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Scientists solve mystery of the extinct Falkland Islands wolf

Wednesday, March 6th 2013 - 20:00 UTC
Full article 53 comments

It was an animal that puzzled Charles Darwin, who wondered how on Earth a large mammal that looked a bit like a wolf and a bit like a fox had arrived on barren islands nearly 500 kilometres from the mainland. Now, say biologists, the mystery of the now-extinct Falkland Islands wolf may have been resolved. Read full article

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  • slattzzz

    the wind blew them all to rgenweener with all the other flora.....................apparently

    Mar 06th, 2013 - 08:17 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Condorito

    ”compared it with the genetic code of a similar-sized extinct mainland canine, the South American maned wolf (Dusicyon avus).”

    And there was me thinking they still existed in the Ibera wetlands in Argentina and in parts of Brazil!

    Mar 06th, 2013 - 08:42 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Think

    (2) Condorito

    yet another careless English translation from our Mercopress team...

    The South American maned wolf; aka Aguará Guazú, aka Chrysocyon brachyurus is NOT exctinct......
    http://seancrane.com/blogphotos/maned_wolf_1x.jpg

    The Dusicyon australis, Dusicyon avus and Dusicyon cultridens are.

    Mar 06th, 2013 - 09:04 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Monkeymagic

    There are several other rare or even never seen species on the Islands.

    The first rare sightings are argentine yellow bellied warbler (cowardous militarious) which has only been sighted twice in history, once in 1832 and again in 1982 and only for a couple of months at a time. It is distinctive by its yellow belly, white flags and the way it's tail is carried between its legs as it flies west towards Argentina.

    The rumoured but never seen species of the Argentine brown-nosed sloth (stupidous civilious) has often been claimed to have existed but never seen on the island. It is distinctive by its laziness, cowardice, and is known to steal from other members of its community. It is prevalent on the mainland where it has killed off all it's natural competitors. The sloth appears to be a pack animal, where the pack leader steals food from the rest of the pack right in front of their noses but they appear too stupid to realise.

    Mar 06th, 2013 - 09:15 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • redpoll

    Condorito,
    They are a very rare beast but I think they may still exist in the montes of Uruguay. I think a dead one was found in Soriano in the montes adjoining the Rio Uruguay about five years ago
    The swamp deer I fear are now extinct in this country and I think is also the tatu carreta. I last saw one of thier burrows on an estancia in Rivera in about 1974
    However there is some news. Our local gold mining company have a thier own resident wild life expert on site and we now have a herd of 20+ native deer (guazibara) grazing on thier property. Even a tamandua (anteater) has recolonized the area. Great news as the last record I have of that animal was one that was shot in 1934 in our area

    Mar 06th, 2013 - 09:32 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • mastershakejb

    4 Monkeymagic
    LOL! That was great, I enjoyed that

    Mar 06th, 2013 - 09:33 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • slattzzz

    @4 brilliant mate LOL
    @3 stink your a halfwit, of course you've seen said wolf?....................................oh no of course not you live in Europe

    Mar 06th, 2013 - 09:37 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Musky

    So the falklands were connected to argentina 20,000 years ago. That makes them argentine! And 200 million years ago all land masses were conjoined to make one continent, that makes them argentine too! The whole world belongs to Argentina! And when the earth formed from an.... well you know where I'm coming from!

    Mar 06th, 2013 - 10:15 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • briton

    The Argies call it proximity [300 miles]

    Lets have some fun,

    If France is 21 miles from UK,
    Germany millimetres from France
    Poland is millimetres from Germany,
    USSR is millimetres from Poland,
    The USSR is approx one mile from Alaska
    Who in turn are millimetres from Canada,
    Who in turn through the United States down to Mexico,

    Who in turn is attached right the way down to panama,
    That is less than a mile apart at the canal,
    And the other side of panama is next to Colombia,
    Which is next to Brazil, who is millimetres from Argentina,

    Does this mean that in theory the UK can now claim Argentina threw proximity.
    ????lol

    Still
    It was only approximately lol.

    .have a laugh.

    Mar 06th, 2013 - 10:37 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Joe Bloggs

    8 Musky
    So what you're saying is that, well, surely, that must mean....

    Cristina, is God. Dios mio!

