Komodo Dragons could hold the key to beating Superbugs

DailyMail

Wednesday, Feb 22nd 2017 
DRAGONS could hold the key to beating superbugs: Komodo blood found to have 'superantibacterial' properties

• Komodo dragons have at least 57 types of bacteria in saliva, but appear resistant
• Researchers incubated Komodo dragon blood, revealing antimicrobial activity 
• Discovery could help develop new drugs to fight antibiotic-resistant superbugs

By Cheyenne Macdonald For Dailymail.com

Published: 22 February 2017

They’re the largest lizards in the world, with deadly saliva that’s loaded with at least 57 species of bacteria to bring down their prey.

And, according to new research, the blood of Komodo dragons could be the key to developing new drugs in the fight against antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

The team used a method known as ‘bioprospecting,’ revealing antimicrobial protein fragments in their blood that protects them against infections. 

They’re the largest lizards in the world, with deadly saliva that’s loaded with at least 57 species of bacteria to bring down their prey. And, according to new research, the blood of Komodo dragons could be the key to developing new drugs to fight antibiotic-resistant superbugs

THE GROWING THREAT OF SUPERBUGS  

Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change to 'outsmart' or resist antibiotic medicine, making it close to impossible to treat the infection.

The bacterium that carries resistance genes to many different antibiotics is called a superbug.

Most of these infections occur in hospitals or in medical care facilities, such as nursing homes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that more than two million people are infected with antibiotic resistant bacteria every year.

More than 23,000 people die from these infections each year.

Experts say that if the epidemic is not brought under control, superbugs may kill more people than cancer by the year 2050.

In the study, researchers from the College of Science at George Mason University investigated whether they could isolate substances known as cationic antimicrobial peptides from Komodo dragon blood – massive lizards the dwell on five small islands in Indonesia.

These CAMP substances are an essential part of the innate immune system, and the team had previously done this with alligator blood.

In a technique called bioprospecting, they incubated the Komodo dragon blood with negatively charged hydrogel particles that they developed to capture the positively charged peptides.

This allowed the researchers to identify and sequence 48 potential CAMPS with mass spectrometry.

All of these, except for one, was derived from histone proteins.

These types of proteins are known to have antimicrobial activities.

The researchers then synthesized eight and tested them against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.

The antibiotic resistant strain of S. Aureus (MRSA) is a growing problem worldwide.

The analysis revealed that seven of the peptides from the Komodo dragon blood were potent against both of the bacteria.

The eighth peptide was only effective against P. aeruginosa.

The researchers then synthesized eight and tested them against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The antibiotic resistant strain of S. Aureus (MRSA) is a growing problem worldwide

It’s thought that the bacteria in Komodo dragons’ saliva helps them to kill their prey.

But, the dragons themselves appear to be resistant.

According to the new research, serum derived from the animals may have antibacterial abilities as well.

This could pave the way for new therapeutics to treat antibiotic resistant bacteria.

‘The study demonstrates the power and promise of our bioprospecting approach to cationic antimicrobial peptide (CAMP) discovery and it reveals the presence of a plethora of novel h

‘These findings may have broader implications regarding the role that intact histones and histone-derived peptides play in defending the host from infection.’ 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4250298/Komodo-DRAGONS-hold-key-beating-superbugs.html#ixzz4ZUx5LSZE

Komodo Dragons Are Complicated Killers

Komodo Dragon 

 

Zoo Dragon 

Indonesia
Komodo

Komodo National Park in Indonesia Is One of the World's Finest Treasures

EDIRA PUTRI

19 JUNE 2017



Komodo National Park comprises three islands—Komodo Island, Padar Island, and Rinca Island—and numerous surrounding smaller islands.  

 

A beach at Komodo National Park

Komodo National Park is dedicated to providing a natural habitat for, and conservation of, the ancient and rare Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis). 

The park’s importance is acknowledged by global organizations such as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.  WWF and Conservation International have recognized the place as a global conservation priority area.  The park’s status as one of the 'New 7 Wonders of Nature' has established its global significance.

Komodo Dragons can only be found on five islands in the world, four of which are part of the national park, plus the nearby Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara. 

According to scientists, this particular species has managed to survive for millions of years, making it one of the oldest species that still exists today. 

