Detection new species This is important for many reasons. To begin with, it helps us better understand the world that surrounds us and the animals we share it with. On the other hand, because it provides the necessary tools to save endangered species. You can’t protect what you don’t know. But, unfortunately, sometimes the description of a species does not guarantee that it can continue to be observed and protected. In fact, sometimes This can take decades or even centuries. without re-observation of the animal in question. As a result, scientists don’t know if it’s extinct or just slipped out from under their noses. That is exactly what happened to him. black haired pheasant pigeonwhich has just been observed for the first time since its discovery, 140 years ago.
In reality, the bird in question has indeed been seen by hunters and residents of the rural areas of the area. Papua New Guineawhere he lives But it has not been possible to confirm whether this was gossip or whether it really was this bird. Scientists have undertaken several expeditions to try to find it, but all to no avail.
Now, at last, they have succeeded in fixing a specimen of the black-necked pheasant-pigeon, culminating in such an exciting story, including even pirates.
unicorn or pheasant
AT 1882 were seen in Ferguson Islandin Papua New Guinea, two specimens of a bird that has never been described before. It had a black head and body, rusty wings, and a billowing tail. And it was classified as a black-haired pheasant pigeon.
Since then, no scientist has been able to see them. They didn’t even know what they sounded like. However, residents of the island’s settlements claimed to have had several meetings with them. It was even given a colloquial name: wow.
This bird began to be considered almost a fantastic animal. Many people claim to have seen it, but no one has any visual evidence of it. For this reason, in 2019 a team of scientists from Cornell University undertook an expedition to the island to place cameras with which to try to capture this. Unfortunately, they did not give the desired results. The black-tailed pheasant dove was not recorded.
They returned home, but did not give up, but prepared for a new sortie, this time in September 2022. To do this, they not only placed 20 camera traps. They also interviewed hunters and neighbors who told them what they looked like and sounded like. This time they got what they were looking for. They managed to catch one of these birds. The surprise was so great that the group’s chief researcher, John S. Mittermeierdefined it almost as “seeing Unicorn“.
And, as if that wasn’t enough, they had to slip away on the way back. In your case piratesfor they are fairly common in those waters.
They weren’t dead, they were having fun
This pheasant dove is not the first animal to make a comeback after being thought to be extinct. Something similar happened a year ago with a Galapagos tortoise that went missing 112 years ago. In fact, it was already considered almost extinct. There are even animals that have only been observed as fossils that suddenly appear alive and well. This is the case of a clam that was found alive in California after it was thought to have been extinct for 30,000 years.
Thus, this bird is another example of how difficult it is sometimes have under control the entire fauna of the planet. And the worst thing is that sometimes they go unnoticed only by scientists, but not by hunters. This makes it even more difficult to protect them. Because not only is it difficult to protect what is unknown. And everything that is hidden.
Source: Hiper Textual
