A new photograph may save an elusive species of wild dog from extinction
The singing dog from New Guinea (New Guinea Singing Dog) is probably the rarest species in the canine family (Canis). The danger of extinction facing it is more serious than that of any jackal, coyote, wolf or other wild dog. The distinctive voice of this dog, like a cross between a wolf's howl and a whale's song, sometimes echoes in its place of residence, the wild mountain ranges of the island of New Guinea, but this shy and agile animal has eluded many attempts to locate it. Only twice have they managed to photograph it in the wild: once by Australian mammal researcher Tim Flannery in 1989, and a second time by nature tour guide Tom Hewitt in August 2012.
Hewitt captured the dog on camera in the cloud-covered forests of the remote Star Mountains in West Papua, where one of the small wild populations of the species may have found a home. Inspired by Hewitt's photograph, a team of researchers set out in 2014 at the foot of nearby Mount Mandala to look for this group. The members of the expedition intend to collect DNA samples from rolls or scraps of fur to confirm Hewitt's observation. Eventually, they also hope to capture one of these singing dogs.
The target is not a hunter, says expedition leader James "Mc" McIntyre, head of the Southwest Pacific Research Institute in Pemandina Beach, Florida. "Although the dog photographed in August 2012 has the phenotype, i.e. the external appearance, of a New Guinea singing dog, science always requires conclusive proof," says McIntyre. Such proof can only come from a comparison between the genotype, i.e. the genetic composition, of the dog and the genotype of purebred dogs of this species found in captivity, of which there are only about 200 individuals in the entire world. The capture of one of the wild dogs can tip the scales in terms of the survival of the species, because then it will be possible to integrate its genetic material and that of its lineage into the genetic pool of the captive populations, suffering from degeneration due to long years of inbreeding.
From the Running Ponies blog at: blogs.ScientificAmerican.com/running-ponies
The article was published with the permission of Scientific American Israel
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D!, you didn't understand, read again
Ahhhh
What a beauty - this is not a "hunter in his name" just needs proof. When this species becomes extinct we will know it existed.
Reminds me of a sketch of the world tonight where a huge sticker of a new driver covered the entire windshield - "We are ready to sacrifice any victim, any victim, on the altar of safety" said Avery.