Indonesia Markets Rare Lizard as Tourist Draw
by Sara Schonhardt Komodo National Park, Indonesia, January 24, 2011
Indonesia is promoting the Komodo dragon as a tourism draw, hoping the rare creatures will bring new income and attention to the Komodo National Park where they run wild.
As a gentle breeze rustles tree leaves on Komodo Island, tourists talk in whispers and snap pictures of one of the world's largest lizards. The three-meter-long, 90-kilogram creature lumbers toward the beach while park rangers stand guard with long sticks to ensure it does not turn on a visitor.
Komodo National Park is home to around 2,500 Komodo dragons. Comprising four small islands in eastern Indonesia, the park is the only place where visitors can see today's modern dinosaurs in the wild.
That makes it potentially a prime tourist destination.
But because the park is not as well known as the Indonesian island of Bali, and because the Komodo islands are difficult to get to, tourist numbers have been below expectations.
Of the 7 million foreign tourists who visited Indonesia in 2010, most went to Bali. Only around 45,000 made the trek to Komodo National Park.
This year the Ministry of Tourism expects that figure to grow by 20 percent.
The reason for their optimism is that the park was recently listed among the 28 finalists for the world's new seven natural wonders. People vote for their favorite candidate by global poll, with the winners announced in November.
Among the other finalists are Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Vietnam's Halong Bay, and the Galapagos Islands.
Komodo National Park is already recognized by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as a world heritage site, but officials say being among the seven wonders would draw more attention to Indonesia and more money to the thousands of villagers living in the park.
Esthy Reko Astuty is the director of promotions at the Tourism Ministry.
"It will make that destination more popular, and it will invite more tourists to come to Komodo National Park," says Astuty. "Of course it will also impact the local people since the tourists will not only come to the destination, they will also spend their money for the accommodation and also for the merchandise or souvenir."
Komodo dragons can swim and climb trees and rely on the element of surprise when hunting. They have small but lethal teeth, capable of crunching bones, hooves and hides. They eat almost all of their victims, which include other Komodo dragons. Their acute sense of smell leads them to prey, which they inject with venom that kills slowly.
To stay safe, rangers warn visitors against separating from the group, making too much noise and getting too close to lounging lizards. "Don't run, don't run. She's a female, an aggressive female," warns one ranger.
They also tell cautionary tales about tourists who have not obeyed instructions.
In 1974 a Swiss man disappeared and only his camera bag was found.
Increased publicity alone may not be enough to significantly increase tourism in the country, however. For years Indonesia has failed to draw as many tourists as neighboring Thailand and Malaysia because it lacks vital infrastructure, such as hotels and efficient transportation.
Officials recognize the constraints, but they believe Komodo's white beaches and array of indigenous wildlife make it ripe for more visitors.
But, as in other developing countries with rich natural environments, the government must balance economic need with efforts to protect the fragile Komodo environment.
Andi Kefi, who manages the ecosystem at Komodo National Park, worries that the park is a conservation area where there is already an established community. If the community continues to grow, he says, the Komodo habitat will be damaged.
Andi Kefi, Komodo National Park.
He hopes the regional government works quickly to improve infrastructure in Labuan Bajo, the city closest to Komodo, and provide support to the rangers and forestry police who enforce rules against disturbing the dragons.
The national park system has partnered with the San Diego Zoo in the United States on a Komodo Survivor Program, which tracks and monitors the lizards and takes a hands-off approach to preserving their natural habitat.
All the Komodo dragons receive an ID tag in their right thigh, which records their weight and size.
Rangers periodically trap the lizards and compare the data to records to better understand how the dragons are faring.
Kefi is concerned that food shortages could lead to competition between the lizards and the humans who rely on the park's deer and buffalo.
But villagers on the main islands of Komodo and Rinca say they have learned to live in peace with the lizards, thanks in part to a legend about a dragon princess, which has fostered respect for the creatures.
They also have found ways to earn money by selling Komodo dragon woodcarvings and souvenirs to tourists.
Fisherman Ali Mudar says he sees how the people could benefit from more tourism. During the next 10 years, if new people come to the island, there will continue to be progress, he says.
But for now, he will keep selling fish - always keeping a watchful eye for a Komodo dragon lurking in the distance.
Showing posts with label komodo dragon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label komodo dragon. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Indonesia Markets Rare Lizard as Tourist Draw (Via Herp Digest)
Indonesia Markets Rare Lizard as Tourist Draw
by Sara Schonhardt Komodo National Park, Indonesia, January 24, 2011
Indonesia is promoting the Komodo dragon as a tourism draw, hoping the rare creatures will bring new income and attention to the Komodo National Park where they run wild.
As a gentle breeze rustles tree leaves on Komodo Island, tourists talk in whispers and snap pictures of one of the world's largest lizards. The three-meter-long, 90-kilogram creature lumbers toward the beach while park rangers stand guard with long sticks to ensure it does not turn on a visitor.
Komodo National Park is home to around 2,500 Komodo dragons. Comprising four small islands in eastern Indonesia, the park is the only place where visitors can see today's modern dinosaurs in the wild. That makes it potentially a prime tourist destination.
But because the park is not as well known as the Indonesian island of Bali, and because the Komodo islands are difficult to get to, tourist numbers have been below expectations. Of the 7 million foreign tourists who visited Indonesia in 2010, most went to Bali. Only around 45,000 made the trek to Komodo National Park.
This year the Ministry of Tourism expects that figure to grow by 20 percent. The reason for their optimism is that the park was recently listed among the 28 finalists for the world's new seven natural wonders. People vote for their favorite candidate by global poll, with the winners announced in November.