Many scientists believe that the otherworldly Dragons are close relatives to the dinosaur, from the same era and showing similar bodily structure.  Thus, Komodo Dragons are often called “the last dinosaur in the world.” The species is the largest living species of lizard, with an average length of 2-3 meters.

The mighty Komodo Dragon

The national park's distinctive natural environment combines a nutrient-rich ocean water and volcanic elements, which have made it possible for thousands of different species to thrive in and around the islands. As many as 1,000 species of tropical fish, 260 species of coral, 70 species of sponge, as well as endemic species like the orange-footed scrub fowl, the Timor deer, Rinca rat, turtles, dolphins, and dugongs.

The blue sea of Komodo National Park, Indonesia

  

The view at Komodo National Park, Indonesia

Facts about the Komodo Dragon

•  They can run up to 20 kph. 

•  When a baby Komodo dragon hatches it burrows out of its dirt mound of a nest and makes for the nearest tree to stay until it grows up. It must make it to the tree before its mother sees it or she will eat it. Up in the tree it stays living on insects, lizards, birds and anything else that has the misfortune of landing there until it is too heavy to stay on a branch. They are camouflage grey/brown, so hard to see them in the trees, or on the ground.

•  There are over 2,200 dragons on the 390 sqm Komodo island and two other islands nearby.  They are also all micro-chipped. To do that risky job, one lures them into a cage with raw meat and jabs the chip in. 

•  Locals believe that it’s the toxic bacteria in Dragon saliva that kills, but a scientific study by the University of Melbourne in 2009 dispelled that and proved that there is venom in their saliva. If the prey manages to get away it soon collapses and dies and the dragon can feast on it later. It's hard to survive their sharp teeth and deadly claws.

Link: https://theculturetrip.com/asia/indonesia/articles/why-the-komodo-national-park-in-indonesia-is-one-of-the-worlds-finest-treasures/

  

Largest Lizard on Earth | The Komodo Dragon | Deadly 60 | Indonesia | Series 3 | BBC


Published on Feb 14, 2014


SUBSCRIBED 4.2M

Steve Backshall travels to Indonesia in search of reptiles to add to his list of 60 deadly predators. He and his crew have a nerve-racking close encounter with three metre long Komodo dragons, the world's largest venomous lizards!

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Komodo Dragons Kill With Venom, Researchers Find

BY CAROLYN BARRY


Dispelling what one expert calls a scientific fairy tale, a new study shows that the fierce lizards ooze venom, not toxic bacteria, into bites to help weaken and ultimately kill their prey.  

In the venom, some compounds that reduce blood pressure are as potent as those found in the word's most venomous snake, western Australia's inland Taipan.

Komodo Combo Attack

While his colleagues expressed surprise at the findings, Fry said he wasn't so shocked.

His earlier research had shown that other lizard species—such as iguanas, legless lizards, and monitor lizards—are also venomous.

In fact, Fry estimates that close to a hundred of the more than 5,000 known lizard species use venom.

What is surprising, Fry said, is Komodo dragons' elaborate venom-delivery system.

"It's the most complex duct system described in reptiles to date," he said.

Snakes typically have a single venom duct that leads to their fangs. But Komodos have multiple ducts located between their teeth.

However, this means Komodo dragons don't deliver their venom as efficiently as snakes, Fry said.

Rather than injecting venom directly via a forceful bite, the dragons use a specialized bite-and-pull motion to ooze the toxin into wounds during a sustained, frenzied attack.

The combination of venom and multiple lacerations from the lizards' sharp, serrated teeth is what makes the dragons so deadly.

"They're not like the cobra, where venom is the only game in town. Komodos have a combined arsenal," Fry said.

The findings suggest that the Komodo's ancient relative, the Megalania, used a similar venom-plus-wounding approach.

The giant lizard, which roamed Australia about 40,000 years ago, measured about 13 feet (4 meters) long.

Fry's work, published in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could mean that the Megalania was the largest venomous animal to have ever lived.

