In flower: Solanum pyracanthos

S.pyracanthos

A couple of years ago I obtained at Malvern Flower Show a plant of Solanum pyracanthos, the Porcupine Tomato. The reason for the name is pretty obvious – it is heavily armed on the stem and even the leaves with serious spikes.

New Arrival: White-Belted Black and White Ruffed Lemur

Now on show at Wildplace is a new addition to their lemur collection, a young paid of the Northern or White-Belted Black and White Ruffed Lemur, Varecia variagata subcincta. This is one of three subspecies of V.variagata, plus the only other species of Varecia, the Red Ruffed Lemur V.rubra. Bristol Zoo has two V.rubra that are hand tame and are used in their daily animal displays, but these are non-breeding animals. The Wildplace pair will hopefully breed in the future, as they are a young pair.

Lizards 11: Bearded Dwarf Chameleon

Bearded Dwarf Chameleon - in center of picture

While panther chameleons are among the larger species of chameleon, many species have become miniaturised in the course of their evolution and are generally referred to as pygmy or dwarf chameleons. This has happened on at least two separate occasions, resulting in the dwarf chameleons of mainland Africa and the even smaller leaf chameleons of Madagascar. As a result of their small size and limited capacity to disperse, there are almost certainly many more species of these marvelous little lizards than are currently described.

Lizards 10: Panther Chameleon

Female Panther Chameleon

Of all the world’s lizards, chameleons are perhaps the most instantly recognizable. The distinctive eyes, which are extremely sharp – chameleons probably have some of the best vision of all reptiles – can either give good vision in any direction or be focussed on the same target to give stereoscopic vision and depth perception, essential when using their other distinctive feature, the extensible tongue (which can be as long as their bodies), to catch their prey.

Lizards 9: Yellow Headed Day Gecko

The second species of day gecko kept at Bristol is the much smaller Yellow Headed or Neon Day Gecko, Phelsuma klemmeri. Growing to a maximum length of around 10cm, this species is one of the species more widely kept and bred by hobbyists. In the wild it is only known from a total area of under 1000 km² on the Ampasindava peninsula in north west Madagascar. As a result of its limited range, where it is only known from two regions, it is currently classed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Lizards 8: Standings Day Gecko

In Madagascar and nearby islands of the Indian Ocean some of the most visible reptiles are the various species of Phelsuma geckos. Usually referred to as day geckos (although at least one species on Mauritius is nocturnal) they are mostly small lizards, living in trees and bushes. There are numerous species, many with ranges limited to a single island or patch of forest, and consequently many are classed as threatened or worse by the IUCN. At least 2 species are extinct, one of which was the largest known species, the Rodrigues Giant Day gecko, which reached at least 40cm. .

At Bristol, 2 species are on display, the tiny Yellow-Headed Day Gecko P.klemmeri and Standing’s Day Gecko P.standingi.

Cotswold Wildlife Park

White Rhinoceros

Over the Easter weekend I visited Cotswold Wildlife Park, which for readers unfamiliar with it is located not far from Oxford. CWP is famous for its bird collection, but there are some seriously significant mammal species as well. The reptile and amphibian collection has some good species, notably Morelets Crocodile (which they have bred), and Black Mamba. I will probably write about some of the species I saw later this year, but in the meantime here are some of my photos:

Wildplace 4: Pigmy Goats

Pigmy Goat

One of the longest domesticated animals (after the dog) in the world is the domestic goat. From its original home in Asian mountains, it has travelled with humans all over the world, and unfortunately it is also one of the ecologically destructive. Despite this, it is also one of the most useful of all domestic animals, as its appetite for vegetation of all kinds makes it a prime converter of inedible plants into meat that humans can eat, and milk that they can drink. With such a long history, numerous breeds have been developed for more specialised purposes, from dairy to wool to meat. At Wildplace the goats are part of the Malagasy Village, and are one of the most commonly seen breeds in a display situation, the Pigmy Goat.

Wildplace 3: Guineafowl

The next exhibit along the path is the Malagasy village and lemur walk through. The first section is linked to a project that Wildplace and Bristol Zoo support on the Sahamalaza peninsula in the remote north west of Madagascar, where the researchers are investigating the endemic Blue-Eyed Black Lemur and Sahamalaza Sportive Lemur among other species of this little-known region. As with all the habitats on Madagascar there is grave human pressure from subsistence farming and bushmeat hunting, and so the consortium of organisations also support local education, improvements in farming practises, and healthcare in order to simultaneously increase local support and hopefully reduce pressure on the environment. For this reason the visitor first passes through a village exhibit, with a open-fronted primary classroom like the ones that the zoo supports, and typical farm animals that one might encounter. The first of these is a small flock of chicken-sized domestic poultry, guineafowl.

Bristol Snakes 3: Madagascar Tree Boa

In common with most zoos, the majority of Bristol’s snake collection consists of boas, pythons, and various North American colubrids. These snakes are about the easiest to maintain in captivity, as just about all of them either feed on rodents and other mammals in the wild or can be trained to east them in captivity. Maintaining the various specialist invertebrate, fish, or amphibian in captivity is much more time consuming, so people whose ideas of the potential variety of snake species and ecological specialisations are derived from zoo or pet snakes are often surprised at what snakes can do.