Among the other finalists are Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Vietnam's Halong Bay, and the Galapagos Islands. Komodo National Park is already recognized by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as a world heritage site, but officials say being among the seven wonders would draw more attention to Indonesia and more money to the thousands of villagers living in the park.
Esthy Reko Astuty is the director of promotions at the Tourism Ministry. "It will make that destination more popular, and it will invite more tourists to come to Komodo National Park," says Astuty. "Of course it will also impact the local people since the tourists will not only come to the destination, they will also spend their money for the accommodation and also for the merchandise or souvenir."
Komodo dragons can swim and climb trees and rely on the element of surprise when hunting. They have small but lethal teeth, capable of crunching bones, hooves and hides. They eat almost all of their victims, which include other Komodo dragons. Their acute sense of smell leads them to prey, which they inject with venom that kills slowly.
To stay safe, rangers warn visitors against separating from the group, making too much noise and getting too close to lounging lizards. "Don't run, don't run. She's a female, an aggressive female," warns one ranger. They also tell cautionary tales about tourists who have not obeyed instructions.
In 1974 a Swiss man disappeared and only his camera bag was found. Increased publicity alone may not be enough to significantly increase tourism in the country, however. For years Indonesia has failed to draw as many tourists as neighboring Thailand and Malaysia because it lacks vital infrastructure, such as hotels and efficient transportation. Officials recognize the constraints, but they believe Komodo's white beaches and array of indigenous wildlife make it ripe for more visitors.
But, as in other developing countries with rich natural environments, the government must balance economic need with efforts to protect the fragile Komodo environment. Andi Kefi, who manages the ecosystem at Komodo National Park, worries that the park is a conservation area where there is already an established community. If the community continues to grow, he says, the Komodo habitat will be damaged.
Andi Kefi, Komodo National Park.
He hopes the regional government works quickly to improve infrastructure in Labuan Bajo, the city closest to Komodo, and provide support to the rangers and forestry police who enforce rules against disturbing the dragons.
The national park system has partnered with the San Diego Zoo in the United States on a Komodo Survivor Program, which tracks and monitors the lizards and takes a hands-off approach to preserving their natural habitat. All the Komodo dragons receive an ID tag in their right thigh, which records their weight and size.
Rangers periodically trap the lizards and compare the data to records to better understand how the dragons are faring. Kefi is concerned that food shortages could lead to competition between the lizards and the humans who rely on the park's deer and buffalo.
But villagers on the main islands of Komodo and Rinca say they have learned to live in peace with the lizards, thanks in part to a legend about a dragon princess, which has fostered respect for the creatures.
They also have found ways to earn money by selling Komodo dragon woodcarvings and souvenirs to tourists.
Fisherman Ali Mudar says he sees how the people could benefit from more tourism. During the next 10 years, if new people come to the island, there will continue to be progress, he says. But for now, he will keep selling fish - always keeping a watchful eye for a Komodo dragon lurking in the distance.
by Sara Schonhardt Komodo National Park, Indonesia, January 24, 2011
Indonesia is promoting the Komodo dragon as a tourism draw, hoping the rare creatures will bring new income and attention to the Komodo National Park where they run wild.
As a gentle breeze rustles tree leaves on Komodo Island, tourists talk in whispers and snap pictures of one of the world's largest lizards. The three-meter-long, 90-kilogram creature lumbers toward the beach while park rangers stand guard with long sticks to ensure it does not turn on a visitor.
Komodo National Park is home to around 2,500 Komodo dragons. Comprising four small islands in eastern Indonesia, the park is the only place where visitors can see today's modern dinosaurs in the wild. That makes it potentially a prime tourist destination.
But because the park is not as well known as the Indonesian island of Bali, and because the Komodo islands are difficult to get to, tourist numbers have been below expectations. Of the 7 million foreign tourists who visited Indonesia in 2010, most went to Bali. Only around 45,000 made the trek to Komodo National Park.
This year the Ministry of Tourism expects that figure to grow by 20 percent. The reason for their optimism is that the park was recently listed among the 28 finalists for the world's new seven natural wonders. People vote for their favorite candidate by global poll, with the winners announced in November.
Among the other finalists are Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Vietnam's Halong Bay, and the Galapagos Islands. Komodo National Park is already recognized by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as a world heritage site, but officials say being among the seven wonders would draw more attention to Indonesia and more money to the thousands of villagers living in the park.
Esthy Reko Astuty is the director of promotions at the Tourism Ministry. "It will make that destination more popular, and it will invite more tourists to come to Komodo National Park," says Astuty. "Of course it will also impact the local people since the tourists will not only come to the destination, they will also spend their money for the accommodation and also for the merchandise or souvenir."
Komodo dragons can swim and climb trees and rely on the element of surprise when hunting. They have small but lethal teeth, capable of crunching bones, hooves and hides. They eat almost all of their victims, which include other Komodo dragons. Their acute sense of smell leads them to prey, which they inject with venom that kills slowly.
To stay safe, rangers warn visitors against separating from the group, making too much noise and getting too close to lounging lizards. "Don't run, don't run. She's a female, an aggressive female," warns one ranger. They also tell cautionary tales about tourists who have not obeyed instructions.
In 1974 a Swiss man disappeared and only his camera bag was found. Increased publicity alone may not be enough to significantly increase tourism in the country, however. For years Indonesia has failed to draw as many tourists as neighboring Thailand and Malaysia because it lacks vital infrastructure, such as hotels and efficient transportation. Officials recognize the constraints, but they believe Komodo's white beaches and array of indigenous wildlife make it ripe for more visitors.
