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Biologists have been throwing a big old scientist party celebrating the latest Lazarus Taxon—the Rat Squirrel—and all of nature is invited. Lazarus Taxon refers to a thing that once was thought dead, but turns out that it isn’t, like scientist parties.
The new excitement centers on a species from Laos that was first discovered in 1996 for sale in a meat market. By 1998 scientists had grabbed up a couple more dead samples, and in April of 2005 the little fellow was dubbed Laos Rock Rat. An apt name, really; they have a rat-like face with long whiskers and a generally gray color, and they’re from Laos. Everyone was happy, except that one scientist—paleontologist Mary Dawson. If he was such a new discovery, how did she know him? She’s a paleontologist—she knew him from his fossils.
The occurrence is a rare one called a Lazarus Taxon—it refers to these times where a species is discovered via fossils, named, cataloged, and pronounced dead, but then are later seen by other scientists who upgrade their condition to “alive”.
It turns out that around 11 million years ago there was a critter running around Asia that left his bones about for us to discover, date, and catalog. The bones were said to have come from the Squirrel Rat, another rat-faced, whiskered rodent with a slightly bushy tail. It was thought that all the Squirrel Rats were gone, but no—he’s just using a new name in the twenty-first century.
In 1938 a scientist named Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer noted some unusually burly looking blue fish among a fisherman’s catch, and thought they were neat. She picked one up and took it to her museum to see what it was, but couldn’t find it in any of the books. Rather than let her precious fish go bad and start stinking the place up, she sent it to a taxidermist and started showing it around. A friend of hers soon saw the similarity to a fish called a Coelacanth that was thought to have died out some 80 million years before. Immediately afterward, there was a bounty of 100 GBP to anyone who brought them more of fish … some people don’t take well to being told they’re wrong.
And again in 1997 a pair honeymooning in Indonesia on the island of Sulawesi saw a fish like a Coelacanth hanging in a market, but it was brown rather than blue. Curious, one of them bought the fish, and ended up testing its DNA. While not from the previously discovered population, they were a variant species that was also supposed to be dead.
Lesson learned: if you want to rediscover a species everyone thinks is dead, look to where the locals keep their cold cuts.
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Weeee…. first post… right then… isn’t it feasible that a species could perhaps re-adapt into something similar to an extinct species hence being confused for said deceased breed? The thing above about a differently colored fish of the Coelacanth variety was found, seeming to be quite likely of the same strain, yet a variation. I’d say that it’s coincidence on a grander scale ^_^;
And the world is a better place, knowing there exists a species of rat which we thought we had wiped out. Misson Failed, if you ask me. The best rats are dead one, those nasty little beasts.
As little as i know about local Laos culture, but who in the world sells rats to eat?
Prince said: “As little as i know about local Laos culture, but who in the world sells rats to eat?”
pretty much all of asia
I’m sure it’s delicious, but it’ll never match iguana tail finely sliced into little silver-dollar sized sections and fried in butter with _just_ a drop of lemon.
P.S. Regarding the Coelacanth, they check all the little bones (and you know how many bones are in a fish), and since they matched, are pretty sure its the same guy, just grown a little bit bigger than he used to be. Convergence wouldn’t match all those extraneous details.
i leave in atlantic canada and there is a species of cat called the eastern cougar here. most of my life it was officially considered extinct. even though they were seen in my area all the time. about three years ago ecologists and biologists finally started listening to the undreds of residents who had seen them and put it back on the endangered species list.
oopsie. i meant to say “live” not “leave”
I take it you speak French normally.
Oh, Jeez! Now all the ‘cryptozoologists’ are gonna start beating the Bigfoot and Champ drums again.
Just so you know, and so that I can justify my biology degree, a taxon is a level of organisation.
So a “species” is the name we give to the lowest taxon, and “kingdom” (as in the plant kingdom, animal kingdom etc) is another taxon.
