Endangered… twinsies?!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
We only know a SMALL fraction of Earth’s species. This is partly due to cryptic species, organisms that look identical, but are genetically different! Are we overlooking vulnerable creatures, hiding in plain sight?
Enter Takema Saitoh and team from the Yamashina institute.
They zeroed in on the Ijima leaf warblers – a rare songbird – and studied two populations living on islands SIX-HUNDRED miles apart.
From blood samples, they sequenced DNA and compared the birds’ entire genomes.
And? The birds actually diverged millions of years ago! And the new species, Tokara leaf warblers, appear to be at risk.
So keep looking for doppelgangers, and stay out of DOUBLE TROUBLE!
Reference: Saitoh, T. et al. Discovering and protecting cryptic biodiversity: A case study of a previously undescribed, vulnerable bird species in Japan. PNAS Nexus 5, pgag037 (2026).