Ar-Rehman

Discovery of new species of penguin by scientists for the first time in more than 100 Years

Researchers discovered a new gentoo penguin species, Pygoscelis kerguelensis. This is the first new penguin species identified in over 100 years, with the last being the northern rockhopper penguin in 1921. There are four different species of gentoo penguins, which all have genetic differences, but Pygoscelis kerguelensis was previously unknown to scientists. The new species of gentoo penguin lives on the Kerguelen Islands in the subantarctic region, according to a study. Researchers were able to show that over hundreds of thousands of years, the gentoo penguin has diverged into four distinct evolutionary lineages. Scientists have for the first time in more than 100 years identified a new species of penguin thanks to DNA analysis.

Researchers found evidence that the gentoo penguin actually consists of four different species and one of them was previously unknown to science, according to a report published in Communications Biology, which featured penguin experts led by Chilean and University of California, Berkeley biologists. The new species, named Pygoscelis kerguelensis, lives on the remote Kerguelen Islands, in the Indian Ocean, around 1,200 miles north of Antarctica. The gentoo penguin found in the Antarctic had historically been treated as a single species. But researchers were able to show that over hundreds of thousands of years, the gentoo has diverged into four distinct evolutionary lineages, each of which the researchers say should be its own species. Of the northern gentoo, southern gentoo, southeastern gentoo and eastern gentoo, the southeastern was previously unknown.

While Pygoscelis kerguelensis, also known as the southeastern gentoo penguin, may look identical to other gentoo penguins, the differences lie in their genetics. Northern gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) live on the Falkland Islands and Martillo Islands, whereas the eastern gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis taeniata) reside on the Crozet, Marion and Macquarie Islands. The southern gentoo has a larger number of genes related to “hat generation, fat and lipid storage and light perception” because of its cold habitat, according to study. The group of 22 researchers, scientists, conservationists and penguin experts spanning five continents, published their findings in April in Communications Biology, a biological sciences research journal. The southeastern gentoo hadn’t been identified before because its differences become apparent only through analysis of its genetic code.

Southern gentoo penguins are the only species out of the four that live in Antarctica. “In Antarctica, of course, other species, not the gentoo, are threatened by climate change. But the gentoo is of most concern in the sub-Antarctic region,” Juliana Vianna, one of the study’s senior authors, and a professor at the Andrés Bello National University in Santiago, Chile, said. Vianna said that non-Antarctic penguins are expected to experience habitat loss because of climate change and warming oceans, along with the destruction of habitat. She said that it’s “very important” that conservation experts across the world take action to save the three threatened gentoo species.

“One of these was previously unrecognized because … it looks like every other gentoo,” the University of California at Berkeley said. “Yet it is clearly genetically different, what scientists refer to as a cryptic species.” UC-Berkeley researchers led the multiyear study with researchers from Universidad de Los Lagos in Chile. “Bringing together researchers across continents allowed us to uncover a remarkable new penguin species, and revealed just how urgently these fragile ecosystems need our protection,” Rauri C. K. Bowie, one of the researchers, said. The study found that the eastern gentoo has more genes related to “enhanced diving capacity” and “energy-efficient carbohydrate metabolism.” However, researchers said that future projections indicate that the southeastern, northern and eastern penguins will experience “severe habitat losses”, whereas the “southern gentoo may expand its range.”

Snakes disappear with drop in temperatures

Snakes play a vital role in your garden’s ecosystem by controlling pests, even if they disappear in winter. As temperatures drop, snakes enter brumation, a slowed-down state where they stop eating and conserve energy. To stay safe from freezing temperatures, garter snakes retreat below the frost line into protected spaces like abandoned rodent, crayfish, or groundhog burrows, rock crevices, stone walls, and tree stumps, piles of firewood, compost heaps, spaces beneath sheds or decks, and sometimes basements. Like other cold-blooded animals, snakes rely on external temperatures to regulate their body temperature. As the weather cools, their metabolism slows and they retreat to sheltered spots where they can ride out the winter. We have discussed here, to find out where snakes go in winter, how their behavior varies by region and species, and what their seasonal disappearance means for your garden.

Garden snakes have important roles in your landscape, eating insects and invertebrates such as slugs and providing food for birds of prey such as hawks and owls. You may see them occasionally during warm weather, though they seem to disappear entirely from your garden when cool temperatures arrive. Of course, garden snakes still are present in your landscape, though it’s unlikely you’ll spot them in the middle of winter if temperatures remain cold. Snakes are ectotherms, which means they can’t generate their own body heat and must rely on the environment to regulate their bodily functions. As temperatures begin to go below 60 degrees F, they seek somewhere warm to spend the winter. Come fall, temperatures drop and their heart rate, breathing, and metabolism slow down to help them conserve energy. In this process, called brumation, they stop eating entirely because their bodies are unable to digest food, instead relying on fat stores gathered during the fall. They aren’t fully asleep, but much slower and less active. Brumation is sometimes compared to hibernation, but the two processes aren’t identical.

