Vol. 24 (2004), No. 2

CHASING THE MAGIC DRAGON: RESEARCHERS RISK LIFE AND LIMB TO SOLVE THE PUZZLE OF THE KOMODO DRAGON’S IMMUNITY TO ITS OWN DEADLY BACTERIA BY Mark Cheater

F E B R U A RY 2004

V O L U M E 24

TO RESPECT PRIVACY CONCERNS

WEB VERSION

BOBBY ESPINOZA: THE EVOLUTION OF HERBIVORY IN REPTILES AND THE HERPETOFAUNA OF SOUTH AMERICA’S SOUTHERN CONE: NEW DISCOVERIES FROM THE ANDEAN PEAKS TO THE PATAGONIAN STEPPE

INFORMATION

FEBRUARY’S SPEAKER:

EDITED/REMOVED

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE

NU M B E R 2

Board of Directors President Randy Blasus Vice President Tony Gamble Recording Secretary Barb Buzicky Membership Secretary Nancy Haig Treasurer Liz Bosman Newsletter Editor Bill Moss Members at Large Heather Clayton Nancy Hakomaki Mike Bush Jodi L. Aherns

Committees Adoption Sarah Richard Education Jan Larson Library Beth Girard Webmaster Anke Reinders theMHSwebmaster@yahoo.com

Herp Assistance Amphibians Greg Kvanbek John Meltzer John Moriarty Chameleons Vern & Laurie Grassel Crocodilians Jeff Lang Bill Moss Lizards Nancy Haig Large Boas, Pythons Tina Cisewski Other Snakes Jeff Leclere John Meltzer

Bell Museum of Natural History, 10 Church Street Southeast, Minneapolis Minnesota 55455

The Minnesota S o c i

Herpetological e t y

MHS Webpage: http://www.mnher psoc.org MHS Group Email: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/mnherpsoc MHS Voice Mail: 612.624.7065 The Purpose of the Minnesota Herpetological Society is to: • Further the education of the membership and the general public in care and captive propagation of reptiles and amphibians; • Educate the members and the general public in the ecological role of reptiles and amphibians; • Promote the study and conservation of reptiles and amphibians.

The Minnesota Herpetological Society is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization.

Membership is open to all individuals with an interest in amphibians and reptiles. The Minnesota Herpetological Society Newsletter is published monthly to provide its members with information concerning the society’s activities and a media for exchanging information, opinions and resources.

General Meetings are held at Borlaug Hall, Room 335 on the St. Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota, on the first Friday of each month (unless there is a holiday conflict). The meeting starts at 7:00pm and lasts about three hours. Please check the MHS Voice mail for changes in schedules or cancellations.

Submissions to the Newsletter Ads or Notices must be submitted no later than the night of the General Meeting to be included in the next issue. Longer articles will be printed as time and space allows and should be in electronic file format if possible. See inside back cover for ad rates.

Submissions may be sent to: -orThe Minnesota Herpetological Society Bill Moss Attn: Newsletter Editor 75 Geranium Ave East Bell museum of Natural History Saint Paul, MN 55117 10 Church St. SE. -orMinneapolis, MN 55455.0104 mngatorguy@msn.com

Aquatic Turtles John Levell Terrestrial Turtles Fred Bosman John Levell

Copyright 2004, Minnesota Herpetological Society. Except where noted, contents may be reproduced for nonprofit, non-commercial use only. All material must be reproduced without change. Proper credit will be given including the author/photographer and the MHS Newsletter citing: volume, number and date.

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

The Vice-presidents report

By Tony Gamble

February General Meeting Friday, February 6th, 2004, 7:00 PM Program: The Evolution of Herbivory in Reptiles and The Herpetofauna of South America’s Southern Cone: New Discoveries from the Andean Peaks to the Patagonian Steppe Guest Speaker: Bobby Espinoza Robert (“Bobby”) Espinoza grew up in southern California and his earliest childhood memories involve collecting amphibians and reptiles in the fields near his home. In junior high he became a member of the San Diego Herpetological Society where he met herpetologists and hobbyists that shared his interests and opened his eyes to opportunities in the field. He completed his B.S. in Biology at San Diego State University (SDSU) under the mentorship of Dr. Richard Etheridge. While at SDSU he counted among his friends a group of graduate students (Lee Grismer, Brad Hollingsworth, and Jim McGuire) who later became influential herpetologists themselves. He started his dissertation work at Colorado State University, but followed his advisor (C. Richard “Dick” Tracy) when he moved to the University of Nevada, Reno

