Có hai giống voi khác nhau ở Châu Phi

Giống voi (bush elephant) Châu Phi

Một nhóm khoa học gia vừa ấn hành báo cáo cho biết có hai giống voi khác nhau ở Châu Phi. Theo báo cáo, hai giống voi này khác biệt nhau hơn ba triệu năm và giống I nặng gần gấp đôi giống II.

Nghe Nghe toàn bài

The notion that there are two species of African elephant first emerged about a decade ago. The animals are very different in size; the savannah or bush elephants stand about a metre taller, and weigh twice as much as their forest-dwelling cousins. But whether this means they are truly different species hasn't been clear.

Now a team of researchers from the UK, Germany and the US, say they've resolved the issue. Writing in the journal Public Library of Science Biology, they say their analysis proves the existence of two distinct species. This has been a hotly-disputed question and it's entirely possible that other researchers will challenge the claim.

If it is confirmed, there may be important implications for conservation. Forest elephants are mainly found in Central and Western Africa, the areas where poaching and ivory smuggling are most serious. There, populations are declining. Further south, in the domain of the savannah elephants, the animals are thriving. Conservationists say proving the species split could help concentrate attention where it's most needed, on nations that have done little to crack down on poachers and smugglers.

Richard Black, BBC News tường thuật.

Nghe Nghe từ vựng

notion
khái niệm, ý nghĩ

savannah
xavan, đồng cỏ, thảo nguyên

resolved
giải quyết, xử lý (một vấn đề)

hotly-disputed
tranh cãi gay gắt

conservation
bảo tồn

poaching
săn bắn trái phép

smuggling
buôn lậu

domain
môi trường sống

concentrate attention
tập trung tư tưởng vào

to crack down
ngăn chặn, phòng chống

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