The birth of these two little skunks, from a cloned mother at the end of the 1980s, gives new hope for this greatly endangered species.
A historic birth
For the first time, two little black-footed ferrets have been born to an endangered cloned animal. The mother is a skunk named Antonia, a real star when she was cloned from an old tissue sample, and is one of three black-footed ferret clones still alive today.
These babies were born at the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) in Front Royal, Virginia. An arrival that delights the research team, like Paul Marinari, senior curator at the Smithsonian's NZCBI, who explains that “the successful reproduction and birth of Antonia's young mark a major milestone in the conservation of species in disappearing”.
Baby skunks born to cloned mother in late 1980s
Antonia was created, along with her two other sisters, from the frozen cells of a deceased individual named Willa in 1988. Her genetic material was preserved thanks to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's Frozen Zoo. A primordial preservation because its DNA contains three times more genetic variations than those found in modern black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes).
Today, all black-footed ferrets, except clones like Antonia and her babies, are descended from the last seven known wild ferrets. This limited genetic diversity poses significant risks, making the population very vulnerable to disease and less adaptable to environmental changes.
A reason for hope for this highly endangered species
These animals, also known as American polecats, are among the most endangered mammals in the United States. Their numbers declined significantly in the 20th century, primarily due to habitat loss, forest plague, and a sharp decline in their primary food source, prairie dogs, a species of rodent.
The FWS explained the potential impact of these cloning efforts on the mustelid population. “The introduction of new, currently unrepresented genetic material can provide a significant boost to the genetics of the current black-footed ferret population. »
Environmentalists therefore hope that this advance will give this species the resilience it needs to survive and grow.
source: Interestingengineering/IFLScience
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