Lizards, '57s and PanHeads? Very interesting! I willl have to
get my book out and see what some of those other words mean.
I'm no trivia expert on ol trucks but what model is a Heloderma?
>From the text I see it's a special "combat" model.
Lonnie
----- Original Message -----
From: <varanus@mail.phoenix.net>
To: <oletrucks@autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 1999 8:11 AM
Subject: [oletrucks] agnostic behavior and ritualized combat in the family
Varanoidae
>Karl:
>
>Have received your paper on Heloderma combat. Am preparing a
>parallel with specimens from my colony of Varanus salvator cumingi.
>Striking similarities! First evidence and report of such behavior
>was complied by Hans Georg Horn of Germany. But it was a spontaneous
>occurence. I am running my colony through several controlled
>experiments. Male to male, male to female, female to female, adult
>vs. yearling, sibling rivalry, etc. I just moved the colony outside
>to a very large enclosure and need a week or two for them to
>acclimate to the outdoors again. They get downright vicious after
>being in the real sun for a few days. But this is good. We want them
>to retain their aggressive behavior towards humans. They will be
>sent down to the facility in Costa Rica by next summer and then we
>can begin the real work. Mindanao has repeatedly ignored the problem
>of wild harvested animals so our colony will be the largest, outside
>of Mindanao wild pops, for re-introduction. I am working with the
>USFWS to acquire some V.s.nuchalis and V.s.marmoratus. Also, the Ft.
>Worth zoo has those V.olivaceous that I want to work with. They
>tried to breed them several years ago but without success. They don't
>realize how important diet simulation is: they keep feeding them
>rodents! I am working with the Botanical Research Institute of
>Texas, Philippine PLant Identification Program - part of the
>international Flora Melasiana project - to build lists of regional
>endemic flora to the Phil archipelago. They are going to give me
>several known fruit trees that olivaceous prefers. I think they will
>do well here in Houston. Now if we can just get the lizards!
>
>Of mention, have talked with Taylor in Australia and he is sending me
>a paper on V.varius [sp.]. He has compiled various field data
>concerning parental roles within the V.varius complex. I think this
>course of research is most important. I do agree with you - given
>the limited ability for neonate Heloderma to capture moving prey, it
>would seem likely that the adults provide assistance. Varius, after
>an incubation time of almost 10 months, returned to the mounds to
>help the neonates emerge from the crusty outer layer. The new info
>will explain if the returning animal is the male or female, the
>actual mother, how long the animal waited before excavating the nest
>and how much assistance she provides after emergence. Unlike
>Heloderma, the neonate varanids are able to hunt immediately.
>However, their striking colors, unlike V.komodoensis, do not match
>the landscape so we wonder if the "mother" actually protects them. It
>has not been reported whether young varius have been encountered in
>close proximity to the "mother". I need to go over there. Steve
>Irwin invited me to stay at the Queensland Reptile and Fauna park but
>the best time would be near x-mas when the eggs start hatching. I
>need some funds!!!
>
>I also have several behavioral reports on the Odatria sub genera
>regarding combat and mating rituals. You will find it extremely
>interesting so I will let you be surpised.
>
>Have spoken with the US Fish & Wildlife agents re Operation Chameleon
>confiscations. They said that after the convictions, they are most
>likely going to place the 5 undescribed specimens with my facility.
>That is great news - I just hope it happens quickly as we need that
>female. He told me that several "exploiters" are trying to get them
>but he said there is no way he is going to let anyone have them that
>is not involved with conservation breeding projects. I expect that
>after the "collectors" find out I have the 5 lizards, I will start
>getting phone calls offering large amounts of money. So, needless to
>say, don't tell anyone that I am poised to obtain them. Pepin at
>Wash. U is going to sequence some tissue so that may help
>in establishing origin. The CITES papers said Malaysia but they came
>from Anson Wong so that explains the COO. My guess, based on
>morphological attributes and resemblance to V.s.cumingi, is that they
>are of Sulawesian origin. Or perhaps Molucca I. But without getting
>my hands on them....I need to do some scale counts and examine their
>hemipenes. That shouldn't be too hard - if they are anything like
>cumingi, they will not hesitate to defecate all over me!!
>
>You need to call the curator at the Columbus Zoo for that
>V.s.komaini. It is a guaranteed female and we need her. The Germans
>at Frankfurt have a trio of males. After we get a clutch from her, I
>want to send the progeny to Frankfurt and have them surplus me 2
>males. Also, did you get the Helos set up for this year? We need at
>least 4 to send to that guy with the other V.s.komaini. It appears to
>be of the same locality. And a few for the additional V.s.cumingi
>from Frankfurt. They want one of my males but I said not until I get
>a clutch.
>
>Anyway, I am sending the package snail mail so you should be getting
>it in a day or two. I am looking into DVD applications for the
>research results. We could put video on a CD but storage capability
>is about 650MB. That is not much for video. The DVD will hold
>approx. 7 GB and maybe more. This would be a perfect media to use as
>we could put video, bibs, ecological data, relevent papers, maps, etc
>all on one disk with excellent navigational menus. But, the licensing
>for DVD is WAY out of our financial capabilities. It is too new
>still. It will happen. It is not mainstream yet.
>
>Anyway, I'll talk with you after you get back from Alpine. Say hi to
>Queen. You need to buy that panhead from him. Then we can both ride
>57s! His does have the stock rigid frame I hope! Trade him some
>rallyii! Keep your eyes out for 50s suburbans for me. Remember, the
>suburbans have windows, the panels do not. Yours, E
>oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
>
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