![]() But this, perhaps, isn’t surprising given the animal’s rarity and the small number of leeches tested. Unfortunately, none of the leeches held the DNA of a saola. The Truong Son muntjac was only discovered by science in 1998, and like the Annamite striped rabbit is considered Data Deficient. Finally one leech had lunched off a dwarf deer: the Truong Son muntjac ( Muntiacus truongsonensis), one of the smallest of the already-tiny muntjacs. So little is known about the beautifully-marked animal that it is listed as Data Deficient by the IUCN Red List. Four leeches had sucked on the Annamite stripped rabbit ( Nesolagus timminsi), a species that was only discovered in the late 1990s. ![]() Six had sipped off the Chinese ferret-badger ( Melogale moschata), an important find as this species is impossible to tell from a similar species of ferret-badger by sight or camera trap. Three had drank the blood of the mainland serow ( Capricornis maritimus), a strange-looking goat-like animal that is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List. Five of the leeches contained pig DNA and two of the leeches contained cow DNA, but the other 14 were more interesting. ![]() They found mammal DNA in 21 of the 25 leeches (84 percent), including a number of surprises. One of the only photos of a saola in the wild. So Gilbert and his team got their hands on 25 leeches from the Annamite Mountains and tested their cached blood for mammal DNA. A forest bovine that resembles an African antelope, the soala and its habitat has captured the attention of conservationists worldwide. The most important of these was the saola ( Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), which has been described as among the most astounding new species of the last century (it was first announced in 1992). But where to start? Vietnam’s Annamite Mountains are home to an astounding number of rare and endangered mammals, including several that were only discovered in the 1990s. Next, Gilbert and his team decided to test the method in the field. It’s the crop that does the preserving magic, and this evolved as a strategy to allow feeding once then resting, growing, reproducing,” Gilbert explains. In the crop there is very reduced microbial activity/enzymatic activity it really seems designed as a natural preservative. “ gorge and fill their crop, which is like a storage tank. Although Gilbert told that past research suggested the blood may survive a year-and-a-half. Surprisingly, goat DNA could still be found in the blood for as long as the experiment lasted: four months. They fed goat’s blood to aquatic leeches and then extracted the blood at various time intervals to see if they could identify goat DNA in the blood sample. The story begins at the University of Copenhagen where geneticist Tom Gilbert and his team decided to test how long mammal blood stays in a satiated leech. ![]() The research found that the presence of mammals, at least, can be determined by testing the victim’s blood for DNA stored in the leech. A new paper in Current Biology, however, announces an incredibly innovative and cheaper way of recording rare mammals: seek out the leeches that feed on them. But as important as camera traps have become, they are still prohibitively expensive for many conservationists and require many grueling hours in remote forests. The tool has even allowed scientists to document animals new to science or feared extinct. The use of remote camera traps, which photograph animals as they pass, has revolutionized research on endangered and cryptic species. The tiger leech (Haemadipsa picta) in Borneo waits on land for passing prey, but new research shows its appetite for blood may be key for conservation efforts. Leeches may help find cryptic, supposedly extinct, and even new species ![]()
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