free to juxtapose the situation in Japan against the bluefin's plight in Europe, as described by maritime archeologist...
500 dead penguins found on Brazil beaches
Over a period of only 10 days, more than 500 dead penguins have washed ashore on Brazilian beaches. The penguins’ bodies exhibit signs of death by starvation. During the past few years Magellanic Penguins have been discovered on of the beaches of Rio de Janeiro state with increasing frequency. For some reason – perhaps due to pollution and/or overfishing – they sometimes become lost while migrating north from Antarctica and Patagonia in search of food. But those penguins – a few...
More Streaming Trash: The Rampant Industrialization of China – Environmental, Political and Human Consequences
TOXIC: Linfen, China - VBS travels to the single most polluted place on earth, the coal-mining town of Linfen in Shanxi Province, China, where kids play in dirty rivers and the sun sets early behind a thick curtain of smog. - vbs.tv Linfen, China’s coal capital was named the most polluted city in the world by the Blacksmith Institute, an organization that focuses on identifying heavily polluted areas and providing help to the people who live in them. A city of over...
Craigslist Rideshares are a Great Way to save money on gas and reduce emissions during the Holiday Season
Last Thanksgiving I received a round-trip off of Craiglist from Portland to Seattle for just $25. Yup, that’s right, I traveled to and from Seattle for $10 less than a one-way ticket would have been through Greyhound. Especially now that the Holiday Season has finally “arrived” and travel plans are being arranged, there is no better time to share your first ride. More and more Craigslist rideshares are safe and easy to come by. And while hitch-hiking has gone to the wayside over the...
View all articles
You can also log in to post a comment.