    Mar 06th, 2013 - 10:45 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Escoses Doido

    The Chinese I would bet.
    Those hanimyoools were probably food for the chinese mariners.

    Darwin was confused, because he had no inkling as to what we are now discovering today about anchient China .

    Mar 06th, 2013 - 11:09 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • bloporta

    are you all from the islands? I see how you waste the time over there.....poor isolated people.....I reckon have more contact with mainland otherwise your brain are getting reduced....

    Mar 06th, 2013 - 11:09 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • briton

    the only isolated nation is Argentina,

    Very jealous and envious of the Falklands people,

    So why would they have an interest in CFK .

    Mar 06th, 2013 - 11:44 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Escoses Doido

    “The canine presence in the Falklands puzzled Darwin who also forecasted their extinction”

    As he loaded another round. LOL.

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 07:54 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • lsolde

    @3 Think,
    ls that a real animal or are you making a joke?
    lf real then its got long legs.
    And is very fox looking.

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 09:27 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Clyde15

    #12
    A good idea. More interaction with Chile would benefit both peoples.
    If you are from Argentina then your words speak volumes.
    Nobody on the islands would want to adulterate their IQ with numpties like you !

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 09:46 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Britishbulldog

    9 briton---- I am not laughing, seeing that the Falklands was once joined to what is now Argentina we have a very good claim on Argentina seeing that we were there first. So I am writing to the UN claiming that Argentina should now revert to the UK. I am not laughing I am rubbing my hands and grinning like a Cheshire cat at the trouble we can course.

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 10:20 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Think

    (15) Isolde, dahling.....

    No joke…
    Nice beast, huhhh?
    Non photogenic at all….
    Unless, your name is Sean Crane…
    http://seancrane.com/?s=maned+wolf

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 10:20 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Benson

    @12 We have plenty of contact with the mainland, just not Argentina. Chile and Uruguay are far more welcoming.

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 10:34 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Condorito

    @Think / Redpoll

    Thanks for that. I am delighted Mercopress rumors about the death of the Maned Wolf have been somewhat exaggerated.

    The Ibera wetlands are still on my list of places to visit.

    @Isolde
    It is a foxy looking beast - the “wolf” part of its name is deceptive.

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 12:01 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Conqueror

    @20 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maned_wolf

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 12:15 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Rufus

    @9 Briton

    I always prefer to use the example that the UK is closer to Norway than the Falkland Islands are to Argentina.

    All hail our new Norwegian Overlords and their palpitation inducing coffee consumption (just short of 10kg per person per year - the second highest in the world).

    Or for Americans, the distance between the Falkland Islands and Argentina is more than the distance between the Capitol Building and the Canadian border.

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 12:22 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • lsolde

    @ 18 Think,
    @ 20 Condorito,
    @ 21 Conqueror,
    Thank you Gentlemen for that information.

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 12:28 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Escoses Doido

    Beautiful animals those Maned wolf's. Didn't realize they are found so close to my home.
    Have to get my camera out, and go looking for one.

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 12:57 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Huntsman Extraordinaire

    24)

    You think thats a beautiful animal; check this one out!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_rabbit

    *Snaps break barrel shut* ;-)

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 01:01 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Escoses Doido

    @25;
    Chortle........I own a CBC 12 guage pump. Different noise, but I'll take it with me.

    I'll get better close-up shots if it can't walk proberly anymore.

    Think I'll go for a spin around Belo Horizonte..............

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 01:09 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • GFace

    What? No anti evolutionists on this thread like they've popped in on others?

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 01:09 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Think

    (20) Condorito

    The Argentinean Esteros del Iberá are ok, but.............

    You being a “jard uorquin shileno” with four kids to feed, I would say that the Brazilian Pantanal or, even better, my personal favourite, the Bolivian Noel Kempff National Park will give you much more for your money.....

    Don't thank me....
    Así somos los Argentinos ;-)

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 01:13 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Escoses Doido

    You mean 'Creationists'? they have a very similar mind-set to another group of people who refuse to face facts.

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 01:14 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • briton

    thanks for the replys mates.

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 02:19 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • GeoffWard2

    Common names are confusing ..
    in Belize, their howler monkey is known as a baboon!
    New World, Old World .. what the hell!

