Alpine Kangaroo Found in United States!

 

Important:  This was a post for April Fools 2016

How little we understand our planet!  If you haven’t heard the news, a previously unknown species of kangaroo was discovered living in the United States!  I put a link to the New York Times article chronicling the discovery, below.

The discovery has amazed wildlife biologists, who call it “the most exciting discovery of the year.”  The scientists are protecting the location of the troop.  But they confirm that the kangaroos live in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, north of Lake Tahoe.

Humans have inhabited California for more than 12,000 years.  So it boggles my mind that they were completely unknown to people, even as rumor. 

 

Discovered By Lost Hiker

The location sounds very remote.  The Tahoe National Forest spans more than 850,000 acres of public land interspersed with 350,000 acres of private land.  The discovery happened through an incredible set of circumstances.

A day hiker became lost and spent three days wandering deeper into the forest by mistake.  Fortunately, he carried warm clothing, the means to make fire, and an emergency tarp and rope.  He melted snow and rationed his remaining hiking snacks.  The hiker was reported missing by his family after 24 hours, when he failed to appear at a group dinner.  When found, he had stumbled more than 20 miles from the trailhead and was mildly hypothermic.  Authorities are not releasing his name to help protect the location of the kangaroos.

 

It’s All in Pictures

When found, the hiker claimed he saw kangaroos hopping across snow-covered ground.  Search and Rescue (SAR) personnel confess that they didn’t believe him at first.  But at his insistence, they examined pictures on his digital camera.  To their amazement, they saw kangaroos.

The only picture the scientists released is at the top of this article.

 

Macropodidae alpines

The new species is christened the “alpine kangaroo” (Macropodidae alpines).  Scientists know little about them except that they appear to be smaller, like wallabies.  I’m certain more information will emerge when they publish their paper, later this month.

 

What it Means to Us

The idea of seeing wild kangaroos in the United States is exciting!  Although inaccessible, I can imagine multi-day backpack trips to see wild kangaroos.  But I can also see them protected from human contact as a rare or endangered species.  We will see…

 

The Big Takeaway

We are currently living in a period of mass extinctions.  Scientists believe human activity is to blame (habitat loss, predation, and climate change).  Yet science discovered 18,000 new species in 2015.  It shows how little we understand the world around us. 

How many unknown species are we destroying at this moment?  Perhaps we should make conservation a priority so we can protect both the known and unknown species that share our planet with us.

 

Here is the New York Times Article:

 

Alpine Kangaroo Discovered in United States

 

What are your thoughts on this astounding discovery?  Leave a comment below.

 

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