Cambridge role in chameleon discovery

The newly discovered chameleon (Kinyongia magomberae), found by conservation zoologist Trevor Jones in the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania.

News - Academia/Research
Written by News Desk
Tuesday, 05 January 2010 10:32

A new species of chameleon discovered in Tanzania has been identified and named by a team of life science experts including Anglia Ruskin University Research Fellow Trevor Jones.

Conservation zoologist Trevor was the first to photograph the newly-named ‘Magombera’ chameleon when he spotted it walking on the inside of his tent.

He was camped in the Mwanihana forest, in the Udzungwa Mountains of south-central Tanzania, studying endangered monkeys, and knew that there was no species of its kind reported from that site.

One year later, Dr Andrew Marshall, from the University of York, also spotted the reptile while surveying monkeys in another forest, the Magombera Forest, when he disturbed a tree snake eating one. The specimen was collected and tested and compared to others found in East Africa.

The study that followed included Dr Marshall and researchers from the Meseo Tridentino di Scienze Naturali, the South African National Biodiversity Institute, Anglia Ruskin University and the University of Stellenbosch.

Anglia Ruskin University’s Faculty of Science & Technology’s life sciences team has also been instrumental in the discovery of a new species of monkey and elephant-shrew, both in Tanzania.

The chameleon has been named Kinyongia magomberae (the Magombera chameleon). It was named after the second forest it was discovered in, to highlight this unprotected and highly threatened site. It is hoped that the naming of the chameleon will help to convince the government to give further protection to the area.

The Magombera discovery brings the total of known chameleon species to 161. Chameleons are a specialised group of lizards that often have the ability to change colours and are known for their dinosaur-like heads and parrot-like feet. The new species is most easily distinguished from its closest relatives by a very small and immobile horn-like appendage on the end of its nose.

Trevor Jones is a conservation zoologist who has worked on a wide range of mammals and birds in East Africa and Europe. Since 2002, he has carried out ecological research, monitoring and training in the biodiverse forests of the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania.

From 2002-2004, he habituated a group of endemic Sanje mangabeys, and completed the first systematic study of their ecology and behaviour. In 2004, during an exhibition searching for unconfirmed populations of mangabeys, he instead discovered one of the two known populations of ‘kipunji’, Africa’s first new monkey species for 20 years.

http://www.businessweekly.co.uk/2010010536020/academia/research/cambridge-role-in-chameleon-discovery.html

Firefighters battle blaze, and many, many pythons

Firefighters trying to control a trailer fire in southern Utah discovered they had an unexpected further problem to contend with: lots of snakes.

Tom Phillips

Kristeen Checketts, the animal control officer in St. George, Utah, said there were about 19 pet pythons in the trailer when it caught fire Thursday morning at a park for recreational vehicles.

Once the fire was put out, Checketts and firefighters began pulling out snake after snake - most of them in cages, and some up to 18 feet (5.5 meters) long.

Checketts says 11of the reptiles survived, according to The Spectrum newspaper.

The snakes' owner tried to revive another by massaging it and blowing into its mouth through a plastic pipe.

Fire Captain Jason Whipple says the accidental fire started with a heat lamp in one of the snake cages.

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/807709-firefighters-battle-blaze-and-many-many-pythons

Couple taped up tortoises to smuggle into Britain

A couple kept seven wild tortoises in a hotel room while holidaying on a Greek island then tried to smuggle them into the UK, a court heard today.

Published: 3:54PM GMT 04 Jan 2010

Herpetologist Michael Mates and his partner Carol Wormley, both 42 and from Walthamstow, east London, returned from Corfu with the animals hidden in luggage, magistrates in Harlow, Essex, were told.

Both were ordered to carry out unpaid work and banned from keeping reptiles for 10 years after admitting breaking laws designed to protect wildlife.

Prosecutor Angela Hughes said the Hermann's Tortoises had been taken from their natural habitat in Corfu then packed in bags and suitcases. She said one was taped to stop it moving around.

Miss Hughes said the couple kept the creatures in a hotel room before taking them on to a plane and flying to Stansted.

She told the court that both were arrested when they landed at the airport in July.

Magistrates were told that Gates was a herpetologist who had a collection of reptiles.

Jeremy Sirrell, for Gates, said his client had been trying to rescue the tortoises after seeing them treated cruelly and had not intended to sell them.

Mr Sirrell said while on holiday Gates had picked up tortoises he saw being kicked around by boys, then bought more from a ''woman selling flowers''.

He said Gates had been ''stupid'' by deciding to bring the tortoises home instead of going through proper channels.

David Dadds, for Wormley, said his client had ''gone along'' with Gates' wishes and had not understood that what she was doing was wrong.

Gates, who worked as a driver, admitted causing unnecessary suffering, failing to ensure animals' needs were met and transporting live animals taken from the wild. He was ordered to carrying out 150 hours of unpaid work. Wormley, who worked in the retail industry, admitted failing to ensure animals' needs were met and transporting live animals taken from the wild. She was ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/6932083/Couple-taped-up-tortoises-to-smuggle-into-Britain.html