February 2004

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(UNR) two years later. Aside from completing his Ph.D. at UNR (on the evolution of herbivory in reptiles), Bobby resurrected a valuable yet neglected museum collection of ~8000 specimens including the largest collection of Nevada’s amphibians and reptiles. Bobby spent a year at Carnegie Museum of Natural History conducting postdoctoral research with John Wiens. Together they studied the evolution of herbivory in a group of southern South American lizards (Liolaemidae). Bobby returned to southern California in 2001 to begin his career at California State University, Northridge where he is an Assistant Professor and teaches vertebrate biology and herpetology and continues his research.

Bobby’s research lies at the interface of physiology, behavior, ecology, and evolution and has included both field and laboratory studies. His primary interests lie in thermal biology and the evolution of diet, life-history strategies, and reproductive modes. Most of his research has focused on desert lizards. Another branch of his research focuses specifically on the systematics and biology of liolaemid lizards. For more information, please visit his website at: http://www.csun.edu/~ree7791 4/.

Bobby’s talk will have two broad themes: herbivory in reptiles and the herpetofauna of southern South America.

Although herbivory (plant eating) is common in some verte-

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brate groups, it is rare among both extinct and extant reptiles.

Modern herbivorous reptiles are represented by just a few lineages of chelonians (turtles and tortoises) and lizards. The paucity of modern herbivorous reptiles is a biological enigma that has stimulated considerable discussion and debate for more than 40 years, yet no clear explanation has emerged.

Bobby will provide a synthetic overview of the biology of herbivorous reptiles, focusing on characteristics that distinguish them from their nonherbivorous relatives and how these traits provide both opportunities and challenges to these reptiles.

Bobby will also present a travelogue of the amphibians and reptiles of western Argentina and parts of northern and central Chile. Approximately one third of the 100 or so species in this presentation have not been illustrated in any publication and many are new to science.

Prickly Gecko (Homonota fasciata)

Upcoming meetings: Friday, March 5 th ,

Tony Gamble

2004

White Snake Sale Page 3

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The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

February 2004

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Number 1

News, Notes & Announcements Pet Expo 2004

By Marilyn Brooks Blasus

MHS is going to be attending the 2nd Annual Twin Cities Pet Expo to be held February 28 & 29 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

This is a fantastic opportunity to bring amphibians and reptiles to the hands of thousands and to bring MHS into the eyes of people who do not even know we exist. Last year’s attendance exceeded everyone’s expectation and they are estimating 15,000 attendees (double last year) in 2004.

We have the room for many volunteers to help out each day. This is a typical hands-on where the public will file by and touch the animals and ask questions. One thing to be aware of – there will be a lot of people throughout the day and you will hear the same question a zillion times. Even so, brush up on specifics about your animal since there may be a few intriguing questions that require more than the typical reply of, “if it has a mouth, it can bite.”

Due to the nature of this event, we will need a four hour commitment, minimum, from volunteers. You will get a break to check out the rest of the show. Shifts are as follows: Saturday: 9 AM to 1 PM, 11 AM to 3 PM, 1 PM to 5 PM, and 3 PM to 7 PM or All Day. Sunday: 9 AM to 1 PM, 11 AM to 3 PM and 2 PM to 6 PM or All Day. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to leave this open for people to randomly show up or not. We will need to provide a list of volunteers.

If you are not absolutely sure that you will be able to attend, make Page 4

sure to let us know this when signing up.

January Adoption Committee Report

If you are interested in helping, please contact Jan Larson at Sign up sheet will be available at the Feb. 6th meeting. A packet with

by Sarah Richard, Adoption Chair

maps and information will be mailed to those who sign up. If you have other questions or ideas, please contact Marilyn Blasus at or Michelle Hewitt

2003 MHS Photo Contest The annual MHS photo contest is coming up in March and entries are due at the February meeting.

We had a good start to the year with 9 animals coming in and 5 animals being placed.

If anyone is interested in Iguanas please contact Jamie at paja0006@umn.edu We have a total of 10 Iguanas in foster waiting for homes. We also have a couple of Red eared sliders that need permanent homes.

Once again I would like to send out a personal thanks to all of you that find room in your hearts and homes for our rescues. Without you we would not have a program.

The catagories are Photo -Herps with People Photo -Herps in a Natural Setting Photo -Miscellaneous Herps Kids 16 and under - any medium.

