In ancient Chinese records, the South Sea sharks shed tears ; in Japanese legends, eight hundred nuns and piranhas tasted the pain of eternal life; in Danish fairy tales, there are legends such as the mermaid princess chasing the shore and eventually turning into foam in the sea. The legendary mermaid prototype is actually " dugong ".
Recently, scientists reported that the dugong, considered to be the prototype of mermaid, has become functionally extinct in China. The research was jointly completed by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Zoological Society of London, and has been published in the British journal "Royal Society Open Science".
In 1988, dugongs were listed as a national first-level protected animal by China. However, since 2008, there have been no records of dugongs appearing in China. Many netizens: As dugongs are a national first-level protected animal, why are there still people poaching them?
National first-level protected animals : Dugong
Dugong is a marine herbivorous mammal that is particularly dependent on seagrass. It has a gentle temperament and looks similar to a manatee, but has a tail similar to a whale. Because it needs to surface regularly to breathe, it is thought to have been the possible inspiration for ancient legends of mermaids and sirens.
The dugong has a spindle-shaped body, is about 3 meters long, weighs 300-500 kilograms, and can live for more than 70 years. The body has short and fine hair like a cow, and it mainly feeds on kelp and seaweed. Therefore, chewing kelp can only be done with a pair of wide horny pads, which takes a lot of time. Therefore, many people also call it South Manatee.
Dugongs mainly live in tropical shallow seas, which are closely related to water temperature, ocean currents, food, etc. In my country, they are mainly distributed along the coasts of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and southern Taiwan.
Dugong is listed in the first level of "China's National Key Protected Wild Animals List", and in " China's Red Data Book of Endangered Animals ", the endangerment level is: Endangered (E). Listed in the " List of National Key Protected Wild Animals": a national first-level protected animal (effective on December 10, 1988).
The main reason is that dugongs were hunted for food around them from the 1950s to the 1970s. In my country, there are records of 155 dugongs killed, 12 of which were made into specimens.
Why are dugongs, as a national first-level protected wild animal, still being hunted in large numbers? Among them, they are hunted in large numbers mainly because of their gentle temperament, low defensiveness, delicious meat and smooth fur. Secondly, it was hunted in my country from the 1950s to the 1970s, and its inclusion as a national first-level protected animal took effect on December 10, 1988.
Therefore, before December 10, 1988, dugongs, as human food, were over-hunted by people, resulting in a sharp decline in the species' population.
Why are dugongs functionally “extinct” in China?
In 1988, dugongs were listed as national first-level protected animals by China. However, since 2008, there have been no records of dugongs appearing in China. After investigation and research, scientists believe that dugongs are functionally extinct in China.
What is biological functional "extinction"? In fact, the so-called functional extinction does not mean that the species has completely disappeared. In theory, there are a few living individuals, but the remaining population has no individuals that can reproduce, which will mean that "it can no longer sustain itself." Ultimately, Disappeared in the waters of southern China.
Why does this phenomenon occur? According to the analysis of scientists, there are mainly the following five factors that cause the functional extinction of dugongs (the fifth one occurs accidentally):
First, industrial pollution, which is the most important problem facing the world at present. With the development of industry, countries Treating the ocean as mankind's largest sewage treatment plant will discharge a large amount of sewage into the sea, causing the ocean to be polluted. For example, Japan discharges nuclear sewage into the sea, which may cause the disappearance of a large number of marine life in the future.
Second, coastal development and human development on the seashore are becoming more and more limitless, such as building houses on land reclamation, building large-scale marine activity facilities, marine tourism facilities, etc., resulting in serious man-made damage to the coastal ecological environment and forcing a large number of shallow sea creatures to migrate. To the deep sea, or elsewhere.
Third, overfishing. As people's economic income increases, everyone's living requirements also increase simultaneously. Marine life is listed as the first choice for food, such as rare seafood, which is in great demand. As a result, marine life is hunted or poached in large numbers, resulting in a reduction in the number of wild animal populations. Aboriginal hunting of dugongs is still allowed on Australia's northern islands and in western Papua New Guinea.
Fourth, climate change. Seagrass habitats are rapidly degrading. This is currently the biggest factor affecting the survival of organisms. Climate change directly affects the survival of species and is devastating to organisms.
Fifth, the expansion of human activities, fishing and ship collisions have resulted in the death or even migration of a large number of dugongs, resulting in a reduction in the species population.
Summary
The dugong species has not disappeared in China, it is only functionally extinct at present, but it gives us an important warning: marine protection is urgent, put an end to marine pollution, reduce human activities, prohibit the killing of wild animals, and leave a blue sea for future generations. blue sky.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-