Good news - a new species, genus, and FAMILY!

[werepossum]

Here's some pretty sweet news that isn't controversial or political. Japanese researchers have found a new species of marine reef eel. In fact, it's so new that not only did it require its own genus, it even requires its own family! It's a very short-bodied eel thought to be an independent evolutionary path back 200 million years; it's a living fossil, even more primitive than our fossil record of eels! In fact, there are lots of true fish that look more eel-like than this eel.

It's very rare (and therefore valuable) that something requires its own family to describe. What's more, at only 18 cm long, very attractive, and evolutionarily totally unique, it would make a hell of a marine aquarium denizen if it can be (and is) bred in large quantities.

Enjoy!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14547942

 

[sunzt]

... very attractive...

^


Besides that.... it looks half fish half eel. Cool.

 

[Bowfinger]

Very cool. Thanks.

 

[soundforbjt]

Japanese will probably eat it into extinction.

 

[Jaskalas]

Japanese will probably eat it into extinction.

That's if it survived / doesn't glow in the dark after fukushima.

 

[Lemon law]

Ok OK, riddle me this, they claim this fish like eel has made no evolutionary progress in 200
million years. All from showing just one 18 CM individual which translates into a 7 inch specimen.

But how do they know this is not some recently mutated species caused by radioactive pollution , and maybe our seven inch guy is going to grow into a 70,000 pound sea monster. And spread all around the oceans of the world. Thereby solving the problem of Somali piracy and overfishing.

Oh well, just on some days, my humor takes wild flights of fancy, why shouldn't it be the silly season every day of the year?

As for werepossum, its still a very good post. The number of newly discovered species that large gets smaller and smaller every day. And mostly from only from areas the scientific community has never examined.

 

[Macamus Prime]

it's a living fossil,

Quick! Bury it and hopefully it will turn into fossil fuel next time this week!!

And, when it DOES turn into fossil fuel next week, increase oil subsidies by 1,000%!! Big oil needs to meet their profit goal, due to the loss they will take when switching to eel fossil fuels!!

In fact, just give them the increase NOW to prevent the loss of the stock value while people wait!!

::takes money::

::next week::

,... eh? What eel??

 

[Lithium381]

here comes godzilla!

i think it's amazing that we can STILL find new species after hundreds of years of classifying and such

 

[thraashman]

Dammit. I was really hoping this new species of creature was going to be some kind of werepossum adding a fun level of irony to who posted it.

 

[Ausm]

A living fossil sounds like my Ex Boss.