"Faust" a Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodensis) is visiting
and staring in a new show at the Shedd Aquarium.
© Oak Park Journal photo
Lizards and the Komodo King opens April 8
and is scheduled to run through Feb. 28, 2007
review by Ed Vincent
Lizards and the Komodo King, is now showing at Chicago's
Shedd Aquarium. This is a temporary show that was totally
designed and put together by the staff at the Shedd Aquarium.
One of the lead designers of this exciting show is Mr. James Clark,
he answered press questions on the media opening and is looking forward to the public's viewing starting in a day. This is an
exciting show created by a talented staff and is included with your
dolphin show ticket. The Komodo monitor (aka komodo dragon)
is here visiting from Dallas, Texas. The Komodo dragon is the world's largest lizard and is found mostly on Komodo, Rinca,
Padar, Flores, and the Sunda Islands of Indonesia. Faust, the
name given to the Komodo monitor visitor is about 8 feet and
nearly 130 pounds. He is expected to grow another couple of
feet in length, but he could also double his weight before he is
done growing. The Komodo monitor was called a "dragon"
in a 1927 National Geographic article and that name has stuck
in popular writing and news since that time.
There are about only 5,000 of these magnificent lizards living
today and there numbers are being watched carefully. One zoo
that is taking the lead in breeding these huge lizards is the Denver
Zoo. The Komodo monitor can live from 50 to 60 years and
Faust is only 13 years old, just a teenager. This teenager though
likes frozen rats for breakfast, he eats 6 full sized rats in the
morning each week. He is keeping on his schedule that he had
in Dallas, so he is being fed about 10:00am on either Tuesdays
or Wednesdays.
In the wild the Komodo monitors are solitary animals and only come together to mate or to share in a large kill or found animal that has
died from natural causes. They do not hunt together, because
most of their food can be killed by themselves. In the wild they
have some 50 or more different bacteria living in their mouths and
it is this very bacteria that often brings death to their prey rather than
their powerful muscles. They can run 10-15 miles an hour when
they have warmed up in the late morning and can climb trees too.
They have been known to kill wild boar and deer , and eat anything
that they find dead or even buried. They have very sensitive
noses and can smell dead meat from nearly 10 miles away.
A meter long river monitor basks in the morning light on a river in Thailand.
© Oak Park Journal photo
The smaller River Monitor lives further north, starting in
Indonesia and found throughout south-east Asia. The River
monitor gets to about 6 to 7 feet in length and also has a
very good nose for dead flesh. He becomes very unpopular
when he digs up freshly buried bodies and gets a meal or two.
The Komodo might do the same but environmental groups
fearing the extinction of the Komodo monitor bought several
preserves for the dragon named monitor and gave it a chance to
live with us - though apart. The Komodo monitors have
haven on the islands of Rintja and Padar, in addition to the
Denver zoo.
To purchase tickets on line click here
Memberships
Bearded Dragon Lizards
© Oak Park Journal photo
Caiman Lizard (Dracaena guianesis)
© Oak Park Journal photo
This female has a good appetite, as she prepares to be a mom.
She is eating large apple snails and digests everything the snail
has to offer, including the entire shell with all of its rich calcium.
Caiman Lizard (Dracaena guianesis)
© Oak Park Journal photo
Legless Lizard
© Oak Park Journal photo
The legless lizard, has the head shape of a lizard, but like the snake
it has no legs. The legless lizard has evolved into a reptile with no
appendages, but it does have some rather unique features that are
quite interesting. If you look at the two photos above you will
notice a line running from the head of lizard to about 40% of the
reptiles length. The indented line ends and where it does, so too
does the body of lizard, beyond the segment is the tail. In the
tail are fracture planes, places where the tail can break off if
grabbed or bitten. There are no organs or life sustaining materials
in the tail. If the tail is lost it will shake and shake as the lizard
goes in the opposite direction to safety and freedom, if this were
a snake it would bleed to death.
This large mural will put your child eye to eye with spiked friend.
© Oak Park Journal photo
The show is set to run through Feb. 28, 2007 and this 3000
square foot show is one to see. If your not a current member,
this might be a very good time join. A family membership
is a good deal, and you will be up to par on all the events
at the Shedd.
Do You Believe in Dragons?
Lizards and the Komodo King at Shedd Aquarium.You will after getting eye to eye with a Komodo at Shedd Aquarium. The world’s largest lizard is making a first-time appearance in Chicago. Avoid the lines by purchasing your tickets now for Lizards and the Komodo King, opening April 8. This amazing exhibit is presented by Motorola and the Motorola Foundation. Check out the Komodo, basilisks, caiman lizards, chameleons and more. From the tiny day gecko to the world's longest lizard, the crocodile monitor, they'll all be here at Shedd.
