Growing up in Australia, the magazine Australian Geographic was a piece of journalism that I read almost religiously. This magazine, coupled with an interest in animals is what encouraged me into science and the environment. I remember reading an article about the Tasmanian tiger and how sightings of these animals had been seen despite being extinct for many years. The idea of finding a rare animal unseen for many years really intrigues me.
Recently, an Australian biologist studying native fish in Victoria discovered a healthy population of the Bell Frog in Victoria, a species that was thought to have gone extinct after the introduction of the fungal virus which has become much more widespread partly due to the effects of global warming making its distribution easier.
More recently, in a much more strange circumstance, local people in the prefecture of Miyagi in Japan have spotted Kangaroos leaping around on roadsides.
For years they have spoken of a beige animal with large ears, 1 to 1.5 metres tall, that stands by the roadside and then hops away.
The Japan Times, 13/March/2010
The small town, is located about 350 kilometres north of Tokyo in an area of Japan that is least populated of the Japanese mainland. The mountainous area of Miyagi has about 441 households. Word has it, that local journalists are now attempting to get a photo of these illousive marsupials by setting up remote cameras in areas where they have been spotted. Its possible that these Kangaroos, if they do exist, have escaped from capativity or have been purposely released for some unknown reason. If it is true, its quite amazing that these animals are able to exist in such a different styled environment when compared to the grasslands that that are seen in large numbers in Australia. Its also interesting, that the Kangaroos spotted are described as the Red Kangaroo, a mammal that usually exists in warmer areas in Australia.
Sources
- The Japan Times – 12/March/2010
- The Age – Yellow-spotted Bell Frog
great post as usual!