Lemurs 6: The Aye-Aye

The first time I saw an Aye-Aye was at Jersey Zoo (now the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust). I had gone into the nocturnal house and was trying to see it clearly when it suddenly loomed up in front of me. Even though I had seen photos, I still took a step back – it is so indescribably weird looking. I am not surprised in the least that it figures prominently in Malagasy folklore as an animal of ill omen (even though it is totally harmless) – any people who had Aye-Ayes roaming their back gardens after dark would do the same.

Lemurs 3: Ring-Tailed Lemur

Ring-Tail lemur plus baby, Bristol Zoo 2009

Probably the most well known lemur in the world, and one to be seen in practically all major and many minor zoos, the Ring-Tailed Lemur is in many respects rather unusual compared to its relatives. For one thing, although it can climb and leap from tree to tree with ease, it spends much of its time on the ground, a lifestyle otherwise known only among the extinct baboon lemurs, Archaeolemur. In diet it is unspecialised, feeding on fruits, seed pods, terrestrial plants and flowers, fungi, and a variety of insects and small vertebrates, although its favourit food in most of its range is the tamarind tree. This is probably why it does well in captivity – the range of foods it is adapted to eat means that feeding them on food obtained from cultivated crops and artificial diets will keep them in good condition, even before more scientific formulations were developed.

Lemurs 2: The Mouse Lemurs

Grey Mouse Lemur

Perhaps least changed from the stock ancestral to all other lemurs, the mouse lemurs or Cheirogaleids are a diverse group of small to extremely small, nocturnal primates. They include the smallest of all lemurs, the Pygmy Mouse Lemur Microcebus myoxinus, and here at Bristol we have a succeful family group of the almost equally minute Grey Mouse Lemur, Microcebus murinus.

Lemurs at Bristol, Part 1: What is a lemur anyway?

Ring-Tailed Lemur

One of the most important groups of primates to be seen at Bristol or any other zoo is the lemurs of Madagascar. Confined only to that island (with human introduction of one species to the Comores) they represent a unique radiation of primates in isolation from other primate species, a process which has been going on for many millions of years, possible even before the extinction of the dinosaurs. After thriving on the islands for all that time, around 2000 years ago they encountered disaster in the form of human colonists (not from nearby Africa, but from clear across the Indian ocean in Indonesia). Since that time, many species have become extinct, and the rest are all highly threatened.

Review of the year part 2: In-situ projects

As well as the various education and captive breeding programs run from Bristol, the zoo is also involved in several in-country projects all over the world, usually as part of a consortium with other zoos and conservation organisations. Here are some of the projects we are involved in, and links to where you can find out more.


Cameroon

orphaned chimps at AAA

The bushmeat trade in Africa is one of the major threats to Africa’s wildlife. Contrary to what is commonly believed, this is not a subsistence-level practise, rather in many cases a supply of expensive wild meat to the cities for high-end purchasers. As a result of the hunting of primates especially, a large number of orphans result. These tend to be kept for a while and then eaten later, but with improved law enforcement many are now confiscated and go to various rescue centres. Since 1997 Bristol has been working with the charity Ape Action Africa, providing veterinary support, education training, and publicity for support and care, with possible eventual rehabilitation, at the Mefou National Park. There are already a small number of regular visitors, and the potential for increasing eco-tourism is certainly there.

Turtles and Tortoises 2: Not just on Galapagos

Female D. dussimieri, Bristol

Today, when the phrase giant tortoise is heard, people immediately think of the giant tortoises of the Galapagos. That group of species however is just the largest surviving group of species in a world which once had giant tortoises almost everywhere, from South America to Southeast Asia. Away from the Galapagos, the largest tortoises alive today are the African Spurred Tortoise, Geochelone sulcata, a mainland species that can grow to 90cm long and a weight of 90kg, and the giant tortoises we have at Bristol, a group of seven Aldabra Giant Tortoises Dipsochelys dussumieri.

February Colloquium: Conservation in Crisis

First of all, sorry about the gruesome picture at the head of this week’s post, but it aptly illustrates the current situation in Madagascar. The research colloquia we have on a monthly basis here at Bristol (open to the public by the way – we will be holding some of them at the city museum this year to encourage attendance) cover a variety of subjects, and the first one of the year discussed the ongoing environmental disaster in Madagascar, especially over the last couple of years. The talk covered a brief history of Madagascar and then moved to the research area in North West Madagascar on the Sahamalaza peninsula, where AEECL supports a research programme. I have added the AEECL web address to the list of useful sites on this blog – please check it out.


It is a pet irritation of mine that so many people with an interest in conservation in developing countries do not know the slightest thing about the people who live with the animals and the environment they wish to protect, their history, or how they see the world and the current situation. In Madagascar that is a particular problem, because the human history of Madagascar is in many ways as unique as its wildlife.