THE CanSeq 150 INITIATIVE
Essentially research scientists – geneticists – are undertaking to study 150 wildlife species in Canada. Geneticists, as it turns out, are a competitive group. When an American Academic group crowd funded an effort to genetically sequence their University beaver mascot the Canadians became inspired to take up the challenge in celebration of our sesquicentennial; hence the CanSeq 150.
According to Dr. Si Lok of Sick Kids Hospital, the lead researcher, this project was motivated by a nation’s curiosity and pride in the animal that has most shaped its history. The beaver was the economic engine, valued for its fur and castoreum, that drove colonial expansion which lead to the foundation of Canada.
Canada’s first postage stamp, the “Three-Penny Beaver”, issued in 1851 (see accompanying photo), is the world’s first stamp not to feature a monarch, in this case the Queen or the royal shield. FYI the stamp was designed by Postmaster General James Morris, assisted by Sir Sandford Fleming, famed Scottish-Canadian engineer, proponent of the worldwide standard time zone and inventor.
Symbolically, the beaver personifies Canadians as self-reliant, hardworking, peaceful but ready to meet challenges posed in difficult times. Once near extinction – for interesting insight read the many books about Grey Owl (Archie Belaney) – it is now a symbol for conservation. In 1975 the beaver received Royal assent as the symbol for Canadian sovereignty.
The list of 150 animals being earmarked for the genome project include the: Northern Flying squirrel, Northern fur seal and Canada jay, to name but a few.
Long-time readers may recall Dan Strickland, Algonquin Provincial Park’s eternal naturalist, now retired. Dan has studied the Canada Jay “forever” and was somewhat irritated that in the 1950’s the American Ornithologist Union (now called the American Ornithological Society) inexplicably changed the name to Gray Jay. For reference, the bird was named after Canada in 1766. You may know it as the Whisky Jack or Grey (Canadian spelling) Jay.
Dr. Lok told me that Dan’s petition to restore the Canada Jay name has been successful with an official announcement slated for this month (July). He revealed this to me in early June as, to mix metaphors, “the cat was out of the bag.” Someone had leaked this to As It Happens.
Strickland hopes to make another run at having the Canada Jay declared Canada’s national bird.
In addition to the aforementioned species CanSeq 150 is researching the Canada Lynx and Snowshoe hare. “Scientifically, the lynx is also one of the small number of animal species named after Canada by Robert Kerr in 1792.” One of the two Lynxes being studied is now something of a celebrity at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve; t’other a young female – “Tilbury” – at the Toronto zoo.
The hare is being studied as it is a primary food source for the Lynx.
AND FINALLY…
“At The feast of ego, everyone leaves hungry.” Anon.
Photo- courtesy of the Project. Y.T.