But, as in other developing countries with rich natural environments, the government must balance economic need with efforts to protect the fragile Komodo environment. Andi Kefi, who manages the ecosystem at Komodo National Park, worries that the park is a conservation area where there is already an established community. If the community continues to grow, he says, the Komodo habitat will be damaged.
Andi Kefi, Komodo National Park.
He hopes the regional government works quickly to improve infrastructure in Labuan Bajo, the city closest to Komodo, and provide support to the rangers and forestry police who enforce rules against disturbing the dragons.
The national park system has partnered with the San Diego Zoo in the United States on a Komodo Survivor Program, which tracks and monitors the lizards and takes a hands-off approach to preserving their natural habitat. All the Komodo dragons receive an ID tag in their right thigh, which records their weight and size.
Rangers periodically trap the lizards and compare the data to records to better understand how the dragons are faring. Kefi is concerned that food shortages could lead to competition between the lizards and the humans who rely on the park's deer and buffalo.
But villagers on the main islands of Komodo and Rinca say they have learned to live in peace with the lizards, thanks in part to a legend about a dragon princess, which has fostered respect for the creatures.
They also have found ways to earn money by selling Komodo dragon woodcarvings and souvenirs to tourists.
Fisherman Ali Mudar says he sees how the people could benefit from more tourism. During the next 10 years, if new people come to the island, there will continue to be progress, he says. But for now, he will keep selling fish - always keeping a watchful eye for a Komodo dragon lurking in the distance.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Komodo dragon kin in Africa (via Chad Arment)
Researchers link an African lizard fossil in Africa with the Komodo dragon in Indonesia
University of Alberta researchers have unearthed a mysterious link between bones of an ancient lizard found in Africa and the biggest, baddest modern-day lizard of them all, the Komodo dragon, half a world away in Indonesia.
Biologists Alison Murray and Rob Holmes say the unique shape of the vertebrae links the 33-million-year-old African lizard fossil with its cousin the Komodo, which has only been around for some 700,000 years.
"The African fossil was found on the surface of a windswept desert," said Holmes. "It's definitely from the lizard genus Varanus and there are more than 50 species alive today, including Komodos and other large lizards."
Holmes says the telltale African vertebrae fossils belonged to a lizard that was about a metre- and-a-half long whose ability to swim may be key to figuring out how more than 30 million years later its ancestors turned up on the other side of the world.
Holmes says the ancient African Varanus specimen was found on land that was once the bottom of a river or small lake. "Whether the animals lived in the water or surrounding land, we don't know, but we do know that some modern day species of Varanus are comfortable swimming in fresh water."
The researchers agree that fresh-water swimming wouldn't get the African lizard all the way to Indonesia. Murray says the mystery of how the animals spread deepens when you consider ancient world geography. "From about 100 million years ago until 12 million years ago, Africa was completely isolated, surrounded by ocean, but somehow they got out of Africa during that period," said Murray. "That's why this paper is important because there was no known land connection."
Murray says one unproven theory of how Varanus moved out of Africa is that over millions of years, small land masses or micro-plates may have moved from one place to another, carrying their fauna with them.
The work of the U of A researchers and various co-authors runs counter to some prevailing theories about the origins of some ancient fossil types found in Africa including Varanus lizards and some fresh-water fish. "The assumption for several types of ancient African fossils is that the animals didn't originate in Africa but came there from Asia," says Holmes. "But the fossil record of Varanus shows exactly the opposite path of migration."
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-11/uoa-rla111710.php
University of Alberta researchers have unearthed a mysterious link between bones of an ancient lizard found in Africa and the biggest, baddest modern-day lizard of them all, the Komodo dragon, half a world away in Indonesia.
Biologists Alison Murray and Rob Holmes say the unique shape of the vertebrae links the 33-million-year-old African lizard fossil with its cousin the Komodo, which has only been around for some 700,000 years.
"The African fossil was found on the surface of a windswept desert," said Holmes. "It's definitely from the lizard genus Varanus and there are more than 50 species alive today, including Komodos and other large lizards."
Holmes says the telltale African vertebrae fossils belonged to a lizard that was about a metre- and-a-half long whose ability to swim may be key to figuring out how more than 30 million years later its ancestors turned up on the other side of the world.
Holmes says the ancient African Varanus specimen was found on land that was once the bottom of a river or small lake. "Whether the animals lived in the water or surrounding land, we don't know, but we do know that some modern day species of Varanus are comfortable swimming in fresh water."
The researchers agree that fresh-water swimming wouldn't get the African lizard all the way to Indonesia. Murray says the mystery of how the animals spread deepens when you consider ancient world geography. "From about 100 million years ago until 12 million years ago, Africa was completely isolated, surrounded by ocean, but somehow they got out of Africa during that period," said Murray. "That's why this paper is important because there was no known land connection."
Murray says one unproven theory of how Varanus moved out of Africa is that over millions of years, small land masses or micro-plates may have moved from one place to another, carrying their fauna with them.
The work of the U of A researchers and various co-authors runs counter to some prevailing theories about the origins of some ancient fossil types found in Africa including Varanus lizards and some fresh-water fish. "The assumption for several types of ancient African fossils is that the animals didn't originate in Africa but came there from Asia," says Holmes. "But the fossil record of Varanus shows exactly the opposite path of migration."
