Taken from the NT News and modified for obvious reasons.
THE crocodile war appears to have been won.
Melbourne reptile handler “No name man” wanted to name the Territory's freshwater pygmy crocs as a new species. He dubbed them Oopholis jackyhoserae after his daughter and published the name in his Australasian Journal of Herpetology.
But preliminary DNA tests are showing the stone country crocs - which only grow to 1.2m - are not a new species. They are freshies - Crocodylus johnstoni.
Crocodile researcher Adam Britton took about 20 tissue samples from populations of the tiny crocs around the Bullo River area in 2008 and sent them to a laboratory for DNA testing.
Mr Britton said preliminary results had come back.
"There are some genetic differences," he said. "It's a different sub-population but it's not enough to be classified as a new species or even a sub-species."
But “No name man” was not prepared to admit defeat: "I haven't seen the evidence."
Mr Britton is still waiting for the final test results, but remains adamant.
he he he
THE crocodile war appears to have been won.
Melbourne reptile handler “No name man” wanted to name the Territory's freshwater pygmy crocs as a new species. He dubbed them Oopholis jackyhoserae after his daughter and published the name in his Australasian Journal of Herpetology.
But preliminary DNA tests are showing the stone country crocs - which only grow to 1.2m - are not a new species. They are freshies - Crocodylus johnstoni.
Crocodile researcher Adam Britton took about 20 tissue samples from populations of the tiny crocs around the Bullo River area in 2008 and sent them to a laboratory for DNA testing.
Mr Britton said preliminary results had come back.
"There are some genetic differences," he said. "It's a different sub-population but it's not enough to be classified as a new species or even a sub-species."
But “No name man” was not prepared to admit defeat: "I haven't seen the evidence."
Mr Britton is still waiting for the final test results, but remains adamant.
he he he
