Archive 2006
Humpback whale duvulges secrets (April 2006)
March 5th, a humpback whale stranded on the beach of Lombardsijde, near Nieuwpoort. The Museum's North Sea department coordinated the examination of the body, and was able to reveal the cause of death.
New lizard genus discovered in Guyana (February 2006)
Philippe Kok, herpetologist with our Vertebrates Department, recently discovered an unknown lizard species in the Kaieteur National Park, Guyana (South-America). This undescribed species belongs in fact to a new genus that Philippe recently described. The discovery of a new lizard species is not exceptional, but the discovery of a new lizard genus is quite remarkable. Since 1900, this is only the third new lizard genus to be discovered on the Guiana Shield.
On the following pages, Philippe Kok answers the most frequently asked questions about this new genus. You’ll find more about the context of the discovery on our ‘Expedition’ pages.
Number of stranded porpoises doubled (February 2006)
Our North Sea department coordinates the research of sea birds and sea mammals that end up on our Belgian beaches. Examining carcasses can reveal the problems facing these groups of animals. Research shows the number of stranded porpoises has doubled in 2005 in comparison to one year earlier. Never before has this number of stranded porpoises been reported.
Archive : 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003