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-11/uoa-rla111710.php
Komodo dragon kin in Africa (via Chad Arment)
Researchers link an African lizard fossil in Africa with the Komodo dragon in Indonesia
University of Alberta researchers have unearthed a mysterious link between bones of an ancient lizard found in Africa and the biggest, baddest modern-day lizard of them all, the Komodo dragon, half a world away in Indonesia.
Biologists Alison Murray and Rob Holmes say the unique shape of the vertebrae links the 33-million-year-old African lizard fossil with its cousin the Komodo, which has only been around for some 700,000 years.
"The African fossil was found on the surface of a windswept desert," said Holmes. "It's definitely from the lizard genus Varanus and there are more than 50 species alive today, including Komodos and other large lizards."
Holmes says the telltale African vertebrae fossils belonged to a lizard that was about a metre- and-a-half long whose ability to swim may be key to figuring out how more than 30 million years later its ancestors turned up on the other side of the world.
Holmes says the ancient African Varanus specimen was found on land that was once the bottom of a river or small lake. "Whether the animals lived in the water or surrounding land, we don't know, but we do know that some modern day species of Varanus are comfortable swimming in fresh water."
The researchers agree that fresh-water swimming wouldn't get the African lizard all the way to Indonesia. Murray says the mystery of how the animals spread deepens when you consider ancient world geography. "From about 100 million years ago until 12 million years ago, Africa was completely isolated, surrounded by ocean, but somehow they got out of Africa during that period," said Murray. "That's why this paper is important because there was no known land connection."
Murray says one unproven theory of how Varanus moved out of Africa is that over millions of years, small land masses or micro-plates may have moved from one place to another, carrying their fauna with them.
The work of the U of A researchers and various co-authors runs counter to some prevailing theories about the origins of some ancient fossil types found in Africa including Varanus lizards and some fresh-water fish. "The assumption for several types of ancient African fossils is that the animals didn't originate in Africa but came there from Asia," says Holmes. "But the fossil record of Varanus shows exactly the opposite path of migration."
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-11/uoa-rla111710.php
University of Alberta researchers have unearthed a mysterious link between bones of an ancient lizard found in Africa and the biggest, baddest modern-day lizard of them all, the Komodo dragon, half a world away in Indonesia.
Biologists Alison Murray and Rob Holmes say the unique shape of the vertebrae links the 33-million-year-old African lizard fossil with its cousin the Komodo, which has only been around for some 700,000 years.
"The African fossil was found on the surface of a windswept desert," said Holmes. "It's definitely from the lizard genus Varanus and there are more than 50 species alive today, including Komodos and other large lizards."
Holmes says the telltale African vertebrae fossils belonged to a lizard that was about a metre- and-a-half long whose ability to swim may be key to figuring out how more than 30 million years later its ancestors turned up on the other side of the world.
Holmes says the ancient African Varanus specimen was found on land that was once the bottom of a river or small lake. "Whether the animals lived in the water or surrounding land, we don't know, but we do know that some modern day species of Varanus are comfortable swimming in fresh water."
The researchers agree that fresh-water swimming wouldn't get the African lizard all the way to Indonesia. Murray says the mystery of how the animals spread deepens when you consider ancient world geography. "From about 100 million years ago until 12 million years ago, Africa was completely isolated, surrounded by ocean, but somehow they got out of Africa during that period," said Murray. "That's why this paper is important because there was no known land connection."
Murray says one unproven theory of how Varanus moved out of Africa is that over millions of years, small land masses or micro-plates may have moved from one place to another, carrying their fauna with them.
The work of the U of A researchers and various co-authors runs counter to some prevailing theories about the origins of some ancient fossil types found in Africa including Varanus lizards and some fresh-water fish. "The assumption for several types of ancient African fossils is that the animals didn't originate in Africa but came there from Asia," says Holmes. "But the fossil record of Varanus shows exactly the opposite path of migration."
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-11/uoa-rla111710.php
Friday, August 27, 2010
22 Komodo dragons hatch this month at Los Angeles Zoo, boost to the endangered species
This image provided by the Los Angeles Zoo shows two of the 22 Komodo dragons that were born at the zoo over an 11 day period begining Aug. 8, 2010 in Los Angeles. Komodos, the world's largest dragons, are cannibalistic and usually eat their young and eggs of their own species, so zoo officials say staying alive is tricky for a hatchling. Los Angeles is one of the few zoos in North America to have successfully bred Komodos. The curator says 11 babies will eventually go to the Columbus (Ohio) Zoo. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Zoo) (AP / August 24, 2010)SUE MANNING Associated Press Writer
7:25 p.m. EDT, August 26, 2010
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Twenty-two Komodo dragons have hatched at the Los Angeles Zoo this month, giving a modest boost to the world's endangered population.
The zoo's adult female Komodo, Lima, laid the eggs on Jan. 22. The first one popped through its soft-sided egg shell on Aug. 8 and hatchlings kept coming for two weeks.
Komodos are the world's largest lizards and are popular attractions at zoos from the United States to Europe. All 2,500 left in the wild can be found at the 700-square-mile Komodo National Park in Indonesia.
Komodos are cannibalistic and usually eat their young and eggs of their own species, so zoo officials say staying alive is tricky for a hatchling.
This is the first time the Los Angeles Zoo has succeeded at a breeding attempt. It joins fewer than 10 other zoos in North America that have made it work.
Eleven babies will eventually go to the Columbus Zoo in Ohio and the others will go to zoos assigned by the Species Survival Program, curator Ian Recchio said Thursday. Los Angeles will just keep Lima and the adult male, Buru.
It is exciting to know "the hatchlings from this clutch will go on to help ensure the survival of the species," Recchio said.