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 03:57 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Condorito

    Think:
    I will bear that in mind, but I still want to drive all the way up to Iguazu via the Ibera wetlands. Bolivia is not the best place to drive with “shilean” plates.

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 04:02 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • redpoll

    Think at least sometimes we can exchange views without slinging mud at each other! I think the Falklands wolf is commemorated in the name of the Warrah river on West Falkland, a corruption of Aguara guazu
    The swamp deer (Blostocerus dichotomus) I think was last seen in ROU in 1974 when the then Intendente of Cerro Largo organized a competition during Easter Week to see who could bring in the rarest trophy. It made me squirm at that time and it still does. I think there is still a relict population up in Paraguay. The jaguar , common in Darwins day in the environs of Montevideo I think is extict in ROU. There are rumours of puma sightings but I think they are on thier way to extinction also here
    Whats is the situation down your way? The Huemul, the Patagonian hare and the guanaco?
    I am sure you read the South Georgia newsletters. I am all in favour of the rat elimination programme but am in two minds about the extinction programme for the reindeer. Whats your opinion?

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 04:09 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • GFace

    @14, wasn't there the Phil and Arthur Lock Ness episode featuring the “Coelacanth, which was thought to be extinct until one was caught in 19xx. Then it really WAS extinct!”

    @29, I've commented here about “new world creationists” (which are real) here and how that mindset factors in on the FI dispute before but none of them are here in this thread thankfully.

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 04:23 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Conqueror

    @33 Didn't you read this? http://en.mercopress.com/2012/06/13/south-georgia-plans-removal-of-reindeer-herds-with-norwegian-advisors Including all the uneducated argie comments! Take especial note of the comments at #22 by that well-known and respected (insane) nutjob, José Malvinero! I believe he prompted the phrase “No way, José.”

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 05:05 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Steve-33-uk

    Some decent stories today, well worth a read...

    'Falklands: recently a referendum seduces immigrants'
    http://www.clarin.com/politica/Malvinas-referendum-seduce-inmigrantes_0_878312214.html

    'Falkland, a wrong symbol'
    http://www.clarin.com/politica/Malvinas-referendum-seduce-inmigrantes_0_878312214.html

    'Malvinas: seek to curb the impact of the referendum'
    http://www.clarin.com/politica/Malvinas-referendum-seduce-inmigrantes_0_878312214.html

    'The islanders are moving in the global campaign to disseminate the query'
    http://www.clarin.com/politica/Malvinas-referendum-seduce-inmigrantes_0_878312214.html

    'Falklands referendum: The view from the island'
    http://www.clarin.com/politica/Malvinas-referendum-seduce-inmigrantes_0_878312214.html

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 06:04 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Think

    (33) redpoll

    I'm happy to say that the situation down here is the best in all the years I have known Patagonia........
    The demise of the wool industry, the depopulation of huge areas of steppe and a general change in peoples mentality have reduced the pressure on wildlife dramaticallly...

    Pumas, gatos monteses, colocolos, huemules, guanacos, condores, ñandúes, cauquenes, halcones, maras, zorros, zorrinos ...... you name it, they are all back in force....
    We even had a couple of positive sightings of gato andino (Leopardus jacobitus) in southern Chubut......

    The rat elimination programme in las Georgias del Sur is a brilliant idea.
    The Reindeer extermination much less so........
    A political stunt in my opinion...
    http://en.mercopress.com/2011/09/09/falklands-government-names-public-relations-and-media-manager#comment63558

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 06:29 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Gustbury

    The wolf was replaced by other deadly predators: the British usurpers Islanders! :o

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 06:30 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Escoses Doido

    @34 Gface:
    Are they the same as what are termed 'Young Earth Creationists'?

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 07:32 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • lsolde

    @38,
    They're coming to get you, Gusters,old bean.

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 07:39 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • briton

    The wolf was replaced by other deadly predators
    yep
    argie,
    and they were kicked off,
    now the deadly predaters inhabit the land called argentina,

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 07:58 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Escoses Doido

    @38Gustbury:
    Hey Gustbury, where do you come from?
    Aare you an Argentinian?

