Extinct since 1920? NOT!

[Soothing Shrimp]

This isn't an aquatic story, but it does have to do with an invertebrate.

 

On a remote island, the world's heaviest flightless insect was thought extinct since 1920. 

 

Then in 2001, a team of four scientists found the world's population of only 24 of them living on the island, up a cliff, on a single Melaleuca bush peeping out from a crack.  They had been living/breeding on just this one scraggly bush for 80 years.

 

This is a fascinating read on the trials and errors of using captive breeding to bring them back from the verge of extinction.

 

 

http://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2012/02/24/147367644/six-legged-giant-finds-secret-hideaway-hides-for-80-years

 

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Now if only we could convince govts to do this with underwater inverts in danger of extinction!   Captive breeding from hobbyists may be the only hope left!

[Shrimpmaster]

Awesome story!

[Louie]

Lots are against taking animals from the wild and I see their point but taking some from the wild is the only way that endangered animals will be saved .

 

I was recently watching Anthony Bourdain in Madagascar and much of the wildlife is running out of wild areas so either captive breeding or they will be gone .

[Soothing Shrimp]

I agree.  I mean, I understand the risk.  Look at the first two of the four walking sticks.  They died.  But it is only through risk that animals can be saved.  The 2nd pair survived and reproduced.  Even if the fem died, 30 eggs were still viable.

[jem_xxiii]

also you can look at the case of the North African White Rhino which is down to like 2 in the whole world. People are scrambling to save them, but if we never tried to save them they would of been gone long ago.