Hatchlings are 14 to 20 inches long and weigh around 3 ounces, but they will grow to about 9 feet and can weigh 200 pounds or more. Males tend to be slightly larger than females and sometimes have yellow spots on their snouts but are otherwise gray.
They have about 60 needle-like teeth that will grow back quickly if one falls out. They will cut their prey into sections and then swallow without chewing. They drink rarely, getting their fluids from the food they eat.
There are no Komodos on display at the zoo now, but before the offspring all leave Los Angeles, some of them will be shown at the Winnick Family Children's Zoo.
In the wild, a young Komodo will sprint up the nearest tree to avoid being eaten by adults. They will stay in the trees and eat insects and other lizards until they get too heavy for the tree. By then, they will have developed enough to protect themselves from adult Komodos on the ground.
Komodo dragons in the wild eat 80 percent of their weight and then go without food for several weeks. They will eat snakes, other lizards, reptile and bird eggs, carrion, deer, pigs, goats and dogs. They will even try to eat larger animals, like horses and water buffalo.
The dragons are probably best known for their venomous saliva. It is naturally harmless, but picks up deadly pathogens because of the food they eat, Recchio said. The Komodos are immune to the bacteria, but the animals or humans in their path can be in nearly instant trouble.
The animals are believed to have descended from a larger lizard on Indonesia's main island Java or Australia around 30,000 years ago.
___
Online:
http://www.lazoo.org
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-us-komodo-dragons,0,1030716.story
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Victorian collection raises £100,000 at Dorchester auction
9:00am Thursday 15th April 2010By Joanna Davis
PEOPLE with a penchant for the bizarre, the unusual and the downright grotesque crowded out an auction house for a sale with a difference.
They came from all over the country to buy their very own oddities from an eclectic Victorian collection.
Objects from a recession-hit museum on the Isle of Wight went under the hammer at The Grove sales room of Duke’s of Dorchester.
A winged cat, one of the highlights of the auction, was the subject of a price war from bidders.
The 1860s stuffed feline, primed for flight with bird wings fixed to its back, made £2,800.
A shrunken human head believed to be a genuine Javara Indian head of a man from Ecuador fetched £2,400.
An elephant-headed boy in a red velvet coffin, reputedly found living wild on the banks of the Congo, went for £1,900.
Torture items from the Brading Collection – formerly the Isle of Wight Waxworks – were particularly popular with bargain hunters.
Paul Birch successfully bid £1,100 for a man trap, complete with a life-size human ankle dripping with fake blood.
He said: “I saw one like this on TV and I thought ‘I’ve got to have one of those’.
“I think it’s just what every home needs and I’m going to put it in the living room where everybody can see it. This has been a really fun auction with a lot of good characters, normally people at auctions are very hoity-toity.”
Brave Paul, of Portsmouth, also bought a scold’s bridle for £300 and handed it over to his girlfriend Tegwen Owen.
The scold’s bridle, or brank, was an implement designed to be fitted on to a female head, apparently for the punishment of nagging women.
Museum owner Robert Ball also auctioned off the collection’s main draw – its taxidermy section.
A komodo dragon went for £1,200, while Battling Bruno – a brown bear wearing boxing gloves – went for £1,000.
Bruno was said to have fought all comers at rodeos throughout the mid-West and was stuffed when he died by request of Queen Victoria.
The stuffed animals were thought to have been collected by Professor Copperthwaite in the 1800s.
The sale fetched more than £100,000 and attracted around 300 people.
http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/8099286.Victorian_collection_raises___100_000_at_Dorchester_auction/
(Submitted by Mark North)
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Singapore Zoo breeds rare Komodo dragon
December 7, 2009Singapore Zoo has successfully bred the highly-endangered Komodo dragon, officials say, reporting that the rare baby reptile is in good health.
The 40-centimetre hatchling is the first Komodo dragon born in an Asian zoo outside Indonesia, the native home of the world's largest lizard species, a spokeswoman told Agence France-Presse on Monday.
Assistant director of zoology Biswajit Guha said the hatching of the Komodo dragon, whose gender has not been confirmed, "is one of the most significant moments" for the zoo, one of Singapore's top attractions.
The breeding of Komodo dragons in captivity "is fraught with difficulties due to incompatible pairings, dearth of experience in egg incubation and over-representation of males in zoos," he said.
The reptiles are considered one of Indonesia's national treasures. Komodos can grow up to three metres in length and weigh up to 140 kilograms.
They are listed as "vulnerable" in the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.
Only 3,000 of the poisonous lizards, native to Komodo and a few other islands in eastern Indonesia, remain in the wild, according to another campaign group, The Nature Conservancy, which does field work in the area.
The reptiles live on a diet of large mammals, reptiles and birds but have been known to attack humans.
An Indonesian fisherman was mauled to death by a Komodo dragon in March after he ventured into a remote island sanctuary.
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/6558305/singapore-zoo-breeds-rare-komodo-dragon/
(Submitted by Richard Freeman)
Singapore Zoo breeds rare Komodo dragon
December 7, 2009Singapore Zoo has successfully bred the highly-endangered Komodo dragon, officials say, reporting that the rare baby reptile is in good health.
The 40-centimetre hatchling is the first Komodo dragon born in an Asian zoo outside Indonesia, the native home of the world's largest lizard species, a spokeswoman told Agence France-Presse on Monday.
Assistant director of zoology Biswajit Guha said the hatching of the Komodo dragon, whose gender has not been confirmed, "is one of the most significant moments" for the zoo, one of Singapore's top attractions.
