86. A DOGGONE DISCOVERY

from TrulyAus – August-September 2023

THE GHOST IN AUSTRALIAN WATERS

Dog or dingo? New research suggests that dingoes have far less dog ancestry than previously thought, changing how we view the species and conservation efforts.

A Discovery Of Dragons

In South Australia, four new species of sand dragon lizards have been discovered.

Dr Daniel Edwards, the curator of terrestrial vertebrates at The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, is responsible for finding and identifying these animals.

The lizards, which belong to the Ctenophorus family, have all been given Indigenous names: they are the tjakalpa, kartiwarrui, ibiri and the tuniluki lizards. Tjakalpa is the Indigenous name for the Great Victorian Desert, where that lizard was first identified. Kartiwarrui means red-backed lizard in the Dieri language, and is located in the Strzelecki Desert. Ibiri is a Bangarla term meaning ‘small lizard’, and tuniluki means ‘sand lizard’ in the Ngarrindejeri language.

The search for these newly identified species began back in 2008, when Daniel and Mark Hutchinson from the South Australian Museum began wondering if more sand dragon species may exist in the wild.

At the beginning of their studies, only

Positive prevention

Scientists are calling for an end to unnecessary vitamin D testing in children. According to research from Macquarie University, blood tests for vitamin D deficiency have become 30 times more common over the last 15 years. However, this hasn’t led to an increase in detection. The university is instead suggesting that children take supplements to ensure essential nutrients are being delivered to their body, rather than continuing with these invasive and costly tests.

Vitamin D deficiency is a serious condition, putting children at risk of nutritional rickets and fatal diseases within the first 12 months of their life. To prevent this, the current global measure recommends children receive vitamin D supplements over their first year of life. However, the use of these supplements rapidly declines after the first year.

In a study carried out by Macquarie University, 46,960 children had their blood tested for the level of vitamin D. Researchers found that while rates of testing have become 30 times greater since 2003, the chance of detecting deficiency has remained roughly the same. As such, the experts are pushing for prevention over testing, arguing that by encouraging the continued use of vitamin D supplements for children, rates of vitamin D deficiency will decrease, while also reducing the cost and resources associated with testing for this illness.

three species were known to exist. Now, they have found a total of 11 species, including the four previously completely unknown to science. Interestingly, each of the lizard species can be identified due to differences in colour and markings. They also differ based on their environment. Daniel is excited about the scientific and environmental insights these lizards can offer about the Australian ecosystem.

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