Herpetology curator: behind-the-scenes of 'new species' discoveries
20.05.12
Bryan Stuart’s mission as a curator of amphibians and reptiles at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is to understand the diversity of life on earth. For that, he documents what species occur where and why. He’s particularly attracted to areas where there’s a dearth of knowledge, like Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Gabon, and so far has discovered 27 species unknown previously to scientists: three species of snakes, two types of salamanders, and 22 kinds of frogs.
Scientists don’t always have to go far to find new species. In 2010, a new species of pygmy salamander from North Carolina was discovered that had previously been thought to be part of a single species. Using DNA technology and closer examination of its external appearance, scientists at the museum found that populations on either side of the French Broad River were actually two separate species. Similarly, Stuart’s colleagues have uncovered examples of species of amphibians and reptiles previously
Source: Mongabay.com