Pangolins are among the world\u2019s most heavily poached animals. The elusive creatures are under threat, but the discovery of a mysterious species that\u2019s new to science could help conservationists fight against their extinction, researchers say. <\/p>\n
There are eight previously known species of pangolin \u2014 four found in Asia and four in Africa. Resembling anteaters, the solitary mammals are illegally hunted and trafficked for their meat and distinctive armorlike scales, which some people believe have medicinal value.\u00a0<\/strong> <\/p>\n Scientists studying contraband scales \u2014 confiscated in Hong Kong and China\u2019s Yunnan province between 2012 and 2019 \u2014 identified genetic markers not seen in any known pangolins. The genomic analysis revealed an unexpected ninth species, which the team has named Manis mysteria. <\/p>\n The researchers described their findings in a study published Monday in the journal PNAS. <\/p>\n \u201cWe were quite surprised because we did not expect a new species could be discovered from seized scales,\u201d said study coauthor Jing-Yan Hu, a research assistant at the State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resource at Yunnan University, in an email. <\/p>\n The study team did a structural analysis of 33 scale samples from several different confiscations. Five scales were attached to skin and three to claws. The remaining samples were from individual scales found to be from pangolin tails, backs, bellies or heads. <\/p>\n The scales\u2019 form initially suggested they belonged to one of four species of pangolin found in Asia. But DNA analysis showed that their \u201cgenomic data provide robust and compelling evidence that it is a new pangolin species distinct from those previously recognized,\u201d Hu said. <\/p>\n Finding a new \u201clarge-bodied mammal\u201d is not an everyday occurrence, said Dr. Aryn Wilder, a researcher specializing in conservation genetics at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Wilder was not involved in the new research. <\/p>\n One of the most recent of such finds made through genomics was the 2017 identification of an unknown species of orangutan. \u201cAlthough not unheard of, discoveries like these are pretty unusual,\u201d Wilder said, adding that the pangolin study\u2019s results were convincing. <\/p>\n \u201cI thought the methods were solid and their findings were pretty conclusive,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n Little is known of Manis mysteria, but now that its existence has been established, conservationists can work to protect it. <\/p>\n Uncovering a ninth species is significant, Hu said. The revelation \u201cgreatly expands current knowledge of pangolin diversity and evolution,\u201d Hu said. \u201cThe discovery also urges more conservation concerns and joint efforts to help tackle the supply and demand of pangolin trade.\u201d <\/p>\n The finding is very important, Wilder said in an email. \u201cThe identification of this new species will allow conservationists to focus management efforts to prevent its extinction.\u201d <\/p>\n Extinction is defined on a species level. \u201cOnce a species is extinct, its unique biodiversity is lost,\u201d Wilder said. \u201cWith the discovery of a new pangolin species, one that is likely endangered, and with more research to learn about its range, ecology, life-history and conservation status, conservation strategies can be tailored specifically to ensure that this species survives.\u201d <\/p>\n Because Manis mysteria has just a slight genetic variation from other pangolins, the species is currently described as \u201ccryptic.\u201d <\/p>\n Cryptic species aren\u2019t easy to tell apart from others by appearance alone, so the newfound ability to identify pangolin species by testing scales is a boon for conservation scientists. \u201cOften a rare species will be mistaken for a more common one,\u201d Wilder said. \u201cWith advancing DNA technologies, we are getting better at identifying cryptic species.\u201d <\/p>\n That means the recent revelation could just be the start. \u201cWe also expect to find other pangolin species,\u201d Hu said. <\/p>\n\n Pangolins are among the world\u2019s most heavily poached animals. The elusive creatures are under threat, but the discovery of a mysterious species that\u2019s new to science could help conservationists fight against their extinction, researchers say. There are eight previously known species of pangolin \u2014 four found in Asia and four in Africa. Resembling anteaters, the <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":9278,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9277","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9277\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} Genomics can help protect threatened species<\/h3>\n
Expanded understanding of \u2018pangolin diversity and evolution\u2019<\/h3>\n