Art - any medium.

January Raffle Donors

The photos must be no larger that 8”x10”. If matted, the total mat size can be no larger than 11”x14”

Marilyn and Randy Blasus Socks and Sculptures

The photos are due by the February meeting (unless other arrangements are made), the art work may be brought to the March meeting but the Photo Contest Chair must be informed of it by the February meeting.

The Photo Contest Chair person is Amanda Jaeger, mannapanna@comcast.net.

Thanks to the following people for generously donating to the monthly raffle:

Dave Asleson Reptiles Magazine Philip Woutat Sea Turtle Barette, Sea Turtle Hair Fork Cheri Sasse Stuffed Frog MHS Unlisted

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

JANUARY REVIEW

SPEAKER

by Barb Buzicky

Speaker:

Jeanine Refsnider

Program: Trials and Tribulations of Turtle Tracking Jeanine Refsnider is a graduate student in Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota, and she is working on a study about Blanding’s Turtles (emydoidea blandingii) hatchlings. She is a MHS grant recipient which funds helped to sponsor her study with the Blanding’s turtles. In her talk tonight, she gave us much information about the study along with the problems of working w i t h the animals and the techniques used during the study.

Blanding’s turtles should be very easy to be recognized as they have a bright yellow patch under their throats from the tip of the nose down to the shell on the under side of their necks.

Their habitat requirements range from wetland complexes to upland prairie sites.

In the wetlands, they can be found feeding and basking in shallow, calm protected areas. Over the winters, they will go to the deeper sections of wetlands for hibernation. In the upland prairie sites, they use these areas for nesting since they are open and have some vegetation which is not too dense for cover. They like loose soil that is well-drained which is necessary so the eggs won’t rot in the ground.

The Blanding’s Turtle can be found

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in the upper Midwest, and a small population can be found in Nova Scotia. Throughout this area, there can be found other scattered and isolated populations. The Blanding’s Turtle is in a sharp decline due to wetland destruction and drainage along with nesting sites.

Further, roads are being built continually through their habitat which contributes to the fragmentation of the populations. There has been an increase in road mortality of nesting females and the migrating hatchlings which adds to the low rate of reproduction. Females lay about 20 eggs per year which are victims from the start due to nest predators eating the eggs.

The turtles do have great longevity about eighty years, but when hatchlings don’t survive the population is not increased.

Jeanine’s research objectives for her study are to predict population, create habitat management plans, and to determine the boundaries of the Blanding’s Turtles for the MN DNR. Predicting population refers to the size, annual recruitment, habitat availability, and the annual road rate of mortality. The habitat management plans will be for the Three Rivers Park District. She is studying two populations in this district, Ben Crook Park Reserve in Prior Lake and Murphy-Hanrahan Park Reserve in Scott County.

She has focused on the southwestern marsh area of the reserve, but the turtles do travel out of the park.

The northern area of the reserve is quite heavily forested with trees.

There is some development of roads in the area and some are left open,

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and the turtles use both of these areas for their activities.

The general methodologies used for tracking hatchlings are markrecapture study, track adults and hatchlings, and genetic analysis.

Mark and recapture studies is a common method for estimating population size. There are several methods for capturing the turtles using hoop net traps, basking nets, and underwater tube traps. Or, they can just be picked up off the ground or from their basking sites.

Tracking adults and hatchlings contribute to estimating annual reproduction. This process uses radio or satellite telemetry, paint marks on shells, reflective tape, and carapace marking methods using notches on the shells corresponding to a numbering system for documentation. Fluorescent powder was also used, but it wore off very quickly so it didn’t yield much information. Genetic analysis contributes information on merging populations e.g. turtles communing with other isolated populations in other areas inside or outside of the reserve. Upon capture, a small portion of the trail is snipped for microscopic and testing analysis.

Following telemetry signals incorporates many factors from precise location to guestimation.

Researchers use triangulation for locating a signal by using a compass and making a triangle. The turtle should be somewhere within the triangle. When homing in on the signal, the sound gets louder and louder the closer the researcher becomes to the animal. speaker......continued on page 8 Page 5

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

February 2004

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Minnesota Herpetological Society 2003 YEAR-END Treasurer’s Reports

Page 6

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

February 2004

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Page 7

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

speaker........ continued from page 5

This is mostly helpful when tracking over land. When tracking in water, satellite telemetry or reflective tape is the most beneficial. Whichever method is used for tracking or capture, it takes many hours to track and find turtles for these studies.

