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A Baird’s tapir forages in a rainforest in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica. Greg Basco/Minden Pictures
Wildlife trade imperils species, even in protected areas
Feb. 15, 2021 , 11:00 AM
Wildlife trafficking is having a profound negative impact on biodiversity, a new analysis finds. Hunting and trapping to feed international and national trade networks threaten numerous species, the researchers report, even those living in protected areas.
“This study adds to the growing body of evidence that commercial wildlife trade is a significant threat,” says Scott Roberton, a conservationist in charge of antitrafficking programs at the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Wildlife trafficking is big business, with analysts estimating it generates between $5 billion and $20 billion per year. It involves the capture or killing of tens of millions of individuals from thousands of species, and some 150 million families depend on eating wild animals or selling them for th
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The fly species Coenosia tigrina with two large holes in the abdomen. The holes are an effect of infection with the fungus Strongwellsea tigrinae. The infective spores are discharged through these holes. Image credit: University of Copenhagen
After infecting the host bodies, the flies buzz around for days as fungal spores are released into the air from the holes and drift onto new victims. The fungi find nourishment from within the rear segment of the bodies of the flies right up to the end. Following a few days of the infection, the flies lie on their back and keep on having spasms till they die.
Updated Dec 18, 2020 | 13:31 IST
Researchers have found two new species of fungi, Strongwellsea acerosa and Strongwellsea tigrinae, that turn flies into zombies. New fungi that turn flies into zombies | Image: Faculty of Science/University of Copenhagen
Scientists in Denmark have discovered two new species of deadly fungi that turn flies into zombies. The parasites devour from inside, bursting from the abdomen of their still-living prey. The adult flies continue to buzz around for days with massive holes in their bodies, after being infected by the fungi.
The research by the University of Copenhagen and the Natural History Museum of Denmark has been published in the Journal of Invertebrate Pathology.