Newly-discovered ‘zombie frog’ in Amazon rainforest could already be at risk of extinction

A new species of frog has been discovered in the Amazon rainforest – but it may already be endangered due to deforestation.

The “zombie frog” was found by German herpetologist Raffael Ernst whom, upon hearing its unfamiliar croak, dug around in the mud until he found the orange-spotted, 1.5 inch amphibian.

“The calls of the frog males can only be heard after or during heavy rains,” he said in a press release published by Senckenberg natural history museum. He said the name “zombie frog” was chosen to reflect the “eerie and muddy” sight of the researchers after digging up the frogs.

Dr Ernst spent two years in the Amazon rainforest in Guyana as part of his PhD investigating the loss of biodiversity at the hands of humans.

After discovering the zombie frog, he teamed up with international researchers to identify the animal.

The team described three different species all from the same genus Synapturanus, which can be found across the Guiana Shield region in South America’s northeast. They estimated there may be six times more species belonging to the genus that have not yet been unearthed.

Little is known about the zombie frog and its family due to its remote location. As exciting as it is for Dr Ersnt, the new discovery was somewhat bittersweet as amphibians are the most endangered vertebrate groups.

Dr Ernst told Deutsche Welle: “Whenever we discover new species, we always have in mind that we are losing species at the same time, probably more than we discover, and before we even have the chance to describe them.”

The Amazon rainforest is home to more than a thousand types of frogs with most known species coming from the region.

However,  human activity – such as mining, timber extraction, and logging – and climate change is proving detrimental to the amphibian population who are highly sensitive to water quality and environmental degradation.

Because of this some 70 per cent of species are threatened with extinction, the newly-discovered zombie frog among them.

Reference: Microsoft News: Zaina Alibhai

Russia dogtroopers parachute out of planes from 13,000ft

Russia's latest military drills involve dogs of war as new parachutes are tested to land military canines in battle zones.

A video shows final tests of the special dogtroopers landing gear which Vladimir Putin has personally inspected.

The system, developed by the Technodinamika Group, is designed to airdrop a dog weighing up to 100lbs onto a battlefield with a parachutist or in tandem with a parachutist and a dog handler. 

Tests have so far proved that the service animals can be dropped by parachute from as high as 13,000 feet, according to the Russian defence ministry's TV channel Zvezda.

'During the first tests, an amazing fact was revealed - even from a height of several kilometres, the dog observes the earth and tries to catch it with its paws,' the report stated.

'Previously, it was believed that dogs cannot see so far.'  

The Technodinamika Group (part of the state tech corporation Rostec) aims to complete the trials of its canine parachute system by the end of the year. 

Provided the final tests are successful, deliveries of the equipment to the Russian Defense Ministry will be made from next year, according to Technodinamika Chief Parachute Designer Alexey Kozin.  

'The preliminary trials have not revealed any deviations or negative results,' he said.

'A dog behaves adequately after an air jump and is ready to accomplish assigned tasks upon landing.

'The system can be used for landing almost any dog serving in the law enforcement agencies.' 

The canine 'security forces' are often used in military and rescue operations, according to the army, but there has not been a system to parachute service dogs in Russia before, according to Technodinamika. 

Putin personally visited the group's plant to inspect the harnesses which are intended for the rapid deployment of military dogs in places where it is impossible to land planes or helicopters. 

Test parachutist Andrey Toporkov said the dogs had to be specially prepared for the jumps.

'We have already made eight jumps,' he said.

'The most important thing is to get the dogs into the aircraft.

'They tolerate the flight and even watch the clouds through the window.

'When the hatch opens, there is wind, noise, and thanks to the dog handler, they calm down, so there were no problems when a dog handler participated in the jump.'

A special tandem harness - seen in a picture - made by Ivanovo parachute factory allows a military specialist to jump with both a handler and a dog.

It is 'more difficult' when the dog jumps alone with an unfamiliar paratrooper, he said.

'You had to get acquainted with the dog in advance, pet it, feed it with the owner's permission, so that the dog would trust you later.

'And you can't be afraid yourself — dogs feel everything.'    

Kozin said research is underway to allow for dogs to be groups from 26,000 ft but this would require an oxygen supply.

'We are working on the possibility of airdropping dogs from an altitude of up to 8km (26,000 ft).

'For this, special oxygen equipment will be created to enable a dog to breathe through the oxygen gear during an air jump.'

Kozin said that Technodinamika has already begun developing the oxygen gear for the canines in association with other contractors.   

Reference: Will Stewart In Moscow for MailOnline

Man bitten by 5ft snake ‘in genital area’ as he sat on toilet at home

A 65-year-old man got a rude awakening after a reticulated python bit him as he was sitting on the toilet at home.