February 2004

clutch size was 16.2, the average number of eggs hatched was 15.2, the average hatching success was 91.9%, and the total surviving number of hatchlings was 60. During the year 2002, the research group artificially watered the nests due to the lack of precipitation that season. They were worried that the eggs would just dry up and never hatch. The movement patterns yielded some good information as the turtles on average would use 23 wetland areas during their active season.

In the over-wintering process, the turtles used another area for this purpose, generally deeper into the park. About 50% of the turtles made nests within the park, these nesting forays can last from 4-9 days. Approximately 50% of the turtles made their nests in unsuitable areas, and the favored area for nesting was the burned grasslands. Females exhibit high nest-site fidelity, and predator caging around the nests reduced predation down to zero. The hatchlings emerge from the nests directly after a precipitation event. The Murphy-Hanrahan population has a 5% road mortality rate.

Blanding’s turtles have several bad habits that contribute to their destruction. For example, the first is at the nesting site. The turtles urinate on the soil to loosen it for digging and laying their eggs. After the eggs are laid; the soil has the urine scent which marks the location for nest predators. So the eggs are lost sometimes right after laying.

The other example is the nest site itself. Sometimes the turtles choose the shoulder of roads as the soil is loose which makes digging easy.

The eggs are destroyed by cars, motorcycles, ATV’s, and bicycles, since there is no way to know if a turtle has laid her eggs by the side of the road. Placing a nest in the middle of a horse path also has its consequences. When out on the study and Jeanine’s group located these nests, the eggs were dug up and hatched in laboratories. Later, the hatchlings were re-introduced NOTE: If you want to become back into the habitat which saved involved with this study, volunteers many turtles. are being sought for the year’s work. Helpers will be assembled in Preliminary results of her studies May with the actual work being between the two sites followed thir- done this June (2004). Please email if teen turtles. At the Murphy site, Jeanine at: refsnij@umn.edu the incubation period was 83.3 you want to work with the group. days, clutch size was 16.8, the aver- This would be a great opportunity to age numbers of eggs hatched 12.1, get some field work experience. average hatching success 73.9%, total surviving number of hatchlings 122. From the Elm site, the incubation period was 76 days, Page 8

Volume 24

MHS BOARD REVIEW

Number 2

MEETING

January 10, 2004

by Barb Buzicky, Recording Secretary

The Board Meeting was called to order at 6: PM CST. The Meeting was held this month at the Open Book located at 1011 Washington Ave. S. Room 208.

All Board Members were present except Nancy Haig. Non-Board Members present were Fred Bosman, Matt Knott, George and Sarah Richard, Jeff LeClere, and Marilyn Blasus.

Minutes from the February, 2003, meeting were submitted for review at the next meeting. Minutes from the November 8, 2003, meeting were approved.

Treasurer’s Report for November and December, 2003, were approved.

Membership Report for October, November, and December 2003, were approved.

General Meeting attendance for December 5, 2003, was 132.

General Meeting attendance for January 9, 2004, was 123.

President’s Report: Randy welcomed all new and returning board members back for another year. He read the handout for the Board Development Series, and he wants all members to read and participate in the process of development. He reviewed and passed out a handout on MHS Board duties by officer title and general meeting protocol. Mike Bush and Liz Bosman received Board Books from previous officers. Book sales in December were 28 soft cover and 6 hard cover which netted $66 profit.

Vice-President Report: February Speaker—- Bob Espanoza from the U of Nevada on Southern South America March—-White Snake Sale

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

April—Walt Sadinski from USGS, ARMI Project May——TBD June—-Noah Anderson, Louisiana Herps Committee Reports: Sarah Richard submitted Annual Adoption Report, 170 animals placed in 2003. Foster volunteer housing is always needed, contact Sarah. Adoption funds are used for Vet and Feed expenses for adoption animals. Motion moved and approved to strike funds as listed already in Treasurer’s Report. Motion moved and approved to accept Adoption Committee Year End Report. Grants handout passed, discussion tabled until next meeting.

Old Business: Volunteer hours are due to be turned in to Randy asap.

Award gift discussion tabled until next meeting. Board contact list handed out. Banquet Results- 70 people attended, financial situation funds broke even. Pet Expo handout passed, space paid for $300, parking to be reimbursed

by MHS for volunteers, estimated expenses discussed, moved and approved $450 for expenses.

