Expedition Reports

New Primate Species is New Genus

Reuters is reporting today that a newly discovered primate is actually a new genus, not a new species, in dispatches such as this one: "New monkey species is more unique than thought". The report says, in part: The new monkey, at first called the highland mangabey but now known as kipunji, is more closely related to baboons than to mangabey monkeys, but in fact deserves its own genus and species classification, the researchers reported in the journal Science. So they have re-named it Rungwecebus kipunji, and it is the first new genus of a living primate from Africa to be [...]

Cryptid Woodpecker Update

The search has begun for the ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) on Cuba, late in April 2006. Cuban ornithologists have received permission to search for the long-lost, ivory-billed woodpecker in heavily wooded areas of the island that have been off-limits even to scientists since Fidel Castro seized power here almost 50 years ago. Backed by a grant from Birdlife International, a British conservation group, the search began in the pine forests of the Sierra Maestra mountains of eastern Cuba this week. Report: Cubanet. Meanwhile, the active search for the Imperial Woodpecker (Campephilus imperialis) – pictured above – the world’s largest species [...]

New Coelacanths On Display

Two new exhibitions of coelacanths are worthy of noting. The celebrated story of the coelacanth has made it one of the darlings of cryptozoology. It embodies a true tale of a “living fossil,” not verified as a “real animal” by science for 65 million years, then discovered off Africa in 1938 and rediscovered, with great fanfare, again in 1952 (as shown above). The coelacanth was a fish known to the natives, and eaten, with some slight disgust because it was too oily. It was a part of the menu of fishing peoples for centuries off Africa, long before it became [...]

New Asian Species

More species are being found, anew, in south Asia. We can hardly keep up with the announcements. Here’s a quick overview with some photos and links to the source articles. A new species of freshwater stringray (pictured here) has been discovered in Thailand. One of the discoveries was the remarkable Himanturan kittipongi, a new species of freshwater stringray from Thailand. Meanwhile, in Laos, six new species of frogs have been found. One is shown. Laos is the least densely populated country in Asia and has produced a treasure trove of wildlife discoveries during recent years. Rana khalam is one of [...]