Australian archaeologists have documented the remains of ancient giant rats the size of small dogs which were discovered in a remote East Timorese cave.
Ken Aplin of the Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization (CSIRO) said the rats, detailed in the Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History this week, grew up to 6kg — nearly the size of an adult Jack Russell.
The remains of the super-rats, three times the size of the largest living species, were among 13 types of rodents discovered during years of research in East Timor.
Aplin told AFP the rats lived there until 1,000 to 2,000 years ago, and were likely wiped out by changes in agricultural practices and habitat clearance.
“Large-scale clearing of forest for agriculture probably caused the extinctions, and this may have only been possible following the introduction of metal tools,” said Aplin.
He said it was “a difficult sell, protecting rats,” but that the finds are a reminder of the importance of conserving rodents.
“Rodents make up 40 percent of mammalian diversity worldwide and are a key element of ecosystems, important for processes like soil maintenance and seed dispersal,” he said.
The largest living rats weigh around 2kg and live in rainforests in the Philippines and Papua New Guinea.
Aplin was optimistic that at least one undiscovered rat species might still be living in East Timor, much of which is mountainous and inaccessible.
“Although less than 15 percent of Timor’s original forest cover remains, parts of the island are still heavily forested, so who knows what might be out there?” he said.(AFP)
澳洲考古學家近日在東帝汶一個偏遠山洞裡,發現了大小有如小型犬的老鼠遺骸。
「國協科學與研究組織」人員肯•艾普林在本周的《美國自然歷史博物館公報》中詳細描述,這種老鼠體重可達六公斤,幾乎是一隻成年傑克羅素梗犬的大小。
除了這些體型為現有品種三倍大的超級巨鼠遺骸外,在東帝汶進行研究的這幾年還發現了其他十二種齧齒動物。
艾普林跟法新社說,這種老鼠活躍於一千至兩千年前,可能是因為農耕習慣變遷及棲息地消失而絕跡。
艾普林說:「為了耕作而大規模砍伐森林可能就是牠們絕跡的原因,而這只有在人類使用金屬工具後才可能發生。」
他表示,「說服他人保育鼠類並不簡單」,但這項發現對於保育齧齒動物具有提醒作用。
他說:「齧齒動物佔全球哺乳類的百分之四十,在生態運作上扮演要角,對於土壤保持及種子散播有重要的影響。」
目前最大的老鼠體重大約兩公斤,生活在菲律賓與巴布亞新幾內亞的雨林中。
艾普林樂觀的表示,可能還有未被發現的鼠種生活在人們未涉足的東帝汶山區。
他說:「雖然東帝汶原始森林的覆蓋面積不到百分之十五,但該島大部分地區還是林木茂密,所以誰知道裡面還藏著什麼?」
(法新社╱翻譯:吳岱璟)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
Everyone has seen a piece of fruit turn brown after being cut. Have you ever wondered why that happens? It is a common phenomenon that occurs due to a chemical reaction called enzymatic browning. The appearance, flavor and nutritional value of the fruit are all affected by this reaction. Some fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, avocados and peaches, are more prone to enzymatic browning than others. These fruits contain high levels of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO for short. __1__ This causes a chain of chemical reactions that ultimately transforms the phenolic compounds into
A: As well as Eid al-Fitr, Southeast Asia is celebrating the Water Festival this week. B: And this year, Thailand is expanding the celebration between April 12 and 16 for the event, officially known as the Songkran Festival, expecting to make 24.3 billion Thai baht in tourism revenue. A: Does Taiwan celebrate the Water Festival? B: Some local cities and counties do have similar activities. A: Let’s go experience the festival then. A: 除了「開齋節」外,東南亞「潑水節」本週也盛大登場! B: 泰國今年從4月12日到16日擴大「宋干節」連假,預估觀光收入可高達243億泰銖。 A: 台灣會慶祝「潑水節」嗎? B: 有些縣市會舉辦類似活動。 A: 那我們也去體驗一下吧。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)