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4 The Ancient Animal Species Living in Indonesia

1. Komodo

Komodo, or commonly called the Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis), is the largest lizard in the world to reach a body length of 2-3 meters and weigh up to 70-140 kg.
Large size is closely related to symptoms of island gigantism, the tendency for the body meraksasanya certain animals that live in small island linked to the absence of mammalian carnivores on the island where dragons live, and metabolic rate are small dragons. Because of his body, these lizards occupy the position of a top predator that dominate the ecosystems in which they live.

Komodo is the only living ancient dinosaur (endemic) in Indonesia alone, precisely on the island of Komodo National Park. Even so dragons can also be found on two other islands around the island of Komodo, Rinca and Padar.
Secret of Komodo lizards can survive for up to 40 million years is because it has a natural defense system life contained in the nails and saliva. Their saliva is deadly because it contains 66 kinds of deadly bacteria. Another secret why dragons can survive this long is because of the way the dragons reproduce very privileges. Komodo can lay eggs without a male (parthenogenesis).


2. Coelacanth (Ancient Sea King Fish)
Coelacanths coelacanth is a fish or a lot of ancient life at 360 million years ago. Coelacanths known as the coelacanth now only two species namely Latimeria menadoensis (Indonesian coelacanth) and chalumnae Latimeria (Coelacanth Comoro). While many other types, about 120 species have been declared extinct and only found fossils alone.

Coelacanth is a type of lung lungfish that most experts believed to be the ancestors of tetrapods, the ancestors of land-dwelling animals, including humans. Coelacanth coelacanths or have habitat in the deep ocean, 700 meters below sea level. Although sometimes these ancient fish could be the sea at a depth of 200 meters.
In 1998, sea king fish caught in fishing nets in the waters of the island of Manado Tua, North Sulawesi. This type of fish is already commonly known by local fishermen terdiskripsikan but not until an American researcher who lives in Manado, Mark Erdmann and some of his friends including LIPI scientists publish and coelacanths later is referred to as a new species, Latimeria menadoensis (Sulawesi Coelacanth).

Between species of coelacanths Latimeria chalumnae (Comoros coelacanth) and menadoensis Latimeria (Coelacanth Sulawesi) have similar characteristics. This ancient fish tail shaped like a fan with big eyes and scales seen not perfect (like a rock). Reach 2 meters in length and weigh up to 80-100 kg. There is a difference in skin color is brown menadoensis Latimeria Latimeria chalumnae while blue steel.

3. crocodile
As we all know that the crocodile is one of the ancient animals left on this earth. Crocodile carnivore is an animal that can live in water and land. Indonesia has a total of 7 species of crocodiles of all species of crocodiles are there in the World.

Crocodile species found in Indonesia, among others:
 
# estuarine crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) :
The estuarine crocodile is the largest crocodile species, the longest and vicious among other crocodile species in the world. The estuarine crocodile habitat also has a very wide distribution, even the widest other crocodile species. Estuarine crocodiles can be found ranging from the Bay of Bengal (India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh) to the Fiji Islands. Indonesia became a favorite habitat for estuarine crocodiles than Australia.

#crocodile Irian (Crocodylus novaeguineae)
Irian crocodile is only found on the island of New Guinea (Indonesia and Papua New Guinea). Body shape crocodiles that live in fresh water estuarine crocodile is just like a smaller sized and colored black.

#Mindoro crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis)
Mindoro crocodile originally including subspecies (subspecies) of Irian crocodile (Crocodylus novaeguineae) but now this individual is considered as a separate species. Mindoro crocodile in Indonesia can be found in the eastern and southeastern Sulawesi.

#crocodiles Kalimantan (Crocodylus raninus)
Borneo crocodile has characteristics similar to the estuarine crocodiles. Because of that crocodile found only in East Kalimantan and South Kalimantan status is still being debated experts.

#Siamese crocodile or alligator freshwater (Crocodylus siamensis)
Siamese crocodile thought to have originated from Siam. Siamese crocodile in Indonesia than can be found also in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Laos, and Cambodia. In Indonesia, Siamese crocodile is only found in Java and Kalimantan.

#Sahul crocodile (Crocodylus novaeguineae)
Sahul crocodile is the same or is still considered one species with crocodile Irian. But by some taxonomists crocodile Sahul only spread in southern West Papua is proposed to be a separate species.

#False Gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii)
Gharial in Sumatra, Borneo, and Java. What distinguishes Gharial crocodile with the other types are relatively narrow snout.


4. arowana
According to an ancient group Osteoglossids, these fish already existed in the Jurassic period. Currently, they can be found in the Amazon, and in some parts of Africa, Asia and Australia

Sometimes kept as exotic pets, arowana are voracious predators that eat smaller animals that they can catch, including birds and bats which they catch in mid flight (they can jump up to 2 meters (6 '6 ") into the air).

In China, arowana known as "Dragon Fish" because of their appearance, and they are considered bearer good luck / good luck.