MODERN "NOAH'S ARK"

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19029, 1 June 1936, Page 3

MODERN "NOAH'S ARK"

LOED MOYNE'S YAGHT COLLECTION FOR ZOO TILE FLYING LIZARD LONDON, April 11 The past week lias been a luomeni.ius one in the number of new ■arrivals al the Zoo, Lord Moync's yacht, the Kosaura, which might on her journey have boon described as a veritable, Noah's Ark, returned with her treasures Cor the Zoo from her Pastern tour, which include.l Australia. New Zealand, Borneo, the Malay Archipelago, and Ceylon. Amongst the mammals are a dozen gibbons, a red langur monkey., never before seen in this conn try; and some new tree kangaroos. The bird collection includes some cassowaries and a number of rare snnb'-vds, hornbills, pheasants, parrots, and egrets, wluls', amongst the reptiles are at least half a dozen species not previously exhibited in the licgenl's Park menagerie. The most interesting reptile is perhaps the so called "flying," gecko. Geckos are lizards, provided with suctorial feel, by means of which they can run at lightning speed whether vcrticallv or horizontally. The tiying gecko is! ill addition, provided with an expanse, of skin running from etlmw to knee, has extensive webs .between its lingers and toes, and a broad and peculiarly flattened tail.' The animal is virtually a livingglider, and with a vigorous "take oil'" from some convenient branch can I plane down to another a considerable distance below. It is peculiar thai these geckos come from a locality that (also boasts of "tiying" frogs, "flyling" snakes, and cobogo or "flying" lizards. DEADLY SERPENT. A consignment of poisonous snakos from the Capetown Snake Park includes some very line examples of the ringhals rubra, a deadly serpent, that can eject its poison to a considerable distance. Al the Zoo, when tlie .-ages of these snakes are opened for the purpose of introducing food, the keepers wear motor goggles in order to protect their eyes. The arrival of an Aard Yark, earth bear, or Cape anl-eater, ranks amongst the most important acquisitions of the year to (Into, not more than half a dozen of these remarkable creatures having been seen in London since the lirsl was purchased in 18(10. Though classed with the true toothless anteaters, the Aard V-ark, which is found throughout the desert districts of South-Pastern Africa, differs from them all in many respects. j It is about tin 1 size of a small bear with an almost hairless hide of im-j mouse thickness, and has a long, cylindrical tail and enormous ears.] The jaws are provided with functional ,

! toetli, but these are devoid of enamel, and probably mark a comparatively j recent hvolul ionavy stop towards a complete toothless condition. I Like other ant-eaters, it will be fed l:it the Zoo on eggs, milk, and minced beef, but in the Wild its staple diet consists of white nuts or termites. The Ant'd Yrirk is nature’s tun/teller par excellence, digging huge zig-zag burrows in the hard veldt. It has been described as digging so fast in the earth that two men wielding shovels arc unable to keep pace with j it. Fossil remains show that Aarrt , Yarks at one time flourished, not only jin Africa, but also in Southern , Europe.