Firefighters rescue lizard from car

WHEN Luca the lucky lizard went walkabout in her owner’s car, she could not have imagined the trouble she would cause.

Luca’s owner, Andrea Smith, and daughter, Chelsea, were driving the water dragon back from a pet shop after stocking up on some of her favourite food, including mice, when she decided to go for a wander.

In one quick move the pesky pet, which is a foot-and-half long, managed to jump off Chelsea, 17, and into the footwell of the car where she tucked herself out of reach by climbing behind the console and wrapped herself around the gear stick.

Mrs Smith pulled the car over to the side of the road, fearful she would crush her beloved Luca – who was named after Chelsea FC legend Gianluca Vialli.

Although she could see the end of Luca’s tail, not even a couple of wax worms could tempt her from the new nest and Mrs Smith decided to call for help.

Breakdown company The AA told her they could not deal with “livestock” so she reluctantly decided to call 999 and a firecrew from Chelmsford were despatched to Roman Road, Chelmsford on Saturday afternoon.

But just before they arrived a traffic warden wandered past and was preparing to swoop when Mrs Smith told him: “I know you are about to give me a ticket, but I have a dragon stuck in my gear box”.

Caring couple’s toad safety aim

A warm-hearted couple have been giving a helping hand to cold-blooded but amorous amphibians in their neighbourhood.Three years ago Phil and Jill Jones, from Montgomery, mounted a rescue scheme for migrating toads that were getting squashed on the B4385 road near their home as they made their way to traditional spawning grounds.

Mr and Mrs Jones counted the numbers of toads they had managed to save and the numbers killed and passed the details to conservation group Froglife.

By doing this they were able to get the two-mile stretch of road recognised as an official Department of Transport “toads crossing” site.

Official DoT signs were erected but every year Mr Jones also erects his own, signs along the road and fits “toad ladders” or mesh to certain road drain covers.

Neighbour Flor Douglas-Orr, who walks along Maldwyn Way, also moves any toads off the road.

Mr Jones said: “We have not asked for help as the B4385 is a narrow and twisty road. My wife and I go back and forwards along it by car with my wife getting out to move toads out of the way of traffic.”

Fury at croc-skin trainers.

By NEIL SYSON
March 12, 2007
 

ANIMAL rights groups were fuming last night after Nike unveiled £1,400 trainers made from CROCODILE skin.The sports shoes — with 18-carat gold lace tags — went on display at the company’s flagship store in London’s Oxford Circus at the weekend.The trainers were made to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Nike’s iconic Air Force 1 line.

Shoes are also being made from the skin of the world’s largest snake — the anaconda.

Full article: The Sun

A new species of taipan (Elapidae: Oxyuranus) from central Australia

PAUL DOUGHTY1,2*, BRAD MARYAN1,3 , STEPHEN C. DONNELLAN4 & MARK N. HUTCHINSON5

Snakes in the Australo-Papuan elapid genus Oxyuranus are considered to be the most venomous species in the world. A recent expedition to the central ranges of Western Australia discovered a third species, which is described here from the only known specimen. Molecular genetic analyses using mitochondrial nucleotide sequences places the new species as the sister lineage of the two described Oxyuranus species, with all three species united by a long branch that also separates them from the nearest of the brown snakes species (Pseudonaja) to which the taipans are close relatives.

Morphologically,the new species shares with the other Oxyuranus an undivided anal scale, high midbody scale row (21) andventral scale (250) counts, but differs in having a single primary temporal scale and fewer lower labials (six). Maximumbody size and venom potency are unknown. The discovery of a third species of taipan in the remote central ranges ofAustralia underlines the paucity of collecting from this region.

Full paper. (pdf-file 545kb)