A new species of lizard doesn’t come along every day. Even less common is a new lizard species named for a 1960s rock star. But that’s exactly what University of Iowa paleoanthropologist Russell Ciochon and his co-authors reveal in an article published in the June 5 issue of the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. (The complete paper can be found here.)
The lizard was a plant-eater, like present-day iguanas, that lived in the jungles in Southeast Asia about 40 million years ago. At some 60 pounds and six feet in length, the lizard was one of the largest of its kind—making it a veritable “king” of land-dwelling lizards.
“Barbatus” is from the Latin, which means “bearded,” and “rex,” means “king”—so the name refers to the presence of ventral ridges along the underside of the mandible, as well as the giant size of the lizard, says Ciochon (pronounced sha-HAHN).
“The species name honors vocalist Jim Morrison,” Ciochon says. “We did take some liberty in naming the new species after rock legend Jim Morrison, who is known as the ‘Lizard King.’”
This music video from the USA is called Jim Morrison – Celebration Of The Lizard (Full Version).
Lead author Jason Head of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln says, “I was listening to The Doors quite a bit during the research. Some of their musical imagery includes reptiles and ancient places, and Jim Morrison was of course ‘The Lizard King,’ so it all kind of came together.”
Ciochon says the lizard itself was a product of its times, evolving about 40 million years ago when the climate was as much as 9 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than it is today. A warmer and moister environment would have encouraged the growth and evolution of subtropical vegetation, which would have provided resources allowing for larger reptiles and mammals. Likewise, it was probably climate change and cooler temperatures that altered the food supply and led to the eventual extinction of Barbaturex morrisoni, he says.
“Species that are adapted to narrow niches often go extinct when the niche changes or disappears completely,” Ciochon says.
Surprisingly, the research that resulted in Barbaturex morrisoni almost never came about because the discovery is based upon fossils that Ciochon helped find some 35 years ago in Burma and which had been stored in California for decades.
“The fossils were found on Dec. 25, 1978, on my second expedition to Burma (Myanmar) at the beginning of my career,” says Ciochon.
Ciochon and University of California, Berkeley, Professor Donald E. Savage, who died in 1999, collected many vertebrate fossils, including the primate fossils that were the focus of their expedition. The lizard fossils were stored in the University of California Museum of Paleontology and forgotten until about 15 years ago when another trip to Burma caused Ciochon to remember them. Eventually, Ciochon and colleagues contacted Jason Head of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and requested his help in describing the find.
When Head first examined the fossils (a total of 10 specimens of the same species), he noticed the creature’s bones were characteristic of a group of modern lizards that includes bearded dragons, chameleons and plant-eaters like spiny-tailed lizards.
Head says: “I thought, ‘That’s neat. Based on its teeth, it’s a plant-eating lizard from a time period and a place from which we don’t have a lot of information.’ But when I started studying its modern relatives, I realized just how big this lizard was. It struck me that we had something here that was quite large, and quite unique.”
Added: Wednesday 19 May 2013, 08:19
Update: Wednesday 19 May 2013, 08:24
Starting next year, it is forbidden to keep, breed or trade elks, raccoons, wallaroos and many other mammals. Minister Dijksma is putting them on a banned list.
She stressed that not every animal is suitable for keeping. Some animals can be dangerous for humans and can transmit diseases.
Besides animals which will still be legal as pets, such as dogs and cats, there is also a third category. Ferrets and desert hamsters, for example, may still be kept, but only under strict conditions.
Specialist knowledge
These terms shall be prepared by the Council for Animal Affairs. For example, owners should have specialist knowledge and ample living space.
The categories are established based on research by the University of Wageningen. There will be a transitional arrangement for people who now have a mammal that next year will no longer be allowed.
Little auks are the most numerous breeding birds of Svalbard; there are estimates of a million breeding pairs. Their big numbers make for much guano, attracting plant life.
Often, the little auks sat on rocks with lichens.
The Bjorndalen little auk colony was on a rather steep rock face.
Their nesting season had not really begun yet. Little auks usually lay their eggs about 50 centimeter below the surface.
Near the little auks, there were snow buntings as well.
Conservationist killed in Costa Rica for defending turtles
Jairo Mora Sandoval – RIP
June 2013. Jairo Mora Sandoval, a 26 year-old conservationist who dedicated his life to protecting and defending wildlife in Costa Rica, has been murdered while patrolling nesting sites of leatherback marine turtles.
On May 30 Mora and four volunteers from the United States and Spain were patrolling Moín Beach in Costa Rica. Mora was attacked by at least five masked men carrying guns, and his body was found on the beach the next morning.
WWF condemns the brutal murder of Jairo Mora Sandoval, a 26 year-old conservationist who dedicated his life to protecting and defending wildlife in Costa Rica. He sadly lost his life while patrolling nesting sites of one of the most endangered and charismatic creatures, leatherback marine turtles. Our thoughts are with Jairo’s family and friends during this difficult time.
WWF joins other groups calling on the Government of Costa Rica for justice and for bold security measures that assure a safe environment for those committed to working towards conservation.
“Stricter measures protecting civilians, as well as full enforcement of national laws protecting marine turtles, should be put in place to ensure incidents like this one don’t ever happen again,” said Carlos Drews, Global Species Program Director, WWF-I.
Poaching & crime
“Conservation should not be a dangerous job or activity, but unfortunately linkages between poaching and other forms of crime mean that protecting our natural world is increasingly risky. Wildlife crime is becoming more organized and life threatening than ever before. That is unacceptable.”
“Costa Rica enjoys a global reputation as an environmentally friendly country, and a prime ecotourism destination. Incidents such as Jairo’s death will quickly tarnish that reputation if Costa Rica fails to act.”
“WWF will continue to partner with people around the world to stand-up and give voice to species in need. It’s time for political leaders to take concrete action to protect wildlife, people and enforce the rule of law,” added Drews.
Search for Britain’s only cicada finds rare wildlife, but no cicada
Close, but no Cicada
June 2013. Rare species of moth, bat and plant were discovered in the New Forest National Park during a 24-hour census of wildlife. Enthusiasts young and old were joined by a host of experts over the weekend in this year’s BioBlitz, organised by the New Forest National Park Authority.
500 species recorded
There were more than 1,200 finds with about 500 different species surveyed including the rare and aptly named moth Scarce Merveille du Jour, and the Daubenton’s bat which was recorded for the first time at Roydon Woods Nature Reserve near Brockenhurst.
No Cicada
But there were no sign of the elusive New Forest cicada despite help from a new smartphone app developed by scientists at the University of Southampton. The rare singing insect is the UK’s only native cicada and hasn’t been seen since 1993, although some evidence of its presence was found in 2000. The ‘Cicada Hunt’ app was launched at the BioBlitz and can pick up the insect’s distinctive mating calls which it sings from May to July. More than 200 people have already downloaded the free software since it was released on 3 June, but so far its songs haven’t been heard.
Next month is the best time to search
Dr Alex Rogers, from the University’s Faculty of Physical Sciences and Engineering, said: ‘The next month or so is the ideal time to search for the New Forest cicada. It likes warm, still, sunny weather, and is most likely to be found in sunny clearings, where it will sing for a few hours either side of midday.’
The cicada app is available now for both iPhone and Android smartphones on the iTunes and Google Play app stores. Search for ‘Cicada Hunt’. To find out more about the New Forest Cicada Project go to www.newforestcicada.info.