The man, who has not been named, paid a visit to the bathroom at around 6am and felt a "pinch in the area of his genitals" sometime after he had sat down on the toilet.

He then turned around to see a 5ft foot (1.5 metres) albino snake in the toilet bowl.

The reticulated python, a constrictor native to Asia which can grow to a length of nearly 30ft (9m), is believed to have found its way into the toilet via the network of drains in the apartment block in the Austrian city of Graz.

The police said in a statement: “Shortly after he sat on the toilet the Graz resident – by his own account – felt a 'pinch' in the area of his genitals.”

The man needed treatment in hospital for minor injuries.

A reptile expert contacted by the emergency services removed the snake from the toilet, cleaned it and returned it to its owner.

Although the snake’s suspected route into the toilet could not be confirmed, it is thought to have escaped from a neighbour’s flat.

The 24-year-old neighbour, who owns 11 non-venumous constrictor snakes, has been reported to the prosecutors' office on suspicion of negligently causing bodily harm, the police said.

Reticulated pythons, which are native to southeast Asia, are the world's largest snakes and do not attack humans by nature. Their natural diet consists of mammals and sometimes birds.

While they are not venomous, they will constrict or bite if they feel threatened or if they mistake something for food.

There have been many reports of reticulated pythons killing humans throughout history. The latest report was in June 2020 when a 16-year-old Indonesian boy was suffocated to death by a 7m python near a waterfall in the Bombana Regency in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia.

A fully-grown reticulated python can open its jaws wide enough to swallow a human, as their lower jaws are not directly attached to their skulls, but the width of human shoulders can pose a problem to them.

Reference: Telegraph: Lamiat Sabin

Royal Navy ‘making whales deaf’ while blowing up unexploded bombs, activists say

Campaigners have accused the Royal Navy of continuing to damage the hearing of whales and dolphins when blowing up Second World War bombs undersea, despite having bought technology which could dispose of unexploded

In a written answer to a parliamentary question, the defence procurement minister Jeremy Quin said the Royal Navy’s specialist divers had carried out 107 underwater detonations in British waters in the past decade.

Most of these are German bombs which fell into the oceans during raids in the Second World War, but must be removed when they pose a hazard or are in the way of offshore construction schemes.

Traditionally, divers attach a small charge to the 70-year-old explosives and detonate them remotely, setting off a huge underwater blast.

Although the Royal Navy says it checks no marine wildlife is in the area before setting off the explosion, campaigners argue this ignores the damage caused to the hearing of mammals such as dolphins and whales.

A bomb going off underwater can cause a huge sound wave affecting creatures as far as 30km away and some experts believe as many as 60 animals go deaf for every bomb the Royal Navy detonate.

However, Mr Quin also revealed in his written answer the Ministry of Defence has purchased more than 600 systems which can clear unexploded ordnance without causing a destructive underwater explosion.

Despite this, the Royal Navy has not used this more environmentally-friendly “low order deflagration” method once in the past decade.

The low order deflagration method uses a specialist shaped charge to rapidly burn through the casing of the bomb before igniting the explosives inside.

A study by the National Physical Laboratory published last year found using low order deflagration methods to dispose of unexploded bombs caused much less underwater noise.

Using low order methods offers a “substantial reduction in acoustic output over traditional high-order methods, with the peak sound pressure level and sound exposure level observed being typically more than 20 dB lower”, the scientists concluded.

Campaigners said it was vital the MoD switched to less destructive and noisy methods to dispose of unexploded bombs.

The hearing of marine mammals is as vital to everyday life as sight was to humans, said Danny Groves, from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) charity.

Whales or dolphins which lose their hearing struggle to navigate around the oceans, communicate with fellow animals and effectively find food, putting their survival at risk.

“We support the use of less damaging methods of ordnance clearance and the MoD should be no exception. As our allies in the fight against climate change, we should be looking to protect whales not destroy them,” Mr Groves told The Times.

The actress Joanna Lumley has also been leading a campaign called Stop Sea Blasts, calling on the government to use low order deflagration techniques wherever possible.

The campaign’s spokesperson said: “The Ministry of Defence has the capability to clear munitions in a way that better protects the marine environment, but isn’t doing so. They have no excuse.

“The government should be protecting marine habitats, not dragging its feet. They should ensure the Royal Navy immediately starts using low order deflagration wherever possible.”

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “The Royal Navy [recognises] the impact of underwater noise on marine life when unexploded ordnance is cleared. Prior to any mine clearance activity, safety checks and environmental risk assessments are carried out to minimise the risk to marine life.” munitions more safely. 

Reference: Independent: Tim Wyatt