(NLDO) - Genetic studies involving strange orange crocodiles suggest they may be mutating into a new species.
According to Live Science, the potential new species lives inside the Abanda cave system, Ogooue-Maritime province, Gabon, a Central African country.
These are crocodiles that according to current classification belong to the dwarf crocodile species Osteolaemus tetraspis. But the dwarf crocodiles in Abanda are very different from individuals of the same species elsewhere.
An orange dwarf crocodile in a cave in Gabon may be mutating into a new species, with a different appearance than the dwarf crocodile in the forest placed next to it - Photo: Olivier Testa
In Abanda, dwarf crocodiles live in complete darkness, eat bats and swim in waters filled with bat guano, and have mysterious orange skin.
It is not known how many crocodiles live in this cave system, or when they began this underground lifestyle, but they may have been down there for thousands of years.
A 2016 study found differences between cave-dwelling and forest-dwelling crocodiles, including different diets and health conditions.
They believe that cave crocodiles lay their eggs at the entrance of their caves, then the young crocodiles venture into the darkness. Once adults, they rarely leave their caves.
A study by conservation biologist Matthew Shirley from Florida International University (USA) shows that the unusual orange skin of adult cave crocodiles may be the result of long periods of swimming in water containing bat guano, which is rich in urea.
Over time, this exposure appears to cause the crocodile skin to undergo a process similar to chemical bleaching.
Genetic analysis of this group of crocodiles revealed the most important thing: They were mutating. Specifically, a group of DNA variants found in the cave-dwelling dwarf crocodiles were unlike those found in the forest.
"The Abanda cave crocodiles stand out as a genetically isolated group," researcher Richard Oslisly, from the Institute of Development Research (France), told The Guardian.
So they think the centuries of isolation in the caves have allowed this group of crocodiles to gradually evolve into a new species. However, when they can actually be classified as a new species is still a matter of monitoring and further research.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/mot-sinh-vat-o-chau-phi-dang-dot-bien-thanh-loai-moi-196250106095946326.htm
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