Link: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/05/komodo-dragon-venom/

Link: https://youtu.be/28FzV5OHqMU

 

Komodo dragons fight over a kill

Steve Irwin

Steve Irwin

Link: https://youtu.be/28FzV5OHqMU

Croc eats keeper

  

Scientist snatched, eaten alive by giant crocodile during feeding
By Gerard du Cann, The Sun
January 15, 2019
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY:
A scientist was eaten alive by a 17-foot long crocodile after being dragged into its enclosure while she fed it on Friday.
Deasy Tuwo, 44, was feeding the croc named Merry early on Friday morning at the CV Yosiki Laboratory in Indonesia when the beast appears to have reared and leaped up an 8-foot-high concrete wall, pulling her into the water.
Tuwo, the head of the lab which reportedly made beauty products, was found by her coworkers at around 8:45 a.m. that day, after they noticed a “strange shape” in the water.
The reptile was found lying on the ground with Tuwo’s savaged body in its jaws.
It had ripped off Tuwo’s left arm and mutilated her upper torso.
Merry had previously killed another croc that shared its pool, and staff said it was known to be a troubled animal.
Rescue workers battled to retrieve the woman’s remains from the croc, which thrashed violently every time they tried to fish the corpse from the water.
Police said they did not know why the croc was kept near the lab, and they could not find the Japanese owner to ask him.
The reptile was finally captured and restrained on Tuesday, strapped to a flat-bed truck, before it was transported away for medical tests to confirm whether he had eaten any body parts.
Former colleague Merry Supit said: “She was the head of the lab. A quiet person. We’re confused about how this happened.”
Another co-worker, Erling Rumengan said: ”We were curious when we looked at the crocodile pool, there was a floating object, it was Deasy’s body.”
“We were afraid to touch it and we immediately reported the incident at the Tombariri police station.”
“It’s possible the crocodile jumped from the side. Maybe it’s because the crocodile was still full, it didn’t finish eating her body.”
The crocodile will be taken to a wildlife rescue center where tests will be carried out on its stomach.
Police said they were trying to trace the owner of the crocodile after the incident.
A Japanese businessman, who also opened the research facility, is believed to be the creature’s owner.
Police said he was not at the center at the time of the incident and had not been seen or heard from since the news broke.
Police chief said: “We are still looking for the owner of the crocodile, besides that we have coordinated with the authorities in the area.”
“I believe the owner must acknowledge this horrible incident.”
“We also need to know if he is legally permitted to own crocodiles and other expensive aquatics in his company.”
“If there is no permit, he will be detained.”
FILED UNDER: ANIMALS , CROCODILES , INDONESIA , SCIENTIST

Link: https://nypost.com/2019/01/15/scientist-snatched-eaten-alive-by-giant-crocodile-during-feeding/?utm_source=zergnet.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zergnet_4045701

Scientist Eaten Alive by Massive Crocodile During Feeding

Egret and Blue Jays

   

Rhino Poacher Killed by Elephant and Eaten by Lions

 

A lion at Kruger National Park in South Africa, where the remains of a man who officials said was poaching rhinos in the park were found last week.

CreditCreditJerome Delay/Associated Press

Rhino Poacher Killed by Elephant and Eaten by Lions, Officials Say 

By Christopher Mele
April 7, 2019








A man suspected of being a rhino poacher was killed last week by an elephant and his remains devoured by a pride of lions at a South African park, officials said.

Rangers at Kruger National Park and other searchers found only a human skull and a pair of pants, the park said in a statement on Friday.

Four of the dead man’s accomplices were arrested, the authorities said.

The man’s accomplices told his relatives that they had been in the park to poach rhinos on Tuesday night when he was killed by an elephant, local officials said.

A search party, including rangers on foot and members of the park’s air wing, searched the area that was described by the family but could not find the body because light was fading, the statement said. Searchers found the remains on Thursday morning.

The managing executive of the park, Glenn Phillips, offered his condolences to the family of the dead man, who was not identified.

“Entering Kruger National Park illegally and on foot is not wise,” he said in the statement. “It holds many dangers and this incident is evidence of that.”

Mr. Phillips said it was sad to see the daughters of the man “mourning the loss of their father, and worse still, only being able to recover very little of his remains.”

Kruger National Park advertises itself as offering “an African safari adventure of a lifetime.” At nearly two million hectares, it is the largest national reserve in South Africa, according to its website, which added that it was home to animals such as lions, elephants, rhinoceroses, leopards and African buffaloes.

