why cant we just fucking leave things in peace

shychemist:

sm0kedg0uda:

libutron:

The Endangered Banggai Cardinalfish: A “Lazarus species”

As many other species, the Banggai Cardinalfish is generically called a “Lazarus species” because it was thought to be extinct until found again.

Pterapogon kauderni (Perciformes – Apogonidae) is a marine fish with an extreme small geographic range in the Indonesian Banggai Archipelago. It was described in 1933, forgotten for some 60 years, and rediscovered in 1991.

Almost overnight it became very popular in the international aquarium pet trade such that a decade after its rediscovery 118,000 wild-caught individuals entered the trade each month, a level that was deemed totally unsustainable, and in its latest IUCN threat assessment in 2007 it met the criteria to be listed as Endangered.

Hence, some authors and conservationists think there may be good reasons to keep rediscoveries quiet, arguing that publicizing the rediscovery of Lazarus species or populations can undermine conservation efforts, especially when the species is highly valued by collectors.

Reference: [1]

Photo credit: ©Erik Schlogl | Locality: off Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

At my work these fish actually thrive well in their tanks. It’s rare to see one dead.

That’s not the issue here. Its the mass removal of the species from the wild that is making it an endangered species. They might thrive outside of their environment, but unless they’re returned to their habitat they’ll still be endangered in the wild.