Published 11:59 IST, February 5th 2020
Rare species of pink slugs survived bushfires in Australia, see pic
A rare kind of species, fluorescent pink slugs have survived the Australian bushfires that has ravaged through much of its habitat on a mountaintop in NSW.
A rare kind of species, fluorescent pink slugs have survived the Australian bushfires which live on the slopes of an isolated and inactive volcano, Mount Kaputar. They derive their name from the name of the volcano. Recently, around 60 of the brightly coloured slugs were identified by NSW Parks and Wildlife Service rangers after Mount Kaputar national park received rainfall, according to the reports. The official Facebook page of NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service shared a picture of the slug and informed followers about their survival.
The Mount Kaputar slug measures up to 20 centimetres. These slugs are not found anywhere else in the country and are only present on the slopes of Mount Kaputar. When the volcano exploded nearly 17 million years ago, the slugs remained isolated on the mountaintop for millions of years.
Bushfires claim 33 lives
The Australian bushfires have been making headlines and have gained worldwide concern for nearly three months. It has reportedly claimed 33 lives, devastated thousands of homes and destroyed more than 5 million hectares of land. Over one billion animals have died from the bushfires that started due to intense heatwaves. The Australian government has raised funds to protect its wildlife from ravaging bushfires.
Australia gripped by ravaging bushfire
Australia has been gripped by ravaging bushfire since September last year and the damage has been so dreadful that it is being dubbed as the worst in recorded history. Properties, people and wildlife are the worst sufferers in the ongoing bushfire down under. In a recent piece of news coming in from Australia, an estimated 37,000 koalas have been killed in the wildfires so far. According to Steven Selwood of South Australia Veterinary Emergency Management, there are only 9,000 koalas that remain out of the 46,000 that were thought to be on the island before this year's bushfire.
Updated 11:59 IST, February 5th 2020