Last July, rangers and police officers said that as many as three men suspected of being rhino poachers had been killed by lions at a South African game preserve.

Rhino horn is worth about $9,000 per pound in Asia, driving a lucrative and illicit trade. It is a prized ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine and is considered a status symbol.

“It’s one of the most expensive wildlife products on the illegal market and that’s why these poachers go after it,” Michael Slattery, founder of the Texas Christian University Rhino Initiative, said on Sunday. “The current prices for a rhino horn are anywhere from $15,000 to $50,000 a kilogram. They are seeing dollar signs. It is more expensive than gold and cocaine, so the demand is driving these poachers.”

South Africa is home to about 20,000 wild rhinos, more than 80 percent of the world’s population. About one-third of the animals are owned by private breeders.

Since 2008, more than 7,000 rhinos have been hunted illegally, with 1,028 killed in 2017, according to the South African Department of Environmental Affairs.

The poachers can get more money if they can deliver a complete rhino horn, but to get a full rhino horn they have to kill the animal, Professor Slattery said. Poachers drug the rhinos and then use a machete to “hack away at the face,” he said. The rhinos then bleed to death.

A rhino horn, which is made of 100 percent keratin, or the equivalent of compressed hair, provides no health benefits to humans.

Still, people grind up the horn and use it in a drink in a misguided effort to reduce fevers and cure hangovers, among other things. Rhino horns are also given as gifts, Professor Slattery said.

“That equation pretty quickly tips over to these animals disappearing before our eyes,” he said.



Sandra E. Garcia contributed reporting.

Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/07/world/africa/south-africa-poacher-rhino-lions.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Terri Irwin posted a tribute to her late husband, Steve Irwin

  

Steve Irwin and Terri 

Terri Irwin‏Verified account @TerriIrwin 4 Jun 2017

Today would have been our 25th wedding anniversary. I miss you so very much, and I am grateful every day for the time we had together.

FEEDING A 15 FOOT CROCODILE

   

FEEDING A 15 FOOT CROCODILE AT NIGHT!! (SCARY) | BRIAN BARCZYK

Scary crocodile night feeding at Gatorland including a 15 foot crocodile 

Giant Albino Alligator, three-legged alligator and more!! #brianbarczyk #gatorland #crocodile 

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Watch More GIANT REPTILES: SNAKES, ALLIGATORS AND MORE: https://bit.ly/2lJFBU8




Link: https://youtu.be/3kl6ha4rlXg

Saltwater Croc

 

Alligators like to eat sharks

Researchers said there was evidence of alligators tangling with sharks as far back as the 1870s. Photograph: Svetlana Foote/Alamy   https://gu.com/p/7dbcd/stw

Snack attack: alligators like to eat sharks, study reveals

Oliver Milman in New York

 @olliemilman

Tue 17 Oct 2017 22.20 BSTLast modified on Wed 14 Feb 2018 17.06 GMT

Researchers find alligators preying on small sharks in Atlantic and Gulf

‘The frequency of one predator eating the other is really about size dynamic’

American alligators are frequently seen ambling around golf courses in Florida as players warily compete their rounds. But new research suggests the reptiles partake in a far more outlandish habit when away from the greens – eating sharks.

‘I don’t want to imagine a world without giant snakes in it’

 

Read more

US researchers have documented instances of alligators preying upon small sharks along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. A study, published in the journal Southeastern Naturalist, claims to be the first scientific study of the largely unseen struggle between the two feared predators.

“The frequency of one predator eating the other is really about size dynamic,” said James Nifong, a researcher at Kansas State University. “If a small shark swims by an alligator and the alligator feels like it can take the shark down, it will, but we also reviewed some old stories about larger sharks eating smaller alligators.”

Nifong and his colleagues spent nearly 10 years studying alligators along the Florida and Georgia coasts, typically using lamps at night to view their nocturnal hunting activities. More than 500 alligators were caught and had their stomachs pumped to see what they had consumed.

Alligators typically eat fish, crustaceans and snails, but Nifong’s research found evidence that they had consumed three species of shark and a type of stingray. The sharks measured 3-4ft.

