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United States
SARS-Cov-2 in Animals
According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), SARS-Cov-2 that causes COVID-19 in humans is an emerging disease in animals. This map by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows the cases of SARS-CoV-2 in animals across the country as of the end of 2020. Earlier this week, several gorillas from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park tested positive for the virus, marking the first confirmed cases of SARS-Cov-2 in great apes. According to The Guardian, large cats have been the most common animal to get infected in zoos. In April, four tigers and three lions at the Bronx Zoo in New York tested positive for the virus. Last month, a snow leopard at the Louisville zoo in Kentucky tested positive as well. Research is underway to understand SARS-Cov-2 in animals, and currently based on the limited information available, the CDC stated that the risk of animals spreading COVID-19 to people is low, however healthy habits and maintaining good hygiene should be practiced around pets and animals.
This map depicts the number of animals with reported cases of SARS-Cov-2 through the end of 2020. Click on the map to learn more.
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Bangladesh
Rohingya Refugee Camp Fire
On Thursday, a huge fire swept through a Rohingya refugee camp in southern Bangladesh destroying hundreds of homes. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the fire broke out around 2:00 am local time in the Nayapara camp in Cox’s Bazar district, where more than 1 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar are staying. No casualties were reported but officials stated an estimated 550 homes sheltering about 3,500 people, as well as 150 shops, were either totally or partially destroyed in the blaze. Currently, there has been no decision on whether the shelters would be rebuilt or if the refugees were to be moved elsewhere, such as to the controversial Bhasan Char, a flood-prone island in the Bay of Bengal in which several thousand Rohingya had been moved to in recent weeks, despite protests from human rights groups. More than a million Rohingya live in the mainland camps in southern Bangladesh, the vast majority having fled Myanmar in 2017 following a military-led crackdown the United Nations says was executed with genocidal intent.
This map depicts the Rohingya refugee sites in Bangladesh. Click on the map to expand.
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Graphic Source: BBC News
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United States
Dire Wolf DNA at La Brea Tar Pits
Common throughout North America over 13,000 years ago, remains of the now extinct dire wolves are being excavated from California’s La Brea Tar Pits. The DNA being examined by experts from Durham University revealed a possible cause why the species went extinct. It was previously thought that dire wolves were closely related to today’s grey wolves. Although they are distant relatives, the two species are not as closely related as scientists thought. The findings from the La Brea Tar Pits showed that dire wolves split off from other wolves nearly six million years ago. The unearthing of the dire wolves suggests they are unlike many other species of canid. While other canids migrated between North America and Eurasia, the dire wolves were restricted to the continent of North America for millions of years. Even though dire wolves lived alongside coyotes and grey wolves for over 10,000 years, there is no evidence to support any interbreeding between dire wolves and other canids. The researchers suggest the deep evolutionary differences likely meant that dire wolves were unable to adapt to the changes at the end of the Ice Age.
This map depicts the habitat range of different species of canines throughout the world. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Covering over 56,000 square miles (145,500 square km) and estimated to hold 30 tons of carbon, the world’s largest tropical peatland complex spans which two countries?
A: Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo
The Cuvette Centrale peatland complex first discovered in 2012, extends across the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo, covering an area larger than England. The peatland complex covers only 4% of the whole Congo Basin but stores the same amount of carbon below ground (approximately 30 billion tons) as that stored above ground in the trees covering the other 96% of the basin. Researchers estimate the area stores the equivalent of nearly 30% of the world’s tropical peatland carbon.
Source
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Q: Spanning nearly 320,000 square miles (830,000 sq km) and with a population of only 2.1 million, which country has the lowest population density in Africa?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in Tuesday’s DailyGeo.
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