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FarCenter

(19,429 posts)
Sun Oct 27, 2013, 11:00 PM Oct 2013

'Lost world' discovered in remote Australia

AFP - An expedition to a remote part of northern Australia has uncovered three new vertebrate species isolated for millions of years, with scientists Monday calling the area a "lost world".

Conrad Hoskin from James Cook University and a National Geographic film crew were dropped by helicopter onto the rugged Cape Melville mountain range on Cape York Peninsula earlier this year and were amazed at what they found.

It included a bizarre looking leaf-tail gecko, a golden-coloured skink and a boulder-dwelling frog, none of them ever seen before.

"The top of Cape Melville is a lost world. Finding these new species up there is the discovery of a life time -- I'm still amazed and buzzing from it," said Hoskin from the Queensland-based university.

"Finding three new, obviously distinct vertebrates would be surprising enough in somewhere poorly explored like New Guinea, let alone in Australia, a country we think we've explored pretty well."

The mountain range is home to millions of black granite boulders the size of cars and houses piled hundreds of metres high.


http://www.france24.com/en/20131028-lost-world-discovered-remote-australia
14 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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'Lost world' discovered in remote Australia (Original Post) FarCenter Oct 2013 OP
Cool. I wonder what purpose the flat tail on the Leaf Tail Gecko serves? adirondacker Oct 2013 #1
Maybe a counter-balance for the head; or leaf-like camouflage NBachers Oct 2013 #2
Who says it has a purpose? Scootaloo Oct 2013 #3
It looks as if it is a "false head" (no jokes here) theHandpuppet Oct 2013 #6
This is the kind of thing I'm talking about theHandpuppet Oct 2013 #10
Heat management? Recursion Oct 2013 #7
that would be my guess reddread Oct 2013 #9
Being Australia, it no doubt... Demo_Chris Oct 2013 #11
Good one! I was thinking it had something to do with mobility, like sticking to slippery rocks. nt adirondacker Oct 2013 #13
Not in Australia. Even the freaking rocks are poisonous there. nt Demo_Chris Oct 2013 #14
I love this stuff. Thanks for posting. 1000words Oct 2013 #4
Sweet. Wonder how they taste? The Straight Story Oct 2013 #5
Did you hear the one about the remote islander? Recursion Oct 2013 #8
Kick And Recommend cantbeserious Oct 2013 #12

theHandpuppet

(19,964 posts)
6. It looks as if it is a "false head" (no jokes here)
Mon Oct 28, 2013, 05:59 AM
Oct 2013

Used to fool predators. I've seen that in some other species.

theHandpuppet

(19,964 posts)
10. This is the kind of thing I'm talking about
Mon Oct 28, 2013, 06:57 AM
Oct 2013
http://www.eplantscience.com/index/general_zoology/deflecting_an_attack.php

"The shingleback skink, a lizard of Australia, also uses this tactic. Its stumpy head and tail look nearly identical. A predator that grabs the wrong “head” will be surprised to see the skink scurry off in the opposite direction."
 

reddread

(6,896 posts)
9. that would be my guess
Mon Oct 28, 2013, 06:51 AM
Oct 2013

if they are in a cooler area, the darkened broad surface could act as a solar panel.

 

Demo_Chris

(6,234 posts)
11. Being Australia, it no doubt...
Mon Oct 28, 2013, 07:23 AM
Oct 2013

Had something scary associated with it -- probably what looks like a "flat tail" was actually a chainsaw with poison teeth.

Or it might have been for added stability while drinking beer.

Recursion

(56,582 posts)
8. Did you hear the one about the remote islander?
Mon Oct 28, 2013, 06:47 AM
Oct 2013

He was very hungry one day, and saw a ship passing by had discarded a crate with chickens in it. He had never seen a chicken, but they looked nutritious enough, so he caught one, killed and cleaned it, built a fire, and cooked it. As he wiped his mouth with a palm frond he commented, "Hm... Tastes like Jub Jub Lizard..."

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