Climate Change: Fish discovered in the Bay of Bengal was found only in the Pacific
A unique, lesser-known fish species that was till now thought to be found only in the Pacific Ocean has been found in the Indian Ocean too. Hoplosebastes Armatus, also known as the flower scorpionfish, belongs to the order of ray-finned fish that are also known Scorpaeniforme. The Hoplosebastes Armatus was discovered in the Pacific Ocean off Japan almost a century ago in 1929.
The species had not been found in the Indian Ocean. That is till two specimens of Hoplosebastes were collected by scientists from the harbour of Digha in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur February 12, 2019.
Two years after that discovery, scientists collected 22 other specimens from the waters off Paradip in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district October 13, 2021.
The rise in the temperature of sea water due to global warming might induce the migration of this species from different regions, Mohapatra said. He however added that more comprehensive studies were needed to know about this species.
👉DTE
Chhattisgarh march against Hasdeo mines reaches Raipur, gets Singhdeo support
Chhattisgarh health minister TS Singhdeo said the government should treat the Hasdeo region as a ‘no-go’ zone for coal mines as was decided during the UPA government.
“We are demanding immediate cancellation of all coal mining projects in Hasdeo Aranya region and all land acquisition proceedings carried under Coal Bearing-Areas Act 1957 without taking prior consent from the gram sabhas be immediately withdrawn,” said Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan convenor Alok Shukla, who also was part of the march.
PETA India awards Meghalaya minister James Sangma for vegan leather initiative
PETA India has honoured Meghalaya forest and environment minister James Sangma with the Progressive Business Concept Award for taking the initiative of ‘vegan leather’ in the state.
Meghalaya forest minister has been honoured with the award for exploring the use of pineapples to make vegan leather for creating a farmer-friendly, animal-friendly and eco-friendly environment in the state.
While recognising the Meghalaya minister for the initiative, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India CEO Dr Manilal Valliyate said: “PETA India recognises and thanks James Sangma, Minister for Forests and Environment, Meghalaya for exploring the use of pineapples to make vegan leather for a farmer-, animal-, and eco-friendly future.”
Endangered jungle cats, owl and eagle seized in Madurai
Four live jungle cats, a spotted owl and an eagle were seized from four men, who were later detained by the wildlife crime control bureau (southern region) and Madurai forest officials on Tuesday.
A team comprising WCCB personnel and Madurai forest division raided a house in Keelapanangudi on receiving information of illegal trade of wild animals and raptors in the district.
District forest officer D Gurusamy said that range officer Manikandan and others found four men to be in possession of the endangered wildlife species. Jungle cats are protected under schedule I of the Wildlife Act and eagles under schedule II. He said that investigations were on to find out where the men got the animals and birds.
Sources said that there are chances of birds being caught in Madurai or neighbouring districts. They added that this may be the tip of the iceberg and may involve a bigger racket, as they had information that a big gang had been transporting crocodiles and pythons through the southern districts.
👉TOI
Save hornbills, for they are the gardeners of tropical forests: Study
Scientists from two organisations studied how fruiting plants and hornbills influenced each other’s distribution in the Namdapha Tiger Reserve. The conservation of hornbills is of prime importance since they have a symbiotic relationship with several canopy trees in tropical forests.
They are attracted to such trees for food and in turn, they scatter their seeds, creating orchards, a new study has said.The researchers, from Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF), Mysuru and Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru conducted the study on the Hornbill Plateau in Namdapha.
The number of dispersed seeds was highest in patches with the highest abundance of hornbills. The diversity of regenerating saplings was also highest in those patches, the study found.
The reserve, located in Arunachal Pradesh, is one of India’s most biodiverse protected areas. It is home to five of India’s nine species of hornbills. The statement said hornbills were being driven locally extinct because of threats posed by hunting and habitat loss.
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Environment India 