Scientists Discover Dragon
A new species of monitor lizard closely related to the Komodo dragon has been discovered by German scientists in Indonesia.
The discovery was made after close examination of the new specimen using morphological characteristics and DNA analysis. Taxonomically classified as Varanus lirungensis, the new species “illustrates the high diversity of monitor lizards in Indonesia,” according to André Koch, who found the lizard.
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Varanus lirungensis is described in the latest issue of the Australian Journal of Zoology. Discovered on the Talaud Islands, a small Indonesian archipelago, the new species is carnivorous like all other monitor lizards, and it is closely related to the giant Komodo dragon and the crocodile monitor. Researchers were surprised by the discovery, since they had originally arrived to study another species of monitor, the Asian water monitor (Varanus salvator).
The find should help to fill in some crucial gaps of knowledge about how flora and fauna migrated and diverged throughout the Southeast Asian islands, which are home to some of the world’s richest biodiversity.
Researchers warn, however, that the discovery could come as a mixed blessing. “As monitor lizards are exploited for the international trade in live animals and reptile leather, small island populations could soon be eliminated” explained Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wägele. In other words, poachers and traders could target the new species because of its status as an unknown species, which can mark up its value. Yet at the same time, new species like Varanus lirungensis can only be protected if they are identified and studied.
Sure, Varanus lirungensis doesn’t have wings and spit fire, and it may not be a dragon per se, but this fierce little lizard still conjures up traits of its larger dragon-like cousins. Who’s to say it can’t be the stuff of reptilian legend?
Image Credit: André Koch
Does this mean we can take the polar bears off the endanger species since we founf a species we didn’t know we had?
Species can only be protected if identified and studied? bull-thats exactly the view that wipes out ecosystems…”humans are the sole protector, so hell we’d be practically irresponsible not to step in, yknow, maintain some ‘balance’, use some resources responsibly, maybe outsource a few ‘tasks’ here and there, but for a good cause obviously”. impeccable logic Wagele
Dragons: Its long established that dragons did exist. The scientific world just doesnt buy it. Kind of like my chemistry prof who said in the sixties that all elements that exist have already been discovered or the patent office commissioner around the turn of the century saying that everything that could be invented had been invented and the govt should just close the office…that was around 1900.
Now,back to dragons. Existance of life who produce electrical current, eels. And the production of hydrochloric acids in our stomaches is a normal thing.
Take hydrogenn fro the hcl and an electrical spark and you have the making of a dragon, who has the ability to store the hydrogen gas in a bladder to be expelled and ignited at will.
Why arent there any artifacts of dragons? Simple. The excess production of hydrochloric acid in the bodies fo dragons thoroughly disentigrated them when they died.
Next question?
the dragon lable really throws me off. When you first read dragon you think oh cool, then it becomes just another borring lizard for the rest of us in America.
so why did ya put the leopard cub in a cage.
Do you not think the LOCAL Indonesians knew about this animal long before the arrival of the German Scientists???
X
There are probably many other animal species humans have not discovered yet, in oceans and forest. I hope we don’t ruin their habitats before discovering them.
Wow, I never thought they would actually be making money off of all the free press these dragons are getting. It’s great to see more animals being discovered though.
Thanks Alot
The real truth is that the last few dragons existed a good millenia ago, if not today. Science is TOTALLY BSing society into thinking DINOSAURS lived millions of years ago….only a few dinosaurs exist today–they are known as reptiles. There’s plenty of proof historically that large dinosaurs existed in some (more remote) places even up to the times of Greeks and Romans–and every ancient culture has dragon legends that are 1000s of years old–not millions as modern evolutionary fraud claims.
This an awsome site which I like very much, but can I use some of these articles in my webmagazine?