As we all know, since the industrial revolution, the rate of disappearance of species on the earth has accelerated significantly, and the IPBES report points out that the global rate of species extinction is tens or even hundreds of times faster than the average rate of the past 10 million years, and about 140,000 species on the earth are going extinct every year.
Between 1800 and 1950, 78 species of birds and mammals on Earth became extinct, and scientists have proposed that the Earth has entered the sixth biological extinction process.
In this context, the reappearance of some creatures that were originally thought to be extinct is so valuable.
Ferguson Island in eastern Papua New Guinea is an ecologically advantageous place, with dense vegetation and high forest coverage, where a variety of "exotic animals" thrive.
On the island of Ferguson in Papua New Guinea, there is a unique bird called the black-naped pheasant, which was last discovered in 1882.
In the years that followed, despite repeated searches, many scientific research teams also used field infrared camera technology to search, but finally failed to find the black-naped pheasant, so the bird was naturally considered extinct.
It was not until recently, when infrared cameras set up in the island's wild forests captured images of the black-naped pheasant, a creature that had disappeared for 140 years, was able to reappear.
Unicorn among birds
The black-naped pheasant is a very rare and unique bird, it is relatively large, the back feathers are reddish-brown, the head and tail feathers are black-brown, the eyes and mouth are red, the feet are longer, the tail feathers are long and fan-shaped, the ability to fly is slightly weak, and it likes to walk on the ground.
The call of the black-naped pheasant is very peculiar, unlike the vast majority of birds, their call can almost be used as a symbol of species identity, as long as you hear their call, you can basically conclude that it is the black-naped pheasant.
Because of its rarity, the black-naped pheasant is also known as the "unicorn of birds", and Ferguson Island in Papua New Guinea is their only habitat.
Species that have disappeared for many years have reappeared
Papua New Guinea's Ferguson Island is not large, and after so many years of unsuccessful searches, people have reason to think that the black-naped pheasant dove has long been extinct, but the reality is that they appeared, and after 140 years, they returned to people's sight.
In fact, in the past few years, species that have disappeared for many years have reappeared, for example, in Mengzi Sinkhole in Yunnan, Chinese scientists have discovered three creatures that have disappeared for hundreds of years: heterophyllum moss, large-flowered stone butterfly, and bamboo sheep's milk.
The formation of Mengzi Sinkhole is mainly due to karst, the ground subsidence, cliff-like graben for hundreds of meters, like a huge pit, hence the name. The unique climatic environment of the sinkhole allows these rare creatures to be preserved.
It is not uncommon for species that have disappeared for many years to be found again, such as some species that are partially extinct in some areas, and as the ecological environment improves, the ecological corridor is restored, and species can spread along the ecological corridor from other areas, so as to achieve the return of species.
The rediscovery of the black-naped pheasant has come as a surprise, but due to the rugged local mountain, it is difficult to determine the number, so it is not clear how many black-naped pheasants there are on Ferguson Island, Papua New Guinea, which needs to be further investigated.
Some creatures that have disappeared for a long time have been discovered one after another, giving many people hope, is it possible that the South China tiger is also expected to reappear in the wild? After all, as a unique tiger on the mainland, it has attracted a lot of attention.
However, as the top predator in the ecosystem, the South China tiger is different from the black-naped pheasant, it has relatively high requirements for territorial range, and during estrus, it will roar frequently, and the tiger roar can reach more than 110 decibels, regardless of the transmission distance and range.
In addition, infrared cameras are quite popular today, once there is a wild South China tiger, it is likely to be found.
So although the black-naped pheasant, which has disappeared for 140 years, has returned to people's sight, it will not bring much hope for the existence of South China tigers in the wild. At present, if South China tigers want to return to the wild, they only look at rewilding training.
Follow me and make a friend who understands animals.