Posted on 12/24/2004 3:32:37 AM PST by bd476
"A "monster" cockroach and other new insects have been discovered in the jungles of Borneo, scientists say. An expedition of caves and cliffs, led by the Nature Conservancy, also said it saw previously unknown fish and plants.
"In just five weeks, the expedition team discovered numerous new species previously unknown to science," the conservancy's Scott Stanley said.
"Who knows what else is out there?" he added, calling for the area surveyed in East Kalimantan to be preserved.
"If something is not done soon to protect these areas, dozens of species could disappear before anyone knew they ever existed."
Borneo is one of the world's richest regions, in terms of biodiversity, but the area had no special status that might have protected it against illegal mining or logging.
The team of scientists explored four "karst" systems of limestone caves, cliffs and sinkholes in the Sangkulirang Peninsula, about 1,200km (750 miles) north-west of Indonesia's capital, Jakarta.
At 10cm (4in) long, the newly-discovered cockroach is believed to be the largest in the world.
As well as the "monster" cockroach, the scientists reported a new "micro-crab", a pure-white 6.5cm-long millipede, two new species of begonia, two new species of snail and several new types of fish, the conservancy said."
Before I got them under control years ago, I used to shoot them with a pellet gun in my back yard. I would turn on the back yard lights and watch the whole yard move. I shot them off the sides of trees or just runing across the patio. Sometimes I would have to hit one of them two or three times to slow him down.
Well, the ones in Texas do and they get as big and gross as any of them. In Florida I think they call them Palmetto bugs.
wow.
Seriesly, I have gone patrolling the house with a can of Raid...
There are hidden contradictions in the minds of people who "love Nature" while deploring the "artificialities" with which "Man has spoiled 'Nature.'" The obvious contradiction lies in their choice of words, which imply that Man and his artifacts are not part of "Nature" -- but beavers and their dams are. But the contradictions go deeper than this prima-facie absurdity. In declaring his love for a beaver dam (erected by beavers for beavers' purposes) and his hatred for dams erected by men (for the purposes of men) the "naturist" reveals his hatred for his own race -- i.e., his own self hatred.
In the case of "Naturists" such self-hatred is understandable; they are such a sorry lot. But hatred is too strong an emotion to feel toward them; pity and contempt are the most they rate.
As for me, willy-nilly I am a man, not a beaver, and H. sapiens is the only race I have or can have. Fortunately for me, I like being part of a race made up of men and women -- it strikes me as a fine arrangement and perfectly "natural."
Robert Anson Heinlein
It must be the demo-commies next party nominee for POTUS. I am sure it favors, peanut butter and jelly samich scary kerry. Merry Christmas to you Darkwolf377. NSNR
Maybe it's the hour, but I wonder if these things could be trained as bomb or mine detectors.
At old 6 Engine in DC we used to race them, 4 inches would be a baby. They sounded like a Sikorski helicopter when they took off.
Actually I am not exaggerating . It is the ones we call palmetto bugs or, I suspect, the ones backhoe called aeroplane bugs.
Excellent Heinlein passage. Thanks!
Is this actually bigger than the 5" Brazilian whistling cockroaches? A high school kid in town acquired some of those and was raising them a few years ago for some sort of science fair project. A bunch of them escaped and he got some of them back. So far they haven't showed up noticeably in the local fauna but, then, I'm not sure folks hereabouts would notice anything new. I looked at the boy's bugs several times and never heard them whistle.
They've obviously never been to Puerto Vallarta.
Ye gahds, I thought I was the only one who saw that flick!
o/~ Fun-ky Tow-el... (Towel's got the funk!) o/~
The reincarnation of Yassar Arafat.....
I worked with tropical roaches from South America that were about that big.
"O-Kaaaay...4 inches. That accounts for ONE part of Terry McAuliffe's anatomy, "
You give him too much credit by half......
Were they management or staff?
Then again--we have lizards that eat the giant Palmetto bugs.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
