Tuesday 20 May 2014

lost snake species rediscovered and mammoth on display



Lost snake species rediscovered in Mexico
A lost species of snake that eluded scientists for nearly 80 years has been rediscovered in Mexico, a US museum says. The Clarion Nightsnake was found on the Pacific island of Clarion in Mexico by a researcher from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC.The snake was first discovered in 1936 by naturalist William Beebe. Although never declared extinct, it was struck from the record after scientists were unable to rediscover it.The museum said that researcher Daniel Mulcahy, working with an expert from a Mexican institute, carried out an expedition to Clarion Island where their team identified 11 snakes matching Beebe's description.

Baby mammoth goes on display in UK By Sarah White BBC News, at the Natural History Museum
A perfectly preserved baby mammoth which died 42,000 years ago has been unveiled at the Natural History Museum in London.Named Lyuba by the Siberian deer herder who discovered her in 2007, the specimen is 130cm tall and weighs 50kg.Palaeontologist Prof Adrian Lister described seeing her for the first time as an "incredible experience".Transported in a box that was opened on Monday, the juvenile female mammoth looked almost intact. Prof Lister pointed out the small milk tusks that are barely visible, the almost flattened shape of the trunk designed to drink water from snow and a small layer of fat on top of the head which would have kept her warm in the permafrost of north-west Siberia.

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