Nature Atlas
Things this atlas does not know. Each entry is a question that specialists
have posed and not settled, recorded with what would actually resolve it and which
expertise the answer needs.
These are kept deliberately, rather than quietly omitted. An atlas that shows
only what it is sure of implies a confidence it has not earned, and the gaps are often where
the interesting work is. Several sit exactly where two fields fail to meet: identifying the
hyssop of the Hebrew Bible needs a botanist and a philologist of Biblical Hebrew, and neither
one settles it alone.
Grouped by the field an answer needs. A question sitting between two disciplines appears under both, which is why the group counts add up to more than the number of questions.
Showing 41 to 50 of 50 open questions, page 3 of 3.
Not Yet Classified 50
Flying Fox
How many flying foxes exist worldwide?
Open Flying Fox
Why It Is Open The genus Pteropus contains at least 60 species across South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, East Africa and Indian and Pacific island groups; single roosts of up to 100,000 individuals are recorded for some species, but no survey aggregates a total population across the whole genus.
What Would Settle It A coordinated genus-wide census combining the separate national and island surveys already conducted for individual Pteropus species.
Expertise Needed Chiropterology and conservation biology
Question posed in
Pteropus (Wikipedia).
Spider Monkey
How many spider monkeys exist in the wild?
Open Spider Monkey
Why It Is Open All seven Ateles species are assessed as threatened, but published figures cover only individual species and local populations; no total wild population figure spanning the whole genus has been assembled.
What Would Settle It Range-wide population surveys for each of the seven Ateles species, combined into a single genus total.
Expertise Needed Primatology and conservation biology
Question posed in
Spider Monkey (Wikipedia).
Capuchin Monkey
How many capuchin monkeys exist in the wild?
Open Capuchin Monkey
Why It Is Open Capuchin monkey taxonomy across Cebus and Sapajus remains disputed, and most population data are local abundance studies rather than range-wide counts, so no reliable total population figure exists for the group.
What Would Settle It A settled species-level taxonomy for Cebinae paired with range-wide surveys for each recognized species.
Expertise Needed Primatology and conservation biology
Question posed in
Capuchin Monkey (Wikipedia).
Termite
How many termites exist worldwide?
Open Termite
Why It Is Open Termite abundance is usually measured as a share of insect biomass rather than a raw individual count, and biomass estimates vary sharply by region, so no reliable global population figure exists across the nearly 3,000 described species.
What Would Settle It Standardized biomass and colony-density surveys across representative habitats worldwide, converted to a defensible global population estimate.
Expertise Needed Entomology and ecology
Question posed in
Termite (Wikipedia).
Moray Eel
How many moray eels exist worldwide?
Open Moray Eel
Why It Is Open Moray eels are cryptic reef and crevice dwellers across roughly 200 species, and most population data are local reef-survey counts rather than range-wide totals, so no global population figure exists for the family.
What Would Settle It Systematic reef and habitat surveys across the family full range, aggregated by species.
Expertise Needed Ichthyology and marine ecology
Question posed in
Moray Eel (Wikipedia).
Poison Dart Frog
How many poison dart frogs exist in the wild?
Open Poison Dart Frog
Why It Is Open Population studies exist for individual Dendrobatidae species at specific field sites, but chytrid fungus disease and habitat loss are changing numbers unevenly across roughly 200 species, so no reliable total population figure has been assembled for the family.
What Would Settle It Coordinated field surveys across the family range tracking chytrid impact and habitat loss by species.
Expertise Needed Herpetology and conservation biology
Question posed in
Poison Dart Frog (Wikipedia).
Aardwolf
What is the wild population size of the aardwolf?
Open Aardwolf
Why It Is Open The cited Wikipedia source gives only a maximum density figure (no more than one individual per square kilometer where food is abundant), not a total population count or range-wide estimate.
What Would Settle It A range-wide population survey or IUCN Red List assessment stating a total number or a defensible estimate range for wild aardwolf numbers.
Expertise Needed Wildlife population ecology
Question posed in
Aardwolf (Wikipedia), Conservation section.
Agile Gibbon
What is the wild population size of the agile gibbon?
Open Agile Gibbon
Why It Is Open The cited Wikipedia source states the species is endangered due to habitat loss and the pet trade but gives no population count or estimate range anywhere in the article.
What Would Settle It An IUCN Red List assessment or field census stating a total or estimated range-wide population figure for the agile gibbon.
Expertise Needed Primatology / wildlife population ecology
Question posed in
Agile Gibbon (Wikipedia), Lead section.
Muskrat
What is the muskrat's total global population, as a number?
Open Muskrat
Why It Is Open Wikipedia states the muskrat population has declined by at least one-half in 34 US states but gives no total global count or range anywhere in the article, only this regional decline figure.
What Would Settle It A coordinated global or continent-wide muskrat census or standing estimate from a wildlife authority such as IUCN or a national fish and wildlife agency.
Expertise Needed wildlife population ecology
Question posed in
Muskrat (Wikipedia), Range and conservation status section.
Sun Bear
What is the sun bear's total global population, as a number?
Open Sun Bear
Why It Is Open Wikipedia states the global sun bear population has declined by an estimated 35 percent since the 1990s but gives no absolute total count or range anywhere in the article, only this percentage decline and local density figures.
What Would Settle It A coordinated range-wide sun bear population estimate from the IUCN Bear Specialist Group or a national wildlife authority across its Southeast Asian range.
Expertise Needed wildlife population ecology
Question posed in
Sun Bear (Wikipedia), Conservation status section, population decline estimate.