New Business: Year End Treasurer’s Report passed out and discussed, Board moved and approved report.

White Snake Sale—room reserved, donations needed for items, volunteers are needed to haul cages for donations.

Adoption Surrender Forms ordered, Board moved and approved $72 for 2 boxes. Any ideas for the website, contact Anke R. MHS books audit, Marilyn Blasus and Michelle Hewitt volunteers.

Round robin for drink preference at meetings as MHS supplies soft drinks. MHS received a Christmas card from the Animal Humane Society located in Coon Rapids. Handout on 2004 Board meeting dates passed out.

Meeting adjourned at 7:54 PM CST. §

February 2004

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Year End Adoption Report 2003 Below is a chart with the last two years of data for the Adoption program by month. I only started tracking dollars brought in last year so I do not have the monthly breakdown for 2002. It is available as part of the treasurers report if anyone is really interested. Below the Chart is the list of animals, by type.

Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan

2002 8 14 23 33 21 10 20 82 10 40 12 4

2003 14 13 16 14 5 26 15 14 20 9 10 14

YTD 02 277 269 255 232 199 178 168 148 66 56 16 4

Following is a list of the animals placed through the society last year.

Alligator:2 Ameiva:1 Anaconda:1 Anole:4 Armadillo Lizard:1 Asian Water Monitor:1 Ball Python:7 Bearded Dragon:2 Boa:16 Bull Frog:1 Bull Snake:1 Burmese Python:11 Caimen:1 Chameleon, Jacksons:1 Corn Snake:7 Curly tail Lizard:1 Garter Snake:1 Gecko, Bibrons:1 Gecko, Leopard:9 Hog nose snake:3 Honduran milk Snake:1 Iguana:32 King Snake:6 Mt Horned Dragon:2 Nile Monitor:2 Black rat Snake:1 Savannah Monitor:1 Sinaloan Milk Snake:1 Skink, Prehensile tail:1 Toad, American:1 Tortoise, Russian:3 Tortoise, Sulcatta:8 Tiger Salamander:3 Tree Frog:2 Turtle, Box:8 Turtle, leaf:1

YTD 03 170 156 143 127 113 108 82 67 53 33 24 14

Monthly $ YTD Total $ 133 1750 60 1617 210 1557 100 1347 35 1247 220 1212 105 992 265 887 215 622 115 407 142 292 150 150

Turtle, Cooter:2 Turtle, Mud:2 Turtle,African side neck:1 Turtle, So Amer wood:1 Turtle, Cent Amer wood:1 Turtle, Painted:9 Turtle, Red eared slider:12 Turtle, Snapping:1 Uromastix:1 Water Dragon:4 Hope you enjoy this info at least as much as I did putting it together.

Everyone in the society helps out the Adoption program. Some, just by being one of the 500 members mentioned every time someone calls to inquire how we place the animal they want to bring in.

Some of you by buying raffle tickets and taking the stuff that comes in with the animals. Some help me unload my van every month to get the animals in. Some give up their break to help decide where to place the animals. Those of you that adopt, Those of you that foster, The Vet students who are learning about reptiles through the Thurs night program, The Vets that have helped me All the people I have called to go out and pick up animals But I would like to give a special THANK YOU to Jamie, Liz, Bill, Mark, Randy, Ken and last but not least George. Without these people I really wouldn't be able to keep doing this. Next time you see them could you thank them for me?

Sarah Richard Page 9

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

National Widlife — August September 2003, By Mark Cheater

Chasing The Magic Dragon: Researchers Risk Life And Limb To Solve The Puzzle Of The Komodo Dragon’s Immunity To Its Own Deadly Bacteria

Luis Cruz stalks his prey carefully.

Armed only with a crocodile noose—a 15-foot plastic pole with a lasso at the end—the park ranger is trying to capture the world’s largest lizard, a Komodo dragon.

Though it doesn’t breathe fire, this dragon is still a fearsome beast: more than seven feet in length and weighing more than 150 pounds, with fleshslicing serrated teeth, a whiplike tail that can snap bones and a top running speed of nearly 20 miles per hour. Dragons are voracious carnivores that regularly kill and eat animals more than five times larger than Cruz.

But the scaly, gray-green reptile isn’t thinking about making a meal of Cruz on this hot, sunny morning at Indonesia’s Komodo National Park. It just wants to be left alone.

