Satwa endemik komodo (Varanus komodoensis) terlihat di Pulau Komodo, Taman Nasional Komodo, Manggarai Barat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Selasa (29/11/2010). Taman Nasional Komodo menjadi salah satu dari 28 finalis New 7 Wonders of Nature.
KOMPAS.com — Para peneliti dari University of Alberta, Kanada, mencoba mencari hubungan misterius antara tulang-tulang kadal purba yang ditemukan di Afrika dengan kadal terbesar yang ada di Indonesia saat ini, yakni komodo (Varanus komodoensis).
Ahli biologi Alison Murray dan Rob Holmes menyatakan, bentuk yang unik fosil vertebrata Afrika berusia 33 juta tahun ini berkaitan dengan komodo yang diduga sudah ada sejak sekitar 700.000 tahun lalu. "Fosil Afrika ditemukan di gurun. Fosil ini dipastikan merupakan kadal dengan genus Varanus. Ada lebih dari 50 spesies dengan genus Varanus yang hidup hingga kini, termasuk komodo dan kadal besar lainnya," kata Holmes.
Holmes mengatakan, fosil vertebrata yang ditemukan di Afrika merupakan kadal sepanjang sekitar 1,5 meter yang dapat berenang. Varanus purba ini ditemukan di daerah yang sebelumnya merupakan dasar sungai atau danau kecil. Fosil ini dapat menjadi petunjuk kunci perpindahan nenek moyang ke sisi lain dunia.
"Apakah hewan ini hidup di air atau daratan sekitarnya, kami tidak tahu. Tapi, kami tahu bahwa beberapa spesies modern Varanus nyaman dengan berenang di air bersih," ujar Holmes.
"Dari sekitar 100 juta tahun lalu hingga 12 juta tahun lalu, Afrika terisolasi, dikelilingi lautan. Tapi, hewan-hewan berhasil keluar dari Afrika pada periode itu," tutur Murray. Namun, para peneliti sepakat berenang tidak akan membawa kadal Afrika sampai ke Indonesia.
Murray mengatakan, salah satu teori yang belum terbukti tentang cara Varanus keluar dari Afrika adalah bahwa selama jutaan tahun ada daratan kecil atau lempeng mikro yang ditinggali aneka fauna, yang bergerak dari satu tempat ke tempat lainnya. Dengan pergerakan daratan kecil inilah, kemungkinan satwa yang ada di Afrika bermigrasi ke berbagai belahan dunia, termasuk Indonesia.
Di Indonesia, komodo dapat ditemukan di Pulau Komodo, Rinca, Flores, dan Gili Motang. Komodo merupakan salah satu satwa yang dilindungi. International Union for Conservation of Nature mengategorikan komodo sebagai satwa yang terancam punah. Diperkirakan ada 4.000 hingga 5.000 komodo yang hidup di alam bebas. Namun, diperkirakan hanya ada 350 komodo betina yang subur. (National Geographic Indonesia/Raras Cahyafitri)
Similar Africa Ancient Lizard Fossil Park
Species endemic to the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) looks on Komodo Island, Komodo National Park, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, on Tuesday (29/11/2010). Komodo National Park became one of 28 finalists the New 7 Wonders of Nature.
KOMPAS.com - Researchers from the University of Alberta, Canada, trying to find the mysterious relationship between the bones of ancient lizard found in Africa with the largest lizard found in Indonesia today, the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis).
Biologists Alison Murray and Rob Holmes stated, a unique form of vertebrate fossils 33 million years old Africa is associated with dragons are believed to have existed since about 700,000 years ago. "The fossil was found in the deserts of Africa. The fossil was confirmed a lizard with the genus Varanus. There are more than 50 species of the genus Varanus are living today, including dragons and other large lizards," said Holmes.
Holmes said the vertebrate fossils found in Africa is about 1.5 meters long lizard who can swim. These ancient Varanus are found in the area and was previously a small lake or river bottom. This fossil may be a key clue progenitor migration to the other side of the world.
"Are these animals live in water or surrounding land, we do not know. But, we know that some modern species of Varanus comfortable with a swim in clean water," said Holmes.
"Of the approximately 100 million years ago until 12 million years ago, Africa is isolated, surrounded by the ocean. But, the animals made it out of Africa during this period," said Murray. However, the researchers agreed not to swim will take lizards of Africa to Indonesia.
Murray said one of an unproven theory about how Varanus out of Africa is that over millions of years there are small or micro-plates mainland inhabited by a variety of fauna, which moves from one place to another. With this small land movements, the possibility of animals living in Africa have migrated to various parts of the world, including Indonesia.
In Indonesia, Komodo dragons can be found on the island of Komodo, Rinca, Flores and Gili Motang. Komodo is one of the protected animals. International Union for Conservation of Nature to categorize dragons as a species threatened with extinction. It is estimated there are 4,000 to 5,000 Komodo dragons living in the wild. However, it is estimated there are 350 dragons only fertile females. (National Geographic Indonesia / Raras Cahyafitri
KOMPAS.com - Researchers from the University of Alberta, Canada, trying to find the mysterious relationship between the bones of ancient lizard found in Africa with the largest lizard found in Indonesia today, the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis).
Biologists Alison Murray and Rob Holmes stated, a unique form of vertebrate fossils 33 million years old Africa is associated with dragons are believed to have existed since about 700,000 years ago. "The fossil was found in the deserts of Africa. The fossil was confirmed a lizard with the genus Varanus. There are more than 50 species of the genus Varanus are living today, including dragons and other large lizards," said Holmes.
Holmes said the vertebrate fossils found in Africa is about 1.5 meters long lizard who can swim. These ancient Varanus are found in the area and was previously a small lake or river bottom. This fossil may be a key clue progenitor migration to the other side of the world.
"Are these animals live in water or surrounding land, we do not know. But, we know that some modern species of Varanus comfortable with a swim in clean water," said Holmes.
"Of the approximately 100 million years ago until 12 million years ago, Africa is isolated, surrounded by the ocean. But, the animals made it out of Africa during this period," said Murray. However, the researchers agreed not to swim will take lizards of Africa to Indonesia.
Murray said one of an unproven theory about how Varanus out of Africa is that over millions of years there are small or micro-plates mainland inhabited by a variety of fauna, which moves from one place to another. With this small land movements, the possibility of animals living in Africa have migrated to various parts of the world, including Indonesia.
In Indonesia, Komodo dragons can be found on the island of Komodo, Rinca, Flores and Gili Motang. Komodo is one of the protected animals. International Union for Conservation of Nature to categorize dragons as a species threatened with extinction. It is estimated there are 4,000 to 5,000 Komodo dragons living in the wild. However, it is estimated there are 350 dragons only fertile females. (National Geographic Indonesia / Raras Cahyafitri
