Zoo Visit

[adamanteus]

Hi All,

Yesterday I took the family to the zoo. They have recently bred their Komodo Dragons and have a small, separate enclosures for the hatchlings. The juveniles are so different from the adults, they're like a separate species. The young are slim, fast moving and arboreal. They look like young Nile Monitors. It's hard to believe they grow to be as magnificent as their parents.

They were all behind glass, adults and young, so no pictures. Except this one of the life-size bronze outside the enclosure.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//537/medium/Komodo.jpg

[Sputnik]

I didn't know little dragons had pigtails! ;) :D

[adamanteus]

That's a female, they often style their hair, still dangerous though, especially to your wallet!

[drache]

oh
I didn't realize that the being with the pigtails was a little dragon
I'd pegged "it" for one of the mythical dragon rider amazons

[Pinky]

LOL @ The last two comments so cute! Cute picture too!

Cute picture. Can't wait to visit the Zoo this year. It's a smaller Zoo but so exciting to see all the animals. My boys love it. Last year we didn't get to go. So looking forward to it this year.

[Stefan-A]

Priceless, as usual. :)

[CrazyHedgehog]

Which zoo James? If Chester..my favourite bit is the bat caves..

[adamanteus]

Yes, it's Chester.....the bat cave is great! It was my daughters' favourite part, she did her homework all about the bat cave.

Have you been since they got the Komodos?

[CrazyHedgehog]

no haven't been for a while,

we did go the weekend they opened the bat caves, the bats hadn't quite got the fact that we were there, so when you looked down, you could see them flying inbetween your legs, amazing. I pointed them out to my mum, who screamed, and lept onto the back of some random man infront of us, he then also screamed! (as you would when a 60 year old leaps on you!) His wife screamed as she thought some animal had lept on him.....

My mum was taken out (rather distraught) It took my son and I about 20 minutes to stop laughing!! my mum DID NOT see the funny side, which just made us worse...

Still giggle about it now..

[adamanteus]

The bats still fly in between your legs! One flew so close to my head that the wing tip touched me, then one landed on a guys backpack!

I think they do it deliberately just to scare people!

[mikm]

James you're a nut !! Styling their hair, too funny !!! :D :D ...

[adamanteus]

James you're a nut !! Styling their hair, too funny !!! :D :D ...


No, it's true, they do. And those nails aren't real, they're acrylics!

[stonyloam]

Hmmmmm….. I hate to be mr. fussypants here but everyone here seems to strive for accuracy sooooo: Technically those are not pigtails (genus Sus) they are ponytails (genus Equus).:D

[Cazador]

Really cute picture, James! I remember seeing a nature show one time about the Komodo dragons, and they mentioned something about the adults being cannibalistic, and the babies often had to take quick refuge in the trees. There was more to the story, but that's all that's coming back to me.

[adamanteus]

Really cute picture, James!

Thanks Rick, do you think my hair suits me like that?;)

Yes indeed, cannibalism is the reason young Komodos are arboreal. I guess there's very little to eat on those islands..chickens, goats, people or your own species!

Just to tie this into another thread about venom...are you aware of the lethal cocktail of bacteria in a Komodo Dragon's mouth? Apparently these lizards will give one bite then let go of larger prey, certain in the knowledge that infection will quickly bring it down. They then just follow the scent trail and eat the now dead victim. Just like a viper!

[Stefan-A]

Just to tie this into another thread about venom...are you aware of the lethal cocktail of bacteria in a Komodo Dragon's mouth? Apparently these lizards will give one bite then let go of larger prey, certain in the knowledge that infection will quickly bring it down. They then just follow the scent trail and eat the now dead victim. Just like a viper!
I've known that for years. But did you know they don't bother waiting until it's actually dead? They bite it, then stalk it, as you said, by following the scent trail, then when it's weak enough, they kill it.

[adamanteus]

Not a very nice way to go.

[Stefan-A]

Especially not when they don't bother killing you before eating you. ;) They just wait until you can't run, then they'll latch on and rip parts from you. I wonder if they do death rolls..

[adamanteus]

I don't know about death rolls, but I've seen them "ragging" their prey, like a dog. Real nasty.

[Stefan-A]

Yeah, me too. I watch a lot of documentaries. ;)

[adamanteus]

Yes, that's what I meant...I've seen them on the TV! Alas, I've not (yet) had the opportunity to see these beasts in the wild.

[Stefan-A]

Not what I meant, I was just thinking about the fact that I've watched 13 documentaries in the last 48 hours. I think the last one was narrated by Sigourney Weaver..

[adamanteus]

How do you find the time? I haven't seen any TV since last Friday evening.

[Stefan-A]

How do you find the time? I haven't seen any TV since last Friday evening.
I don't have that much else to do in my spare time. I could study, but there's really no point, since I already know pretty much everything they are trying to teach us right now. Speaking of which, we're going bird watching tomorrow. Again. Well, the others are going bird watching, I'll be herping while they'll be trying to learn to identify species I've been able to identify since I was 4. :rolleyes:

I'm not watching TV, there are alternatives. ;)

[adamanteus]

Will you have your camera with you Stefan?

[Stefan-A]

Oh yes.

I had it with me on yesterday's trip. Not the best picture I've ever taken.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/zootoca-may7.jpg

I don't expect to find anything, we're going to be just outside the city, close to the sea. Reptiles are scarce anyway.

[adamanteus]

That's a nice picture. You should post it in your Nature Photography thread. Is she gravid, or just flattened out to catch the sun?

[Stefan-A]

I can pretty much guarantee, that if she's gravid, it couldn't possibly show yet. Spring comes a couple of months later up here in the north-east corner of Europe.

Good idea about rebooting the Nature Photo thread, it's been quiet over there for far too long.

[adamanteus]

If she's gravid, it couldn't possibly show yet. Spring comes a couple of months later up here in the north-east corner of Europe.

Doh! I'm forgeting what season we're in! It's too soon even here, in sub-tropical Manchester:rolleyes: , for a gravid Common Lizard to be showing!