So it shuffles away under the palm trees as the ranger approaches.

But, with a deft movement, Cruz slips the lasso over the reptile’s head. A half-dozen of Cruz’s colleagues move in quickly to help immobilize the dragon, tying its legs with thick nylon cord and wrapping duct tape around its snout.

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Fredeking wants to know, why don’t they kill the dragon itself? Does the lizard have some natural antibody in its blood—one that can be harnessed for human health?

“We don’t understand how they survive their own bacteria,” says Fredeking. “We think the dragon holds the secret in its immune system.”

When the reptile is subdued, Terry Fredeking and Putra Sastrawan move in. Fredeking is the founder of Antibody Systems, Inc., a Texas biotechnology firm. Sastrawan is a biologist at Udayana University in Bali, Indonesia, and one of the world’s leading experts on dragons.

Fredeking has enlisted the help of Sastrawan and several other scientists and reptile experts, along with the Komodo park rangers, to help him solve a mystery about these reptiles. The puzzle revolves around the stew of bacteria in the dragon’s thick, copious saliva—bacteria virulent enough to infect and kill deer, goats, water buffalo and other creatures unfortunate enough to get bitten by the drooling reptile. If these microbes can kill other animals,

The magic immunity is just one of many mysteries about the Komodo dragon.

Despite its imposing presence, the dragon (technically, a monitor lizard, and not a mythical monster) was unknown to Western science until 1912. That was when Peter Ouwens, a zoo director in what was then Dutch-ruled Java, examined specimens collected by a hunter and published the first scientific paper describing the species. Many of the creatures were captured in subsequent decades and sent to zoos around the world. But the lizard remained little studied in its natural habitat until 1969, when Walter Auffenberg, a biologist at the University of Florida, set up a camp on Komodo Island.

Assisting Auffenberg with his research was a young volunteer from Bali, Putra Sastrawan, who had just finished his studies in animal husbandry. Sastrawan knew lit-

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

tle about the dragons initially and volunteered for the assignment partly because no one else in his college class was willing to take on the challenge. But Sastrawan quickly learned to respect these creatures.

Soon after he arrived on Komodo, he was helping the American scientist measure the head of a young dragon they had captured. The animal moved suddenly and creased Auffenberg’s thumb with its teeth, “and he bled like hell—like he was cut with a razor blade,” Sastrawan recalls.

Sastrawan spent nearly a year on Komodo helping Auffenberg, and subsequently made the creature his life’s work. He has spent many months in the field observing the dragon’s habits, and what Sastrawan finds most intriguing is the creature’s brain power. “This is a smart animal—very intelligent,” Sastrawan says. “It usually knows what paths the deer use to go up and down a hill. The dragon just waits by the trail acting like a log, when the deer comes, he grabs it by the hind foot.”

Often the lizard will kill and dismember its prey on the spot. The commotion of a kill and the smell of blood will bring other drooling dragons out from hiding to join in the feast, and little is left to waste— entrails, hoofs and hides included.

“The animal looks lazy, but it is not,” Sastrawan says. “Once they smell blood, they go crazy.”

But the dragon does not always kill its prey on the spot. Particularly with larger prey such as buffalo, “they just take a little bite, follow the trail of blood, and two or three days later

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find it dead,” Sastrawan says.

Why does the animal die so soon after being bitten by the dragon, often from just a single bite? “The rumor is that the Komodo dragon is a poisonous animal, just like a snake. But it is not poisonous,” says Sastrawan. “It is due to the fact that quite a bit of microbes live in the saliva.”

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unlike captive reptiles in Western zoos, have never had contact with antibiotics. He got in touch with Sastrawan, asking for advice and help in securing the necessary permits and cooperation from Indonesian officials and rangers.

After long months of effort, he received government approval.

Then the Texan assembled a team of reptile experts from three U.S. zoos and a doctor specializing in emergency medicine, and took them and their equipment to Indonesia. They met Sastrawan in Bali, then journeyed by plane and boat to the island of Komodo, 300 miles east.

It was these microbes that got Terry Fredeking interested in Komodo dragons. The businessman from Hurst, Texas, was looking for new, naturally occurring antibiotics that his company might be able to isolate and manufacture for human use.