They enter brumation, a reptile version of hibernation, where their heart rate, breathing, and metabolism slow way down. Unlike some snakes that stay alone, garter snakes gather in large groups (sometimes hundreds or even thousands) inside a single den to share body heat and stay warm. On unseasonably warm winter days, they may occasionally crawl out to the surface to bask in the sun or get a drink of water. "On unseasonably warm winter days, it is completely normal for a snake to briefly emerge from its shelter to bask in the sun or drink water before returning underground,” says Michael Starkey, who oversees the snake conservation nonprofit Save the Snakes. The length and severity of this inactive period depend on climate. “Reptiles brumate in areas of the US that receive a lot of snow or have low temperatures for a large portion of the year, with activity picking up along with the warmer temperatures,” says Sake van Wyk of the African Snakebite Institute. “In other regions, like in the southern parts, the temperatures stay high, and these reptiles do not go into brumation.”

Low temperatures slow their metabolism. “They get so cold they almost can’t move,” says John C. Maerz, PhD, Dennis and Sara Carey Distinguished Professor of Forest and Natural Resources, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. “That’s why they must find a moist, sheltered place to spend winter.” While many species of snakes can be found in our yards, what most of us refer to as “garden snakes” are small snakes that remain small, says Maerz. A few of the most common types found in and around your garden in the Southeast are as follows:-

Garter snake is pencil-sized to 1 to 1 ½-feet long, brown to yellow gold with a either a checkerboard pattern or black and yellow striping

Dekay’s brown snake is grayish-brown and about 5 to 10 inches long with a pair of spots or square in rows down its back and a dark head

Red-bellied snake reaches about 5 to 10 inches long and is grayish-brown with an orange-ish red belly.

To survive freezing temperatures, snakes seek out sheltered places called hibernacula, or brumation sites, where temperatures are more stable and they can be protected from the elements. In a garden, that can mean places you might not immediately associate with snakes. “In a garden, snakes may take refuge in manmade structures that provide warmth, such as a shed or barn, or they may hide in piles of debris such as wood or tin,” says Brooke DeMoor, a Wildlife Ecology and Conservation student from the University of Florida with experience in Herpetology. “Rodents also will take shelter in these locations, although most snakes will not eat during brumation.” Some snakes, including garter snakes and copperheads, may gather in communal hibernacula, where grouping together can help them conserve heat. Although the temperature at which garden snakes begin to seek shelter varies by species, all snakes look for places such old animal burrows, compost piles, root holes in the soil, or under decks, rock walls, log piles, or decaying logs to spend the winter. Because it’s rare that soils freeze in the Southeast, they’re usually in relatively shallow spots underground. While some species hang out solo, others, such as garter snakes, may gather in a communal area, called a hibernaculum. Here, they’ll stay together until spring.

It's also not uncommon to find garden snakes in wall voids, under slabs, or in a crawl space or basement. For example, they may accidentally end up in the basement if they curled up in a window well and found a hole to enter your home. If you discover a snake indoors, simply relocate it outdoors. Wear gloves if you like, and once outside, don’t set something, like a log, on top of it for shelter; you could inadvertently squish it. Instead, gently place it in an area such near a wood pile or mulch bed where it can find its own spot to hide. Climate, latitude, weather patterns and species all influence how long a snake remains inactive and where it shelters. In colder northern climates, snakes may retreat underground as early as October and remain in brumation through early spring. In milder southern and coastal regions, winter can look very different. In South Florida, for example, winter temperatures are often mild enough that some snake species remain active throughout the season, particularly during warmer periods. Species matter, too. Nonvenomous species like gopher snakes and garter snakes tend to adapt quickly to suburban gardens, whereas larger pit vipers like rattlesnakes generally seek out deep natural rock crevices or unoccupied burrows well away from high-foot-traffic areas.

Garden snakes don’t build up fat reserves to hibernate, like a groundhog or bear, to survive the winter. Instead, they adapt to the temperatures, staying safely put in their hiding places until spring. Interestingly, garter snakes have a sort of ‘anti-freeze’ with which they flood their cells with sugar to lower their freezing point, so they technically can be a little active at just below freezing temperatures. That’s why you’ll find garter snakes even in the Arctic Circle. Occasionally, you may see garden snakes out sunning themselves on nice winter days if there’s been a stretch of warm-ish days. But they’re not out hunting and will head back to their hiding places in the evening. In warmer climates, however, such as along the coast, you likely will see snake activity in the winter. There’s no universal date when snakes emerge from winter shelter. In colder climates, that may happen in early spring, while snakes in warmer regions can become active whenever temperatures are favorable.

Snakes are predators and thus act as essential, natural pest control in a healthy garden ecosystem. When snakes go dormant in the winter, rodent populations (like mice, voles, and gophers) and destructive garden insects can experience a surge in activity, using winter gardens to look for food and nesting sites. This doesn’t necessarily mean your garden will be overrun with pests. Weather, food availability, habitat, and the presence of other predators all affect local populations. But the return of snakes in spring can restore some of the natural predation which slows during the winter. As temperatures warm up, snakes emerge hungry and immediately go to work managing pest populations, serving as a farmer’s or gardener’s best friend. If you happen to disturb a garden snake in winter, such as when retrieving wood for the fireplace or doing yard cleanup, just leave them be. They’ll know what they need to do to get cozy and find shelter again.