Repticon Comes To Camp Jordan This Weekend; World Animal Protection Group Objects - The Chattanoogan - Reptilenesia
|
Repticon, a reptile and exotic animal expos throughout the United States, is coming back to Chattanooga with a mixture of vendors and breeders. This "family-oriented, fun-filled" event offers guests the opportunity to learn about animals not normally seen in local pet stores. Breeder-vendors are always willing to teach in their field of herpetology. Guests can also shop for a new family pet among the hundreds of reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, spiders and small exotic animals. Repticon Chattanooga also offers merchandise, cages, supplies, and both live and frozen feeders, as well as expert advice about caring for their new household member. This event, held at the Camp Jordan Arena in East Ridge, will be April 24 and 25. A global animal welfare organization, World Animal Protection, said it has called on the Camp Jordan Arena to cut its ties with reptile expo company, Repticon. The group said, "These events promote the buying, selling, and trade of exotic animals, who should not be kept as pets. These animals also pose a threat to human health with the latest CDC-reported outbreak of Salmonella linked back to a bearded dragon." As Repticon shows resume, the following social distancing procedures will be followed at all Repticon events to promote the health and safety of staff, vendors and guests: touchless ticketing, pulsed guest admission & booth sanitization, increased spacing of vendor booths, masks and social distancing of six feet are required, it was stated. There will be no seminars or paper raffle entries. The show hours are 9-11 a.m., 11:30 a.m. -1:30 p.m. and 2-4 p.m. Tickets are only sold online and are $10 for adults, $5 for children five-12, and children under five are admitted free. For more information and to find tickets, visit https://repticon.com/repticon-chattanooga/.  |
 The Komodo dragon, which weighs on average some 70 kilograms, is an example of an island species that evolved outsize proportions. Credit: Alamy Evolution An analysis of more than 1,000 species shows that birds, mammals and reptiles on islands tend to be either miniature or gigantic versions of their mainland counterparts — evidence that an evolutionary tenet called the 'island rule' applies to a wide variety of vertebrates. Big mainland animals often evolve smaller bodies on islands, whereas small mainland species become larger. A prominent example is the island-dwelling Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), which is the world's largest lizard and can exceed 150 kilograms. Ana Benítez-López at the Doňana Biological Station in Seville, Spain, and her colleagues set out to settle the debate about whether the dragon and other species are mere flukes or part of a broader evolutionary pattern. The team gathered data from multiple studies to examine 1,166 island-dwelling species and 886 of their mainland counterparts. In a departure from some previous studies, the researchers drew data from diverse sources, such as museum specimens and studies unrelated to the island rule. The authors found widespread evidence for the island rule around the world. Shifts in body size were most extreme for mammals and reptiles on smaller, more remote islands.  |