By looking at the historical record, Nifong saw there was evidence of alligators tangling with sharks as far back as the 1870s, but the observations were limited to an island off the Georgia coast, including one episode in which sharks attacked a group of alligators that were feeding on fish.

The new research found that shark-eating alligators are in fact found along the Atlantic coast of Georgia and Florida, around to Florida’s Gulf coast.

Although sharks prefer salt water and alligators are fresh-water-dwelling, Nifong said that sharks and rays could swim into freshwater and GPS tracking of alligators demonstrated that the animals were opportunistic enough to take advantage.

“Alligators seek out fresh water in high-salinity environments,” Nifong said. “When it rains really hard, they can actually sip fresh water off the surface of the salt water. That can prolong the time they can stay in a saltwater environment.”

More research is required to discover if alligator attacks on sharks are increasing, but interactions may be influenced by coastal development that has pushed alligators out of their estuarine habitats. This has put pressure on alligator populations.

“The findings bring into question how important sharks and rays are to the alligator diet as well as the fatality of some the juvenile sharks when we think about population management of endangered species,” Nifong said.

Link:  Researchers find alligators preying on small sharks in Atlantic and Gulf ‘The frequency of one predator eating the other is really about size dynamic’

https://gu.com/p/7dbcd/stw

Man breaks in, jumps into crocodile pool

https://globalnews.ca/video/rd/1268466243931/?jwsource=cl

Man breaks in, jumps into crocodile pool at Florida alligator farm

Surveillance video shows a Florida man being attacked by a crocodile after jumping into a pit at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm.

• Man breaks into Florida alligator farm, gets attacked by crocodile – and yes, he was wearing Crocs

A Florida man broke into an alligator farm and spent hours splashing around in a pond full of crocodiles before being attacked by one.

Brandon Hatfield allegedly jumped a fence at St. Augustine Alligator Farm on Tuesday night and spent about four hours inside a crocodile pen before being attacked by a 12-foot reptile, CBS News reported.

Security footage shows the man jumping from the roof of a shed and into the pond before splashing around in the water for quite some time. The pond contained at least three large crocodiles. At one point, the video shows a crocodile lunging at the man, biting his leg before thrashing about in the water.

Hatfield is then seen limping in pain before climbing a fence to flee the area.

When staff arrived the next morning, they found a pair of shorts and Crocs sandals, before spotting blood. That’s when they called police.

Hatfield apparently didn’t get too far with his injured leg. A neighbour to the farm spotted the man limping around his property and called authorities.

“As soon as we encountered the guy, we knew something strange was going on,” the neighbour told CBS.

The man was taken to hospital for treatment before being taken into police custody.

© 2018 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Link: https://globalnews.ca/video/rd/1342698051694/

Mocking Birds

Crocodile chases fishermen away from their catch, sends them running for...

  

C

Crocodile chases fishermen away from their catch, sends them running for their lives

Link: https://youtu.be/pSye9AQFkGg

Crocodile Ganglands. Huge Nile Crocodile / FULL HD - Documentary Films ...

  

Link: https://youtu.be/pQZmX5SnIDc  

Dr. Reptilia

 

 

Jen Moore

@DrReptilia

Jen Moore

@DrReptilia

Associate prof @GVSU | Herp nerd | Conservation biologist & molecular ecologist | Furred & feathered wildlife not excluded

Grand Rapids, MI 
 

moorejen4.wixsite.com/moorelab

Joined February 2016

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the  research laboratory of Dr. Jennifer Moore at Grand Valley State University.  

Our research focuses on the spatial ecology, population demographics, and conservation genetics of at-risk species. We aim to understand the factors that impact movement, functional connectivity, and population viability by focusing on research questions that that can be applied directly for conservation and management. (Photo credit above: Eric McCluskey)

Easrern Box Turtle






Link: https://moorejen4.wixsite.com/moorelab/photos

Alligator wrestler at Everglades Alligator Farm

Chris Gillette

@GatorBoys_Chris

Chris Gillette @GatorBoys_Chris

GatorBoys, Alligator wrestler at Everglades Alligator Farm and Everglades Holiday Park, photographer at http://www.ChrisGillette.com 

South Florida

ChrisGillette.com

Joined August 2012

https://twitter.com/GatorBoys_Chris