Tom Harrisson’s research while affiliated with politeknik kuching sarawak and other places

IN an earlier communication1, the first living record of an earless monitor lizard (Lanthanotus borneensis) from West Borneo was described. It was afterwards suggested that, despite the great rarity attached to it by previous authors2, the species might eventually prove to be overlooked rather than unknown3.

“The most valuable reptile in the world”, is how American Professor Archie Carr describes the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas). Unfortunately, this value is reflected again in the great reptile's alternative common name “the Edible Turtle”. Under the richly ironic scientific name of mydas, this ponderous marine has poured its rich juices into centuries of banquets proffered by the Lord Mayor of London or President of the United States. Genuine turtle soup is still a top status symbol in upper-class diet through most of the civilized world—except South-east Asia.

Lanthonotus borneensis Steindachner-the Borneo earless monitor lizard (which forms, with two American lizards, the family Helodermatidae) is known from less than ten specimens, all from Sarawak (three in Kuching, one in Singapore, the rest in American and British museums), none of which has been collected in recent times or with satisfactory field data. Thus, although the importance of this reptile's purely taxonomie characters in lizard-snake evolution has been examined in detail1, no supporting information on behaviour has been available.

EXAMINATION of the mammalian remains excavated from the west mouth of Niah Cave, Sarawak1, in 1954-58 down to a depth of 72 in., which corresponds to a carbon-14 date of about 32,000 years B.P. (ref. 2), established a fauna containing only the lowland evergreen rain forest species of modern south-east Asia3; of those identified, only the Malay tapir4 and the tiger (an unerupted canine from Neolithic levels (E/G1, 6-12 in.)) are to-day unknown from the wild in Borneo.