(For the sake of completeness, the taxa are, from top to bottom: Domain, Kingdom, Phulum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, species).
maerk said: For the sake of completeness, the taxa are, from top to bottom: Domain, Kingdom, Phulum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, species
And like they taught us in 9th grade biology, the easy way to remember this is:
Did King Phillip Come Over For Game Sunday?
“…some people don’t take well to being told their wrong.”
I hope you’re not one of them. It’s “they’re”. Sorry.
RichVR said: “”…some people don’t take well to being told their wrong.”
I hope you’re not one of them. It’s “they’re”. Sorry.”
Once again irony slaps me and laughs …
This interesting story has been circulating around recently.
It’s sold in local meatmarkets, has local name, and is completely recognized by the local people, etc… So why is it, that the only “discovery” that counts is when a Western biologist finds it and slaps on a Latin name?
guess these creatures intentionally hid to avoid being eaten to extinction…..unfortunately, they’re now rediscovered….now they’ll be back on the plates :p
Does this mean that there’s a chance that the dodo bird could still be alive?
Of course, I’m reminded of what was said when the last dodo bird became extinct: “Tastes like chicken.”.
Maybe, just maybe, one of these days, people will be able to recreate the dodo bird from it’s genetic information:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=187135
Dave
Loki said: Isn’t it feasible that a species could perhaps re-adapt into something similar to an extinct species hence being confused for said deceased breed? The thing above about a differently colored fish of the Coelacanth variety was found, seeming to be quite likely of the same strain, yet a variation. I’d say that it’s coincidence on a grander scale.”
What you’re talking about is convergent evolution, and it does happen sometimes – for example, a squid has a beak that looks exactly like a parrot’s, and the elephant shrew looks almost exactly like a mouse but is hardly related to a mouse at all and is much closer in genetics to an elephant. I’m wondering how they knew this rat-squirrel wasn’t just an odd-looking rat.
(GMBurns says:
(I’m sure it’s delicious, but it’ll never match iguana tail finely sliced into little silver-dollar sized sections and fried in butter with _just_ a drop of lemon. )
“I had his liver with a nice Chianti.”
Dr Lector
The interest in Coelacanths is so high that there is fear that they are being fished to extintion.
It is unlikely that the dodo bird can be recreated, since there are no museum samples frozen/stuffed left. There was a stuffed dodo in a museum at one time, but someone threw it out, apparently not feeling it was important.
I have one thing to say..
Most modern scientists are complete MORONS..
They thought the ceolocanth was dead.. because no one had ever seen one except in fossils. Now that they catch one.. how dumb do you think they feel? Thinking they know everything.. then POW.. a living dinosaur is caught right out of the damn swimming pool.
And they still scoff at the idea of there being some sort of prehistoric Behemoth living in the ocean..
Then they catch a VARIANT from a Ceolocanth?? Jesus..
It seems like it’s only AFTER we discover something new that we keep encountering them. Stunning these STUPID.. Bald headed, wig wearing, butt-crack showing, know-it-all, low expectation having ass Scientists..
ooh, yay. another rat species to spread diseases among many. hooray
lahuard said: “And like they taught us in 9th grade biology, the easy way to remember this is:
Did King Phillip Come Over For Game Sunday?”
2 things…I don’t remember learning “Domain” what are the domains?
also…My 11th grade Anatomy & Physiology teacher taught us another one… it was
Kings Play Chess On Friday Getting Stoned!
ah man! you beat me to it. I was going to say: Does this mean that there’s still a chance that I could run into a Do do bird? That would be awesome.
uh, with exception of the Indian sub continent..
They don’t have to be western. Just biologists. When something is discovered, it means by science. And while the locals knew the animal rather intimately, they probably weren’t aware of it’s status as a fossil.
His holiness, the Pope, declares fire ants extinct.
“And again in 1997 a pair honeymooning in Indonesia on the island of Sulawesi saw a fish like a Coelacanth hanging in a market, but it was brown rather than blue. Curious, one of them bought the fish, and ended up testing its DNA”
Romantic…