Cruz and his fellow rangers, who have plenty of experience dealing “We started looking at various crea- with wild dragons, were put in tures like vultures, that eat decaying charge of capturing the beasts. flesh and therefore have lots of bac- Fredeking had trapped Mexican teria in their mouths,” Fredeking bats and Tasmanian devils before, recalls. “We asked, what protects so he knew the difficulties of catchthem from the bacteria?” One of ing wild animals. But with Komodo Fredeking’s scientific advisors at the dragons, he got more than he barUniversity of Texas, George gained for. “The first time we put a Stewart, read papers by Auffenberg noose over a dragon’s head, he and others about how Komodo went crazy,” Fredeking recalls. dragons often kill prey by infecting “There was an eight-foot-long, 150them—yet the dragons themselves pound dragon flopping like a are immune. tunafish in an aluminum boat. All that thrashing brought other drag“Vultures don’t have teeth,” ons, and they came running out of Fredeking says. “But dragons do, the woods at us. It was more excitand that’s what sold me. Because ing than a cavalry charge!” the dragons’ teeth come through and tear their gums and they bleed. Fortunately for Fredeking’s team, They have direct exposure to bacte- rangers chased the other dragons ria every time they eat.” away while they worked on the captured reptile. Sastrawan used cotton To discover the secret to the drag- swabs to gather saliva samples on’s immunity, Fredeking needed to from the dragons’ taped mouth analyze samples of the reptile’s while another team member, Don blood and saliva—preferably sam- Gillespie (a herpetologist now with ples from wild dragons, which, the Nashville zoo), drew blood with Page 11

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

February 2004

a syringe from veins in the dragon’s Unfortunately, scientists haven’t tail. been able to determine what that something is. “We’re still working on The team took samples from more defining what molecule is in than two dozen different wild drag- Komodo dragon blood that appears ons during several trips to Komodo to be antibacterial,” says Andy in the late 1990s. “This is a damn Salzman of Inotek Pharmaceuticals hard job,” says Sastrawan. “You in Beverly, Massachusetts, who is have to catch, tie, measure, take now trying to identify the substance blood—it’s very hard. The other for Fredeking. “We’ve tested this hard thing is to release them once molecule on various things. We we’re done. You count—one, two, know its size and structure, but we three—and everyone releases the don’t know what it is.” creature at the same time and runs away, and hopes the dragon runs “We’ve had this around three differthe other way.” ent labs to find out what the heck it is,” says Fredeking. “Until we identiFredeking brought the dragon sam- fy it, we can’t clone it. It’s been ples back to the States with him for going on for three years at high analysis. Stewart and his col- cost. I’m getting frustrated—and it’s leagues at the University of Texas economically draining. I should looked at the saliva, and found 57 have quit two years ago, but I’ve got different strains of bacteria growing this curiosity—I have to find out there. The most interesting type what the heck this is.” was called Pasteurella multocida.

“Normally it takes about three days So the mystery of the Komodo dragfor a sample of P. multocida to cover on’s immunity—a puzzle that Luis a petri dish,” says Fredeking. “Ours Cruz, Sastrawan, Fredeking and took eight hours. We were very many others have labored over and taken aback by how virulent these perhaps even risked their lives for— strains were.” remains unsolved.

So were the laboratory mice injected with saliva containing the bacteria. All died within four days of receiving the infusion of the microbe-laden saliva.

“Maybe the dragons are just genetically not susceptible to bacteria,” Fredeking muses. “If so, we might be able to transplant their genes into humans. But then,” he adds, laughing, “we’d have to worry about But the dragons are unaffected by people turning green and growing the deadly bacteria in their saliva. tails and eating their dogs!”

Also, Stewart and his colleagues found, the blood samples taken HerpDigest V4#17 from the dragons neutralize P. multocida—so there must be something in the reptiles’ blood that protects them.

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Number 2

Remember March is the Annual White Snake Sale!!

This is a huge fundraiser for the MHS and your donations and bids are invaluable to our success.

Wanted: Chair for the annual White Snake Sale Duties include coordinating volunteers, sales and database to efficiently move merchandise to new owners.

Interested volunteers for this position please contact the President Randy Blasus

MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY BELL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 10 CHURCH STREET SE MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55455-0104

Non-Profit Rate U.S. Postage PAID Mpls, MN Permit No. 2275

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

POSTMASTER: PLEASE DELIVER BY FEBRUARY 3

Next Meeting: Friday, February 6, 2004 7:00PM Room 335 Borlaug Hall, U of M St. Paul Campus

MHS Voice Mail: 612.624.7065

MHS Web Page: www.mnherpsoc.org