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A FEARSOME NEW “KING” REIGNS AT SHEDD AQUARIUM
World’s Largest Lizard, the Komodo Dragon, in Chicago for the First Time in
Shedd’s New Special Exhibit “Lizards and the Komodo King”
CHICAGO – April marks the inaugural visit of a king to Chicago – lizard king that is. A feast for the eyes, Faust the Komodo dragon, will hold court at Shedd Aquarium’s new special exhibit, Lizards and the Komodo King.
The Komodo dragon, the world’s largest lizard, has a mouth packed with sharp teeth and deadly bacteria, the ability to track its prey for miles and miles, and the capability to devour an entire pig in 20 minutes! Found on only a few islands in Indonesia, these lizards can grow over to 8 feet long, weigh up to 300 pounds and are swift runners and swimmers. With their forked tongues and extraordinary size, it’s no surprise people call them dragons.
Shedd Aquarium happily welcomes Faust, the nearly 8-foot long, 120 pound Komodo dragon from Fort Worth Zoo. The name Faust was chosen from a public naming contest. It is from the German-based legend of Faust, a man who sold his soul to the devil, but ultimately fell in love, thus discovering the full meaning of life. This broke his pact with the devil; consequently, Faust was believed to hold the power to control the devil.
Komodos have ancestors that date back more than 100 million years. Discovered by Western scientists in 1910, they eat everything - including hooves, horns, bones, and hide - except the contents of digestive tract. They eat the intestines after swinging them from side to side to empty the contents. They can go several weeks between meals but when they decide to attack, nothing can stop them. In fact, aquarium staffers won’t even be in the habitat with Faust when he gets poultry, rats and other meat during feeding time because Komodos are such voracious and indiscriminate eaters!
From the tiny day gecko to the world's longest lizard, the crocodile monitor, Lizards and the Komodo King will connect guests to more than 25 lizard species. Discover the remarkable colors, textures, forms and behaviors of these fascinating animals.
“Lizards and the Komodo King” Opens April 8 for a Limited Time at Shedd Aquarium
CHICAGO - From snakelike glass lizards to stocky Gila monsters, geckos that can curl up on a quarter to monitor lizards as long as a canoe, lizards come in a wild variety of shapes and sizes. And from the tiny day gecko to the world's largest lizard, the Komodo dragon, they'll all be at Shedd as part of a new must-see special exhibit, Lizards and the Komodo King, opening April 8.
There are more than 3,000 species of lizards in the world, each with unique and remarkable adaptations. Visit Lizards and the Komodo King and you’ll learn why some lizards bark, eject their tails to evade predators, have “beards” and even use their tails to hang from treetops while they sleep. The basilisk can even walk on water! Enter this kingdom of lizards, where your hosts are spectacular creatures—some beautiful, some ferocious, but every one of them fascinating.
“All the animals in the exhibit will engage Shedd guests,” said Mark Schick, collection manager at Shedd Aquarium. “They will learn the important role that lizards play in the environment, as well as how they are threatened in the wild by invasive species, unmanaged human development and the pet trade.”
In Lizards and the Komodo King, guests can explore the world of lizards and learn through several interactive features, including a texture-rubbing station. They can even listen to recordings of geckos barking. This visual exhibit will connect you to more than 25 lizard species, including the crocodile monitor – the world’s longest lizard – the bearded dragon, green tree monitor, caiman lizards, shield-tail agamas and much more.
“Lizards have so many bizarre characteristics and behaviors that our guests are constantly asking questions and crowding around the lizard habitats that we currently have on display, like the blue iguanas,” said Schick. “We decided to feature Lizards and the Komodo King so guests could indulge their curiosity and learn about more about the textures, colors, forms and behaviors of these fascinating animals.”
But the highlight of Lizards and the Komodo King is certainly Faust, the Komodo dragon. Shedd guests will come face to face with all 8 feet and 120 pounds of him. With his forked tongue, unbelievable size, and ability to take down water buffalo, Faust will show guests why the Komodo is a ferocious predator. Visitors will learn about Faust’s razor-sharp teeth and toxic saliva, which harbors a dangerous mix of bacteria that cause deadly infections.
FUN FACTS ON LIZARDS AND THE KOMODO KING
Did you know? Lizards will change their skin color to camouflage themselves, “bark” to attract a mate and even twist out of their scales or squirt blood from their eyeballs to escape predators! Check out the true colors of lizards at Shedd’s Lizards and the Komodo King opening Saturday, April 8. Find out why some lizards have “beards,” how some sleep in the treetops by their tails and much more!
Here are more fun facts about some of the lizards in Shedd Aquarium’s new special exhibit Lizards and the Komodo King, opening April 8:
Komodo Dragon
§ The largest lizard in the world, the Komodo dragon, makes its first ever appearance in Chicago at Shedd.
§ The actual saliva of a Komodo dragon harbors a fatal mix of bacteria that causes deadly infections and is just as lethal as the Komodo’s vicious bite.
§ Although the toxic saliva of a Komodo dragon is lethal enough to kill it s prey, Komodos are immune to other Komodo bites.
