If we want to see the ancient animals, we usually see it in the form of fossils because ancient animals had became extinct millions years ago. But it turns out that several ancient animal were still alive on earth, especially in the territory of Indonesia.
Those animals are called living fossils. Living fossil is a term for animal or plant species that has been considered extinct and become a fossil, but in fact it still alive. This term may also be worn for animals / plants that have been existed millions years ago with a form that doesn't undergo many changes from fossil relics.
Here are some living fossils of ancient animals that can be found in Indonesia.
#1 Komodo Dragons
Komodo is an endemic species of ancient reptiles that lived since ancient times. The evolution of the Komodo dragon started with the Varanus genus began to flourish in Asia between 40-25 million years ago. Komodo is a close relative of the dinosaur . It is seen from the fossils discovery of dinosaurs that shows similarity body structure with dragons.
Dinosaurs have been extinct long long ago, but Komodo are still exist until now. Komodo is called the last dinosaur in the world. This animals live in the same era with the dinosaur, and known as carnivorous lizards, but they are also cannibals because sometimes they eat their children.
Komodo dragon ( Varanus Komodoensis) is the largest lizards. The largest Komodo recorded has a length of 3.13 meters and 166 kilograms weight. Komodo dragons can be found in Komodo Island and the small islands around it in the province of East Nusa Tenggara . The original habitat of Komodo can only be found in Indonesia.
#2 Leatherback
Leatherbacks or Dermochelys coriacea said to have inhabited earth since 100 million years ago, when the dinosaurs ruled the planet. Leatherbacks are the largest sea turtle species. Leatherback can reach 900 kg weight, with a body length of about one half to two meters.
Unlike other turtles, leatherbacks don't have a hard shell . It's Carapace is like a mosaic of firm small bones, and the skin is rubbery with seven longitudinal ridges. Leatherbacks can be found from the tropics to the sub-polar ocean region and usually nesting on beaches in tropical regions.
Leatherbacks only eat jellyfish, and there are few places in the world that are chosen to spawn. One of the spawning grounds is in the Jamursba Medi Beach and Mamon. It is located in the North of West Papua Province. Leatherbacks have a habit of traveling around the world exploring different regions of the earth.
#3 Coelacant Fish
Coelacanth fish thought to have existed since the Devonian era about 380 million years ago, until now the shape is not changed. Coelacanth is an ancient fish that comes from a branch of the eldest surviving evolution of jawed fish . Previously, the fish was believed to have gone extinct since the end of the Cretaceous period 65 million years ago. But then it turns out the fish was found alive.
This fish lives only in western South African waters and eastern Indonesian waters respectively called Latimeria chalumnae and Latimeria menadoensis. Indonesian coelacanth ancient fish can be found in the waters of Talise, North Minahasa and Malalayang waters, the Gulf of Manado, North Sulawesi. This fish's habitat is at more than 180 meters depth with a maximum temperature of 18 degrees Celsius. In Indonesia, especially in the waters around Manado and North Minahasa, this species is called SeaKing fish by the local people.
#4 Arowana Fish
Arowana fish is one of the ancient fish that have not gone extinct. Studies of genetic and fossil findings show that this fish at least have lived on earth since 220 million years ago. Arowana fish is one of carnivore that inhabit the river and lake with calm water. This fish can be found in the Amazon , and in some parts of Africa, Asia and Australia.
Arowana fish (Scleropagus sp.) can be found in the fresh waters of Indonesia. One type of arowana fish is Arowana super red, which is the original fish in Kapuas River and Lake Sentarum in West Kalimantan. The waters is the forest area of peat which creates a primitive environment for the ancient fish.
#5 Estuarine Crocodiles
Crocodiles is one of the ancient animals left on this earth. Estuarine crocodiles or Bekatak crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is one of the largest crocodile species in the world, much bigger than the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) and the American Alligator (Alligator mississipiensis). The length of the body including the tail can reach 12 meters as it had been found in Sangatta, East Kalimantan.
Crocodiles still have close relatives with the ancient reptiles, CrocodileSaurus is the ancestors of crocodiles that have a length of nearly 30 meters. However, because of nature influence, the body of CrocodileSaurus shrunk and become estuarine crocodiles . Estuarine crocodiles can be found from the Bay of Bengal (India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh) to the Fiji Islands . Indonesia became a habitat to the estuarine crocodile besides Australia.
#6 Belangkas
Belangkas are animal species of artopoda that live in shallow waters and mangrove areas. Sometimes referred as horseshoe crabs, mimi , or mintuna. Mimi is the name of the Java language to the androgynous male and mintuna is for the androgynous females.
This animal is one of the ancient animals that did not undergo significant deformation since Devon period (400-250 million years ago) compared to its present form, although it is not the same kind. These animals form shaped like a horseshoe pony-tailed . Although the shape looks creepy, crab meat and eggs can be used as food. However, we should be careful because there are parts of his body that contain toxins .
Horseshoe crab can be found in the marine waters of Southeast Asia and North America . In Indonesia, the type of crab found is Tachypleus gigas , Tachypleus tridentatus and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda. Type T. gigas are found in estuarine waters almost in every Indonesian waters.
#7 Pangolin
Pangolin is one of the ancient animals, some fossil of pangolins have been found during the Oligocene and Miocene era. These animals eat insects, especially ants and termites. His hair was modified into a kind of big scales which arranged to form a layered shield as a means of self-protection. If disturbed, it will furl his body like a ball .
Pangolin lives in lowland tropical rain forests. Pangolin can be found in Southeast Asia. Pangolins in Indonesia known as the Java pangolin (Manis javanica) found in the mountainous areas of Sumatra, Borneo and Java and Bali. Although it looked like reptiles, these animals belong to mammals . In Indonesia this animal is protected. In Jambi Province, pangolin populations still quite prevalent.
Indonesia is quite amazing because in this area we can still find a variety of unique ancient animal. They have very little population and must be protected.
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