The breeding of Komodo dragons in captivity "is fraught with difficulties due to incompatible pairings, dearth of experience in egg incubation and over-representation of males in zoos," he said.
The reptiles are considered one of Indonesia's national treasures. Komodos can grow up to three metres in length and weigh up to 140 kilograms.
They are listed as "vulnerable" in the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.
Only 3,000 of the poisonous lizards, native to Komodo and a few other islands in eastern Indonesia, remain in the wild, according to another campaign group, The Nature Conservancy, which does field work in the area.
The reptiles live on a diet of large mammals, reptiles and birds but have been known to attack humans.
An Indonesian fisherman was mauled to death by a Komodo dragon in March after he ventured into a remote island sanctuary.
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/6558305/singapore-zoo-breeds-rare-komodo-dragon/
(Submitted by Richard Freeman)
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Origin of Komodo Dragon Revealed
Charles Q. Choi
Special to LiveScienceLiveScience.com – Tue Oct 6, 11:46 am ET
Dragons may come from the land Down Under.
Scientists now find that the world's largest living lizard species, the Komodo dragon, most likely evolved in Australia and dispersed westward to its current home in Indonesia.
In the past, researchers had suggested the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) developed from a smaller ancestor isolated on the Indonesian islands, evolving its large size as a response to lack of competition from other predators or as a specialist hunter of pygmy elephants known as Stegodon.
However, over the past three years, an international team of scientists unearthed numerous fossils from eastern Australia dated from 300,000 years ago to roughly 4 million years ago that they now know belong to the Komodo dragon.
"When we compared these fossils to the bones of present-day Komodo dragons, they were identical," said researcher Scott Hocknull, a vertebrate paleontologist at the Queensland Museum in Australia.
For the last 4 million years, Australia has been home to the world's largest lizards, including the 16-foot-long giant (5 meters) called Megalania, once the world's largest terrestrial lizard but which died out some 40,000 years ago.
"Now we can say Australia was also the birthplace of the three-meter (10 foot) Komodo dragon," Hocknull said.
The researchers said the ancestor of the Komodo dragon most likely evolved in Australia and spread westward, reaching the Indonesian island of Flores by 900,000 years ago. Comparisons between fossils and living Komodo dragons on Flores show that the lizard's body size has remained relatively stable since then.
Further support for this notion of dispersal from Australia comes from the island of Timor, located between Australia and Flores. Three fossil specimens from Timor represent a new, as yet unnamed species of giant monitor lizard, which was larger than the Komodo dragon, although smaller than Megalania. More specimens of this new giant lizard are needed before the species can be formally described.
"There are a lot of things we just simply don't know about this part of the world - Indonesia to Australia," Hocknull told LiveScience. "In recent years this region has thrown up remarkable discoveries - a new species of hominid, the 'Lost World' in New Guinea boasting dozens of new species having never met humans, and now an island chain of giant lizards, including the largest of them all, Megalania from Australia. However, they all went extinct, except the Komodo dragon. The big question now is why? The south-east Asian to Australian region is a hot-spot of new and exciting discoveries."
All these huge lizards were once common in Australasia for more than 3.8 million years, having evolved alongside large mammalian carnivores, such as Thylacoleo, the so-called 'marsupial lion.' The Komodo dragon is the last of these giants, but within the last 2,000 years, their populations have diminished severely, most likely due to humans, and they are now vulnerable to extinction, living now on just a few isolated islands in eastern Indonesia, between Java and Australia.
"Understanding the past history of a species is absolutely fundamental to determining its potential trajectory in the future, its responses to climate change, habitat change and extinction events," Hocknull said. "The Komodo dragon's fossil record shows that it is a resilient species - resilient to major climatic changes throughout its past, surviving extinction events which wiped out contemporary megafauna species."
One question that now pops up is why the Komodo dragon went extinct on Australia while surviving on a few isolated Indonesian isles. Hocknull noted that climate was an unlikely suspect, as "climate impacts species on islands just as much as a big continent like Australia. In Australia there is plenty of habitat which could be conducive to Komodo dragons. If you released them in Australia today they would probably do quite well."
Were humans involved? "We have no evidence for this because the youngest Komodo fossils in Australia are around 300,000 years old, well before humans arrived. So we don't know whether the Komodo dragons in Australia died out before humans arrived or after. So the jury will remain out on this question until a better fossil record is found."
Hocknull noted these islands of lizards are each, in a sense, individual experiments in evolution that shed light not only on the past of these lizards, but potentially also on the future of the world.
"It's a perfect place to see how life adapts and evolves in response to major environmental impacts, like sea level change, climatic changes, catastrophes - tsunamis and volcanic eruptions - plus each island has received modern humans at one time or another," he explained. "What were their impacts and how did species cope? This will be our Rosetta Stone when understanding how species will respond to future climate change."
The scientists will detail their findings on Sept. 30 in the journal PLoS ONE.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20091006/sc_livescience/originofkomododragonrevealed
Origin of Komodo Dragon Revealed
Charles Q. Choi
Special to LiveScienceLiveScience.com – Tue Oct 6, 11:46 am ET
Dragons may come from the land Down Under.
Scientists now find that the world's largest living lizard species, the Komodo dragon, most likely evolved in Australia and dispersed westward to its current home in Indonesia.
In the past, researchers had suggested the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) developed from a smaller ancestor isolated on the Indonesian islands, evolving its large size as a response to lack of competition from other predators or as a specialist hunter of pygmy elephants known as Stegodon.
However, over the past three years, an international team of scientists unearthed numerous fossils from eastern Australia dated from 300,000 years ago to roughly 4 million years ago that they now know belong to the Komodo dragon.
