Tuesday, July 19, 2011

1930's London Zoo #8

(TO BE CONTINUED)
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Posted by Buckles at 7/19/2011 06:03:00 AM

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I thought these things were nasty?
cc

19 July, 2011 07:23
Anonymous said...

Jesus! The komodo dragon's mouth is a veritable toxic bacterial breeding ground -- it's how they kill. They bite their prey, it runs off to die from the effects of the bacterial infection and then the dragon finds the carcass or dying animal and proceeds to eat. You're right -- kids must have been more expendable back then.

Bill Schreiber

19 July, 2011 09:04
Anonymous said...

I agree, especially with Bill. This is the most insane photo I've seen in a long time.
Capital Nasty, Capital Toxic.

Paul G.

19 July, 2011 10:53
J C Hall said...

I believe this young gal is wise in the way of the Komodo.However I have been in a situation where I needed someone to help me turn this S.O.B. loose.

19 July, 2011 19:45
Anonymous said...

Sharon Stone's ex-husband was bit by such a beast, in a zoo setting. never read anything about him getting sick, etc. Is the bacteria-laden mouth story the result of eating "food" already contaminated by such, with feeding in zoos producing less resident nasties?

20 July, 2011 08:57
Richard Reynolds said...

It is now thought that the terrible bacteria in the Komodo‘s bite is not present in captive animals. The zoo lizards get fresh,uncontaminated food - - not the rotten, decaying flesh they consume in the heat of their native island land. That is what leads to the bacterial growth.

There are many photos of Komodos with humans in zoos, including several of children with them. Of course,some of them are very aggressive

Komodos are unlike any other reptile in demonstrating a playful interaction with humans and with “toys” in their enclosures. They are much more intelligent than other lizards, though some of the crocodiles are up there as well.

For many years, Komodos arriving in captivity were infested with parasites which caused their early demise, making them one of the rarest zoo animals in the world.

Nowadays, they reproduce readily and have become rather commonplace zoo animals. Amazingly, the female can develop fertile eggs by parthenogenesis, meaning asexual reproduction with no fertilization by a male. That is common in lower animals but not so in a creature as sophisticated as a Komodo dragon.

James B. Murphy and Trooper Walsh wrote a fine paper “Dragons and Humans” published in the Herpetological Review in 2006. It has many photos of the sort shown on the blog.

20 July, 2011 11:18
Wendy said...

This isn't a circus photo. It is from Regent Park Zoo London. It is a picture of my Mum. It feels quite strange to find our family photos on the Internet.

09 September, 2013 06:36

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