New Fruit Eating Monitor Species Discovered

[beardielover17]

I read about this one last night. Its quite interesting. IM fairly sure there are organizations being deployed currently to collect a number of wild specimens to try and rescue this breed of monitor from extinction (as it is currently considered to be extremely endangered). Basically this animal has the look and size of a Croc monitor without the attitude or diet (being that it is not carnivorous). I forsee this ending up in the pet trade in about 10 years or so.

idk whether that would be a sad sight to see or a good on =\

lol its ok gina i forgive you lol

 

[beardielover17]

Sorry ! *watches Candice rolling on the bed watching us *
Janie

lol well howd you know my lazy self was in bed? haha

 

[zebraflavencs]

Off topic.. but... *points to her phyick eye...* That's pronounced sick ick by the way
Janie

 

[Red Ink AUS]

who's up for a trip to Sierra Madres

I have been already numerous times lol. The last time i saw one of those was 22 years ago as an 8 years old (i was born and grew up in the Philippines). One was captured at the foot of Mt Arayat. It was probably the last specimen living in Central Luzon about 200km away from the Sierra Madres, grandad tried to save it but it was in the hands of the villagers and he was not listened to, I won't go into deatils on what happened to the specimen. We call them butuaan (seed spreader).

 

[Red Ink AUS]

I'd love to see that. But it's a important source of protein for indigenous people in Isabella and Aurora Provinces? They eat it? gad zooks

Yeah mate they do, and I'm sad to say it taste like sweet chicken. The general area of the country is mountainous and generally not easily accessible without a guide. Unfortunately for the monitor it is the locals that take them so unless they are in the remotest part of the region no where to hide really. The first study of the species was done in the 70s but was discontinued/disappeared for some reason. The main population was actually first rediscovered in a small patch of forest on an island East of the Siera Madres and 500Km South of it. The whole forest stonghold on the island was only 50Km square. When they (they meaning western science) them on the island they did back research on to the animal to find out if there were the last known specimens where from (Sierra Madres). They are a key stone species and so highly secretive that they have probably been there all along and only the locals knew of them. The butuaan predominantly eat the pandanas fruit and spread the seeds along the forest. Now the pandanas palm is another key stone flora many animals solely depend on the pandanas as a home and shelter like pseudo-geckos and some insects which are food for other creatures.

Through the research done on the island they found out that you can track populations of the monitor by checking the spread of the pandanas palm as nothing else in the forest eats the fruit so how does it spread, well the moniitor really.

 

[beardielover17]

wow very interesting francis

 

[zebraflavencs]

You know.. that would honestly be a great herping trip... Just think what information we could rediscover! Hey, Francis.. wanna be a tour guide ? lol
Janie

 

[beardielover17]

francis, a bit off topic but do you speak tagalog?

 

[Red Ink AUS]

francis, a bit off topic but do you speak tagalog?

Yeah mate, fluent, oral and written as well as another dialect from Central Luzon.

You know.. that would honestly be a great herping trip... Just think what information we could rediscover! Hey, Francis.. wanna be a tour guide ? lol
Janie

No worries mate, I should start booking tours for the Philippines and OZ. ;D

 

[beardielover17]

Yeah mate, fluent, oral and written as well as another dialect from Central Luzon.

nice! i know a little bit here and there...i dated a couple guys who were born there and have many friends that were born there too

 

[Red Ink AUS]

Yeah mate, fluent, oral and written as well as another dialect from Central Luzon.

nice! i know a little bit here and there...i dated a couple guys who were born there and have many friends that were born there too

Nice one mate, I moved to OZ with my family when i was 14 and it's just me and my immediate family here, the rest of them are still there. Last time i was there a was 3 years ago and I actually went near the Sierra Madres region of Isabela and Aurora. Me, the wife and my sister in law (aussies by the way) went to a town called Vigan in the north about 4 hours out of the Sierra Madres (alas no butuaan lol).

Oh and i just remembered the name of that island i was talking about where they where first rediscovered. Its called Polilio island check google to see how far it is in relation to the Sierra madres if you want. I have no doubt that there are more of these monitors out there some where there are 7000+ islands in the Philippines and I reckon that best place to look for them would be south in the big Island called Mindanao. Unfortunately that is pretty much a "no go zone" for westerners it's an extremist strong hold and a base for Jamah Islamiya in South East Asia.

 

[Red Ink AUS]

MASSIVE CORRECTION :-[

Hey guys,

I was wrong the one from the Sierra Madres V. bitatawa is different from the one on Polilio Island which is V. olivaceus. The one from the Sierra Madres is in fact a new species and not the "butuaan" from Polilio Island.

Now I think I will be making a trip in the next few years back to my homeland to see this amazing new monitor.

Again my bad for the mis-information :-[.

 

[zebraflavencs]

Can we come too ??????
Janie

 

[beardielover17]

MASSIVE CORRECTION :-[

Hey guys,

I was wrong the one from the Sierra Madres V. bitatawa is different from the one on Polilio Island which is V. olivaceus. The one from the Sierra Madres is in fact a new species and not the "butuaan" from Polilio Island.

Now I think I will be making a trip in the next few years back to my homeland to see this amazing new monitor.

Again my bad for the mis-information :-[.

its ok we forgive you i would still love to go on a trip though!

 

[zebraflavencs]

2 Years... We can plan for 2 years down the road, riiight ?
Janie

 

[ladyknite]

Francis
Is it expensive for you to travel from your location to there?

 

[Red Ink AUS]

All are welcome to make the trip with me .

Gina,

It's about $800-1300 AUD return depending on the time of the year. The problem would the the logistics of getting into the Sierra Madres, that's quite rough country out there and accomodations are pretty much basic (at most).

 

[crypticdragons]

All are welcome to make the trip with me .

Gina,

It's about $800-1300 AUD return depending on the time of the year. The problem would the the logistics of getting into the Sierra Madres, that's quite rough country out there and accomodations are pretty much basic (at most).

Ill go with you. I go on a 25 mile hump with marines carrying a 70 lb pack once a month lol so im good with hiking. Im down just gotta figure out what itll cost to get there (oh and how to break a trip like that to the wife cause she deffinately wouldnt want to go lol

 

[ladyknite]

I know from here, we actually have to fly into Manilla, then charter from there. I wonder if it would be financially feasible to plan a group trip to OZ? It'd be great to meet a group of people we talk to often.