"When we compared these fossils to the bones of present-day Komodo dragons, they were identical," said researcher Scott Hocknull, a vertebrate paleontologist at the Queensland Museum in Australia.
For the last 4 million years, Australia has been home to the world's largest lizards, including the 16-foot-long giant (5 meters) called Megalania, once the world's largest terrestrial lizard but which died out some 40,000 years ago.
"Now we can say Australia was also the birthplace of the three-meter (10 foot) Komodo dragon," Hocknull said.
The researchers said the ancestor of the Komodo dragon most likely evolved in Australia and spread westward, reaching the Indonesian island of Flores by 900,000 years ago. Comparisons between fossils and living Komodo dragons on Flores show that the lizard's body size has remained relatively stable since then.
Further support for this notion of dispersal from Australia comes from the island of Timor, located between Australia and Flores. Three fossil specimens from Timor represent a new, as yet unnamed species of giant monitor lizard, which was larger than the Komodo dragon, although smaller than Megalania. More specimens of this new giant lizard are needed before the species can be formally described.
"There are a lot of things we just simply don't know about this part of the world - Indonesia to Australia," Hocknull told LiveScience. "In recent years this region has thrown up remarkable discoveries - a new species of hominid, the 'Lost World' in New Guinea boasting dozens of new species having never met humans, and now an island chain of giant lizards, including the largest of them all, Megalania from Australia. However, they all went extinct, except the Komodo dragon. The big question now is why? The south-east Asian to Australian region is a hot-spot of new and exciting discoveries."
All these huge lizards were once common in Australasia for more than 3.8 million years, having evolved alongside large mammalian carnivores, such as Thylacoleo, the so-called 'marsupial lion.' The Komodo dragon is the last of these giants, but within the last 2,000 years, their populations have diminished severely, most likely due to humans, and they are now vulnerable to extinction, living now on just a few isolated islands in eastern Indonesia, between Java and Australia.
"Understanding the past history of a species is absolutely fundamental to determining its potential trajectory in the future, its responses to climate change, habitat change and extinction events," Hocknull said. "The Komodo dragon's fossil record shows that it is a resilient species - resilient to major climatic changes throughout its past, surviving extinction events which wiped out contemporary megafauna species."
One question that now pops up is why the Komodo dragon went extinct on Australia while surviving on a few isolated Indonesian isles. Hocknull noted that climate was an unlikely suspect, as "climate impacts species on islands just as much as a big continent like Australia. In Australia there is plenty of habitat which could be conducive to Komodo dragons. If you released them in Australia today they would probably do quite well."
Were humans involved? "We have no evidence for this because the youngest Komodo fossils in Australia are around 300,000 years old, well before humans arrived. So we don't know whether the Komodo dragons in Australia died out before humans arrived or after. So the jury will remain out on this question until a better fossil record is found."
Hocknull noted these islands of lizards are each, in a sense, individual experiments in evolution that shed light not only on the past of these lizards, but potentially also on the future of the world.
"It's a perfect place to see how life adapts and evolves in response to major environmental impacts, like sea level change, climatic changes, catastrophes - tsunamis and volcanic eruptions - plus each island has received modern humans at one time or another," he explained. "What were their impacts and how did species cope? This will be our Rosetta Stone when understanding how species will respond to future climate change."
The scientists will detail their findings on Sept. 30 in the journal PLoS ONE.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20091006/sc_livescience/originofkomododragonrevealed
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Secret of Komodo dragon's bite unlocked by scientists
By Leigh Dayton
The Australian
May 19, 2009 12:01am
- Komodo killing theory debunked
- Poisons prey with venom not bacteria
- "Cleverest of all lizards"
What's more, new research shows that the mega-meat eater probably inherited its "biggest" and "most venomous" mantle from its extinct Australian ancestor, the 7m-long dragon, Megalania, The Australian reports.
Adult male Komodo dragons weigh in at about 100kg and exceed 3m in length. A typical meal weighs 30-40kg.
Deer are common prey. While humans seldom fall victim to Komodo dragons, earlier this year a dragon stalked a poacher for several days and then, with a companion, waited for the man, caught, killed and ate him.
"They're the cleverest of all lizards. They're very smart," said Melbourne University venom researcher Bryan Fry, head of the international team that reports on the lizard's weaponry today in the US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The biggest surprise of all is that until now researchers didn't even know the Komodo Dragon - a monitor lizard in a group called the Varanidae - was poisonous.
"Nobody looked," Dr Fry said.
That's because Komodo dragons lack the grooved-tooth venom delivery system found in other varanids.
Instead, Dr Fry's team found the lizard uses sharp, serrated teeth to open gaping wounds in its prey into which the venom easily flows.
The wounds naturally bleed profusely while compounds in the venom increase blood flow and reduce blood pressure, inducing shock in the victim.
They findings debunk a common belief the dragon's prey is killed by deadly bacteria in rotting food stuck in its mouth.
"Their teeth are shiny white and their gums pink.
"They are remarkably clean animals," said Dr Fry, who worked with captive Komodo dragon's in Singapore.
In the wild, Komodo dragons are highly endangered, living only on the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca and Flores.
Dr Fry's colleague, biomechanist Stephen Wroe from the University of NSW, compared the anatomies of the dragon and the Megalania, which existed until roughly 40,000 years ago.
He concluded that both species wielded lightweight but sophisticated skull and tooth adaptations, which allowed them to kill large animals through rapid blood loss.
