Texas Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus olivaceus)

Photo by Flickr member Kenny Salazar

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Komodo dragons: as adorable as they are awesome (Wikimedia Commons)

That’s as intolerable as eating less than 80% of one’s body weight might be to an extremely hungry Komodo dragon.

And so, I provide. Item one: noted something-or-other Kim Kardashian recently ‘freaked out’ at a Komodo Dragon proffered by a guy who sort of resembles Robert Goulet, per People magazine sources.

Item two, more noteworthy for a wildlife conservation group: the City of Sydney has joined the Taronga Zoo in launching a Year of the Dragon 2012 Chinese New Year campaign to save Indonesia’s beleaguered mammoth lizards:

The Komodo dragon […] is found only on five islands in eastern Indonesia. As few as 3,000 are believed to remain in the wild. Commercial trade in these lizards is prohibited by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

“We are delighted to join with the Taronga Foundation to support their important wildlife conservation work,” said Mayor [Clover] Moore [...] “[t]he Year of the Dragon is the perfect opportunity to get to know Taronga’s dragons, from the giant Komodo named Tuka, to the small eastern water dragons that roam wild in the zoo grounds – all of which are under pressure in the wild“

That’s right: Tuka. He’s one of the big attractions at Sydney’s popular Taronga Zoo, a 171-pound specimen who likes basking in the sun and probably eating you, if there were nothing else around. Eastern water dragons are great too, but they’re the opening act to the Komodos’ arena rock headliners (Komodos are thought to reach 300 pounds and 10 feet in length in the wild).

The Taronga Foundation, which helps fund conservation and education programs at the zoo, assists the Komodo Survival Program in Indonesia in helping local communities preserve the dragons in their natural habitat. They need the support: Komodo dragons are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s ‘Red List’ of threatened species.

I have a long story to tell about how Komodo dragons were the focal point of my childhood interest in wildlife (Varanus komodoensis was the first scientific name I ever memorized and one of the few I still remember), but it will have to wait for another time (maybe I can blog more about them after somebody pays for me to go on a $27,000 Komodo dragon getaway. Email my boss!) Right now, 20 years after Komodo dragons were hatched for the first time outside of Indonesia at the National Zoo, I’m just glad some groups are working to pull this amazing animal back from the brink of extinction.

From Taronga Zoo:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Western Fence Lizard (via Flickr's Alan Vernon)

As anyone who’s seen a lizard sunning itself on a rock can tell you, cold-blooded creatures put a high priority on soaking up renewable energy. Now Washington may be awakening to the idea of convenient recharging.

The Detroit Free Press reports the U.S. Senate is working on a bill that would let electric vehicle charging stations be installed at Congressional sites. It’s a bipartisan concern – Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) drives a Nissan Leaf and Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) drives a Chevy Volt. Users would have to pay for the charging stations and the electricity. Sponsors hope to get the measure passed by the end of the year.

Within the article is a great story about how much Sen. Levin (D-MI) loves his Chevy Volt:

The car glided silently into traffic near the U.S. Capitol, and Levin was visibly excited to roam the streets in the electric-gas hybrid.

“I love the idea of American industry being in the lead,” Levin said. “When I drive this car, it gives me pride in what we can do.”

As he steered along busy streets, Levin was looking for an opportunity to give it the gas, er, electricity. It happened when the traffic thinned on a wide stretch of Constitution Avenue.

“This has a terrific pickup,” Levin grinned. “Watch this.”

The Volt shot forward, pushing passengers against the seat backs.

“Pretty good, huh?”

But Washington’s real fuel efficiency landmarks will come later this year. The Obama administration is expected to announce first-of-their-kind rules for heavy trucks next month. Then in September, new rules are due for cars and light trucks like pickups & SUVs.

The National Wildlife Federation is pushing for the strong fuel efficiency standards. For example, achieving a national average of 60 miles per gallon would save drivers up to $7,400 at the pump over the life cycle of a vehicle. At the same time, we’d cut America’s global warming pollution by 465 million metric tons per year or nearly 7% of total US global warming pollution from all sources.

That would be great news for America’s wildlife, including lizards – already, lizard populations have disappeared in 15 locations where global warming was thought to be the culprit. And can you imagine how clean the air in America’s cities would be if our cars & trucks were on that kind of an oil diet?

Will the Obama administration deliver? The Detroit News reports officials are talking about strong fuel efficiency standards, but there’s a long way to go between now & September.

Take Action

Please take a moment to ask the Obama administration to support a strong fuel efficiency standard of 60 miles per gallon by 2025.