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 07:59 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • redpoll

    @37 Think, I am glad to hear something is going well in your neck of the woods (no political innuendo intended). Up here apart from a few small successes its a bit of a losing battle. I cant remember when I last saw a carpincho (capybara) on my river
    The fauna laws here are strict but the damn judges wont enforce them
    Confiscation of vehicles boats nets and prison as well for the offenders
    Some years ago our fauna commision caught a gang of Brazilien poachers with 1.700 kgs of tararira in a portable freezer as well as 4.000 empty cartdriges returning to Brazil to be reloaded. We didnt manage to catch thier light aircraft which took the dead partridges three times a week to Porto Alegre. And what did the local jueza de paz do? Released thier vehicles, boats and trasmallos etc and EVEN GAVE THEM THIER F**CKING FISH BACK!
    Very real death threats against all of us on the Fauna commision and some of couldnt take that

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 08:10 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • slattzzz

    @37 I'm happy to say that the situation down here is the best in all the years I have known Patagonia........Think do one you don't even live there so cut the down here crap

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 08:34 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Think

    (43) redpoll

    We all have problems.....

    You have a gang of ruthless Brazilian poachers flying in with their light aircrafts and guns threathening your life...

    I have Chère Petite Squatterette Pom Mom of four snotty kids Isolde (154 cm, not much higher than an Aguará Guazú) threathening mine ;-)

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 10:07 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • redpoll

    @45 S
    STOP TRYING TO MAKE CHEAP POLITICAL POINTS THINK

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 10:21 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Think

    (46) redpoll

    Them political points ain't cheap!
    They are gratis ;-)

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 10:33 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • GFace

    [@33, I have had to whack these moles a lot so sorry for the lecture... YECs are whacked, reject “macro”evolution, think the world that is less than 10K years old. BUT those that follow Abrahamic myth not only accept, albeit by religious doctrine, a common human ancestry in the old world but also a mitochondria Eve (uh, Eve), a later y-chromosonal Adam (Noah) and human population bottlenecks that have resulted in our current diversity (Flood mythology, but they're Flood Geology is friggin hilarious). In contrast NWCs reject the both the Berengial migration and the all the established science that goes with it due to the false implication that if American First Nations people are less “indigenous” than more recent old-world immigrants then Wounded Knee, the Conquest of the Desert and all the rest are A-OK. Plus they're opposed to any research in “genography” for obvious reasons. Even the Kennewick discovery gave some of them fits. They rely in their traditional creation mythology but NWC's however are treated with kid gloves in contrast to YECs. That FN folk were sufficiently geographically isolated for millennia is lost on them. Given that a certain troll rejects that he and his countrymen are in no way shape or form “european”... well... ]

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 10:37 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • redpoll

    Oh dear Think I thought you had some intilligence to dicuss matters of mutual interest, but I see you are just a hoarse whisperer

    Mar 07th, 2013 - 11:29 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Think

    (49) redpoll

    Thats a bit rich coming from the man that, some months ago, told the world that the Argentinean Atucha Nuclear Power Plant is ”out of operation” and on the brink of ”melting down”…….

    Anyhow......, 1700 kgs of Hoplias malabaricus!
    Where the heck is that arroyo?
    May I borrow a tramayo?

    Never mind… I can get a cheap chinese one at El Chuy ;-)

    Mar 08th, 2013 - 06:17 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • GeoffWard2

    #50. Not a trammel, surely. Simple monofilament mesh, but a DC electro-unit stirs them up.

    Mar 08th, 2013 - 08:47 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • lsolde

    @45Think,
    Don't look at it as a threat, cher Think, just some friendly advice.
    (and we ARE friends, aren't we dahling?).
    lf you stay in your stolen Patagonia or Sweden or where ever it is that you're hiding.
    Or even come here as a quiet civilian tourist, not causing any trouble or breaking our laws, then l have no problem with you.
    lts only when you come here as an invader that the fun begins.
    Then you can expect a hot reception.
    So the choice is up to you, dear Thinkus, dahling.
    l wouldn't worry your pretty head about 154cm, but you should give consideration to 7.62mm.
    Just a bit more friendly advice.
    And thats what friends are for. Ja?

    Mar 08th, 2013 - 09:08 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Think

    (51) GeoffWard2

    You say....:
    “ a DC electro-unit stirs them up.”

    I say...:
    You ol' English poacher, you!
    Behave or it is the doghouse for you....

    Mar 08th, 2013 - 09:48 am - Link - Report abuse 0

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