"Australia's Megalania was probably the largest venomous animal that ever lived," he said.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25503172-421,00.html
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Big Batch Of Komodo Dragons Hatches At Zoo
32 Komodo Dragons Hatch Within 2 Weeks
Posted: 6:40 am EDT March 23, 2009
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- It's a baby boom in Indonesia.
An Indonesian zoo is welcoming the arrival of 32 newborn Komodo dragons.
A zoo spokesman said the endangered lizards, believed to number less than 4,000 in the wild, all hatched in the last two weeks and 14 eggs are still under observation.
He calls it the Komodo's most successful breeding year ever at the zoo.
The giant reptiles first arrived in the early 1980s, but the new births brought their total from 34 to 66.
The Komodo dragon can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh as much as 150 pounds. They have a bite that can be deadly and can only be found in the wild on the eastern Indonesian islands of Komodo, Padar and Rinca.
http://www.wftv.com/family/18990387/detail.html?treets=orlc&tid=2656634394813&tml=orlc_strange&tmi=orlc_strange_1_10000103232009&ts=H#
Posted: 6:40 am EDT March 23, 2009
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- It's a baby boom in Indonesia.
An Indonesian zoo is welcoming the arrival of 32 newborn Komodo dragons.
A zoo spokesman said the endangered lizards, believed to number less than 4,000 in the wild, all hatched in the last two weeks and 14 eggs are still under observation.
He calls it the Komodo's most successful breeding year ever at the zoo.
The giant reptiles first arrived in the early 1980s, but the new births brought their total from 34 to 66.
The Komodo dragon can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh as much as 150 pounds. They have a bite that can be deadly and can only be found in the wild on the eastern Indonesian islands of Komodo, Padar and Rinca.
http://www.wftv.com/family/18990387/detail.html?treets=orlc&tid=2656634394813&tml=orlc_strange&tmi=orlc_strange_1_10000103232009&ts=H#
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Fruit Picker Killed In Komodo Dragon Attack
A fruit picker has been mauled to death by two Komodo dragons in the latest in a series of attacks on humans by the world's largest species of lizard.
Muhamad Anwar was attacked on Komodo, one of three islands in eastern Indonesia where the endangered giant reptile is found in the wild.
The incident happened minutes after the 31-year-old fell out of a sugar apple tree, police sergeant Kosmas Jalang said.
Mr Anwar was left bleeding badly from bites to his hands, body, legs and neck after the two waiting dragons attacked.
He died at a clinic on the neighbouring island of Flores soon afterwards, his neighbour Theresia Tawa said.
Attacks on humans by Komodo dragons are rare but appear to have increased in recent years.
An eight-year-old boy died after being mauled in 2007, while a park ranger survived a similar attack last month.
The latest mauling came as a zoo in Indonesia celebrated the birth of 32 Komodo dragons.
All of the babies hatched in the last two weeks, while another 14 eggs are still incubating at Surabaya Zoo.
Spokesman Agus Pangkat said it was the Komodo's most successful breeding year at the zoo.
Komodo dragons can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh as much as 150 pounds.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20090324/twl-fruit-picker-killed-in-komodo-dragon-3fd0ae9.html
See also: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/fruit-picker-killed-by-komodo-dragons-14240742.html
Muhamad Anwar was attacked on Komodo, one of three islands in eastern Indonesia where the endangered giant reptile is found in the wild.The incident happened minutes after the 31-year-old fell out of a sugar apple tree, police sergeant Kosmas Jalang said.
Mr Anwar was left bleeding badly from bites to his hands, body, legs and neck after the two waiting dragons attacked.
He died at a clinic on the neighbouring island of Flores soon afterwards, his neighbour Theresia Tawa said.
Attacks on humans by Komodo dragons are rare but appear to have increased in recent years.
An eight-year-old boy died after being mauled in 2007, while a park ranger survived a similar attack last month.
The latest mauling came as a zoo in Indonesia celebrated the birth of 32 Komodo dragons.
All of the babies hatched in the last two weeks, while another 14 eggs are still incubating at Surabaya Zoo.
Spokesman Agus Pangkat said it was the Komodo's most successful breeding year at the zoo.
Komodo dragons can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh as much as 150 pounds.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20090324/twl-fruit-picker-killed-in-komodo-dragon-3fd0ae9.html
See also: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/fruit-picker-killed-by-komodo-dragons-14240742.html
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Park ranger mauled by Komodo dragon
A park ranger in Indonesia has been badly injured in an attack by a Komodo dragon which had climbed a ladder into his hut. The victim received severe lacerations when the dragon mauled his hand and foot.
The attack on Rinca, one of three islands where the world's largest lizard can be found in the wild, saw the creature lunge at the victim while he was at his desk, a Komodo National Park official said.
The 46-year-old victim screamed for help and jumped on to his desk, clutching the neck of the reptile. He then let go and fled out the window as colleagues raced to his aid and used wooden sticks to force the dragon out of the hut.
He needed more than 30 stitches to his injuries but is now recovering well in hospital.
Speaking from his hospital bed on the nearby island of Bali, he said: "I'm lucky I survived. Nothing like this has ever happened to me... in 25 years on the job. I've never been attacked."
Attacks on humans by Komodo dragons are rare but one did attack and kill an eight-year-old boy in 2007 on Komodo island, the first recorded deadly attack on a human by one of the giant lizards in 33 years.
The reptile can grow up to 10ft long and weigh as much as 150lb. They have shark-like serrated teeth and their saliva contains about 50 bacteria strains, so infection is also a risk.
http://news.uk.msn.com/world/article.aspx?cp-documentid=14565112
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)