§ Komodo dragons will devour its entire meal, even the hooves, horns, bones and hide. However, it will not eat anything inside the digestive tract of its prey and can go several weeks between meals.
§ The real name for the Komodo dragon is Komodo Island monitor. A 1927 National Geographic article described the Komodo as a “dragon” and the word stuck.
§ With hawk-like vision and unbelievable sense of smell, the Komodo dragon can see up to 1,000 feet away and can sniff out rotting flesh from miles away!
§ Komodos have ancestors that date back more than 100 million years.
§ The Komodo at Shedd gets his name, Faust, from the German-based legend of a man who sold his soul to the devil, but ultimately fell in love, thus discovering the full meaning of life. This broke his pact with the devil; consequently, Faust was believed to hold the power to control the devil.
Other Lizards in the Exhibit
§ Crocodile monitors are the longest lizards in the world, with tails that are up to 200 percent of its body length.
§ The tail of the crocodile monitor is extremely useful for balancing high up in the tree tops and is also a fearsome weapon.
§ Compared to the Velociraptors from the movie Jurassic Park, the teeth of the crocodile monitor are particularly long and straight and their toes are equipped with massive, curved, shiny-black claws.
§ Similar to other reptiles, lizards shed their skin in patches. In order to aid the shedding process, lizards sometimes make their eyes bulge to break the skin open.
§ In a dangerous situation, lizards such as the gecko can “eject” or release their tails from their bodies to escape a predator.
§ The dwarf shield-tailed agama digs shallow holes and close off the entrance of the tunnel with the “shield” on its tail to ward off enemies.
§ Female basilisk lizards will lay 5 to 15 eggs at a time in warm, damp sand or soil. They take between eight and ten weeks to hatch, at which point the young emerge as fully independent lizards.
§ Demonstrating its cat-like qualities, the Madagascar day gecko avoids its enemies by instantly releasing its grip while hanging from tree branches, always landing on its feet.
§ Day geckos depend on their clear vision, so they will often clean their eyes with their tongues.
§ A Madagascar day gecko will remain committed to one mate for its entire life. Even if its partner dies, a day gecko will not usually mate with another lizard.
§ Some all-female species of lizards can replicate their own genetic material, giving them the ability to carry out parthenogenesis – or create embryos that are exact clones of them.
§ Tokay and Madagascar day geckos are very vocal lizards: they bark, squeak and hiss to appeal to a mate or to scare off threatening predators.
§ The plumed basilisk and the green basilisk are both known as the “Jesus Lizards” because of their ability to run short distances across water.
§ Appropriately named bearded dragons because of their "beard," an expandable throat pouch with spiky scales, these dragons use their beard for both mating and aggression displays.
§ Lizards have more freedom to roam about on dry land than their amphibian cousins do, since lizards have skin that retains moisture and allows them to survive outside of water.
§ A bearded dragon will puff up its “beard” or throat pouch with pointy scales to appear more intimidating to its predators when it feels threatened.
§ It’s all tails for the prehensile-tailed skink, which uses its tail for grasping branches and climbing, and rarely spends time on the ground.
§ The green tree monitor uses its huge tail like a fifth hand, allowing it to move through the trees, high above the ground.
LIZARDS LEAP INTO POP CULTURE
What do Egyptian mythology, a car insurance agency, a horror movie and Doors frontman Jim Morrison all have in common? Lizards! Shedd Aquarium opens Lizards and the Komodo King on Saturday, April 8, highlighting more than 30 species of lizards, ranging from the tiny day gecko to the enormous Komodo dragon in a new special exhibit. Here are a few examples of lizards in popular culture throughout the ages:
§ In ancient Egyptian and Greek symbolism, the lizard represented divine wisdom and good fortune.
§ Geico car insurance uses the tiny day gecko as its mascot and spokesperson.
§ A Komodo dragon bit actress Sharon Stone’s husband in the foot during a private tour at Los Angeles Zoo. Zookeepers believed the Komodo mistook his white shoes for a rat.
§ In the Near East and Australia, the aboriginals believed that if you killed a lizard the sky would fall.
§ Lizards even made their way into popular music in songs like “Karma Chameleon” by Culture Club.
§ Early Christianity used the chameleon to symbolize Satan who, like the chameleon, could change his appearance to deceive mankind.
§ Godzilla, a giant irradiated lizard, wreaks havoc on Tokyo in the classic horror film.
§ In West Africa, chameleons are said to fetch fire from the Sun.
§ The 1964 film “Night of the Iguana,” based on the play by Tennessee Williams, won an Oscar and was nominated for three others.
§ In Egypt it is said that in the spring, lizards will climb a wall and look to the east. As the sun rises, the lizard has the ability to restore the sight of a blind person.
§ The late Jim Morrison referred to himself as “The Lizard King” in his poem “The Celebration of the Lizard King.”
§ It is hypothesized that the idea of dragons breathing fire may have originated from the yellow tongue flitting out of the Komodo dragon’s mouth.
© Oak Park Journal
published by Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
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