Giants and dwarfs – a real life fairy tale

Indonesia offers an abundance of reasons to be fascinated by the raw, natural world; tri-coloured volcanic lakes, still-practicing head hunting tribes, flame-furred cousins of men bounding through the jungle. One of the most fascinating biological examples exists here in Flores – Island Gigantism and Insular Dwarfism.

http://www.liabarrettphotography.com

‘The Island Rule’, developed by J Bristol Foster in 1964, states that insular species, i.e. those found on islands, are prone to size changes throughout the evolutionary process. Large animals have a propensity to shrink in size compared to their mainland counterparts whereas small species grow to giant proportions! As a general rule, carnivores are inclined to become dwarfed and rodents and birds tend towards gigantism.

While there are a number of exceptions and one definitive rule has not yet been developed to explain these size changes, there is a simple rationalization. Species which exhibit dwarfism are often subject to a reduction in food source and therefore possible malnutrition and stunting of growth. Smaller size has advantages such as hiding from predators in a smaller area and the ability to cope with stress better. Gigantism seems to be a direct result of a lack of predators in the island environment. Without threat and with the availability of a constant food source, some species are free to grow beyond their normal realms. Advantages of this are the ability to survive harsher conditions due to higher energy stores, use of intimidation in herbivores which would have used escape tactics previously and larger range and therefore food source.

There are fascinating examples of this all over the world, maybe the most famous being the Dodo – the extinct flightless bird from Madagascar. However, as man has evolved along with the introduction of other predators such as cats and dogs, many of these species no longer exist. Flores, situated within eastern Indonesia, and the many smaller islands surrounding this has an above average amount of giants and dwarfs. Here are a few examples:

Flores Giant Rat - measuring 41–45 cm (1.3-1.5 ft) with a tail length is 33–70 cm, at least twice the size of the more familiar Brown Rat. The Flores Giant Rat can still be found in Flores today, although it is listed on the IUCN Red List as ‘Near Threatened’.
Homo floresiensis – nicknamed ‘The Hobbit’, Home floresiensis co-existed with our species until 12,000 years ago.

Komodo Dragon - is the largest living land lizard at over 3m long. The Komodo Dragon is a rare example of island gigantism in a carnivore and harks back to the dinosaur days when reptiles ruled the world

Flores flightless stork – Remains of this stork that stood at an estimated 1.8m tall were found in the same cave as the Homo floresiensis. Some theories suggest that the two species hunted each other – hobbit vs. stork!

Dwarf stegodonts – Effectively a pygmy elephant which was endemic to Flores until extinction around 12,000 years ago. The smallest of the species had a 300k body weight and was smaller than a water buffalo. There are theories which suggest that the Komodo Dragon grew to such epic proportions by feeding on the stegodonts.

With its lack of any large mammalian predators, Flores was the perfect location for the development of island gigantism and insular dwarfism. The extinction of many of these species seems to coincide with the arrival of modern man and possibly a large volcanic eruption on Bali, although this is yet to be proved.

It is possible to still bring yourself close to these evolutionary marvels. When visiting Flores why not go to the caves where the remains of ‘The Flores Hobbit’ were found, search out the Flores Giant Rat (make sure you bring plenty of cheese) and go searching for Dragons on one of Wicked’s Komodo liveaboard or day trip boats.­­

Check out this BBC article for more info on the Flores Hobbit.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22166736

-Wicked Komodo

Local history - Ranong and Takuapa

This story is fascinating, not because Ranong is all that interesting - I don't think it is, but the history of the area is. Takuapa is just over the hill from here, and the tin mining they are referring to is how this area was known for a century. Both our local wrecks are tin Dredgers!



Bangkok Post - July 5, 2007

Tracing the roots of the Na Ranong family and its legacy

One of the wettest places in Thailand, Ranong nestles between Chumphon and Phangnga and borders Burma to its west. The province has changed little over the years and life there is slow and quiet.

"To the locals it is a place of 'Fon Paed Daed Si' seasons, meaning eight months of rain and four months of sunshine," said a resident in Ranong town.

My initial impression of the town was that it is verdantly green everywhere, wet and refreshing, too, although on my recent trip surprisingly there was no rain.

It is in this town that the Na Ranong family name has its roots that go back to Khaw Soo Cheang, the province's first governor, whose portrait graces a wall of a shrine that also has a tablet tracing the family tree.

At the shrine the sign on top of the doorway reads thao yang in Hokkien Chinese, meaning the lofty sun. Next to the shrine are dilapidated pillars of the building which was once the residence of third-generation Na Ranongs. The shrine was subsequently built on a part of their former residence.

From the shrine a short walk leads to the crumbling old walls, once the seat of Ranong administration. The land is damp thick with vegetation where a towering rubber tree stood for generations, just like the bo tree that stands there today.

"Those openings," said Kosol na Ranong pointing to holes in the walls. "were created for placing guns to fight off enemies or intruders when Khaw Soo Cheang was governor."

Kosol is a fifth-generation descendant of the Na Ranong clan that has over 2,000 bearers of the family name today. We walked through a wild undergrowth, the damp air infested with mosquitoes, to what appeared like crumbled ruins with a roof cover.

"Here stood the reception building which hosted King Rama V on his visit to Ranong," Kosol said.

In April 1890 the king and crown prince Vajiravudh (later King Rama VI) visited Ranong and were received by Khaw Sim Kong, who had succeeded his father as governor. Kosol said the Fine Arts Department had a roof cover built to protect the ruins from further deterioration.

Unfortunately, there is no photographic evidence showing the complete structure, just a mention by King Rama V of his trip that it was a two-storey building. Nearby are remains of bricks and stones left uncovered. From what remains we can tell it must have been a substantial building with many rooms.

There were also remains of a stone grill and Kosol pointed out that this was where Khaw Soo Cheang lived during his time.

In a book authored by Varinthorn Hemrueng-ngoen who initiated the Khaw Soo Cheang Monument Project in 1999, she wrote that the man was born in Changzhou, not far from Xiamen, China, in 1797.

At the age of 25, along with his elder brother, Soo Foo, he left China like thousands of others before him to escape poverty and headed for Nanyang, south of Penang in Malaysia, in search of a better life.

Penang then used to be part of Siam. Khaw Soo Cheang began as a labourer but when things didn't get better he obtained lease of eight acres of land in Sungei Tiram - site of Bayan Lepas Airport today - and started growing fruits and vegetables.

Every week he walked 18 miles to sell his produce in Penang. Six years later life still hadn't improved and he moved to Takua Pa and began trading in clothes, guns, tin, areca nuts, bird's nest and pepper. This time it clicked: trade flourished and for a change, with the help of an influential lady, Thao Thep Sunthorn, he made money. Later, he moved to Phangnga and finding it full of promise opened a store called Koe Guan. He bought a ship and started trading along the coastal Penang-Ranong-Kra Buri route.

Ranong then was a small settlement of just 17 houses, but it was rich in tin ores. In 1844, during the reign of King Rama III, Khaw Soo Cheang received a concession to mine tin in exchange for a certain amount of royalty payable twice a year, which he subsequently surpassed as business became prosperous. For his loyalty, integrity, and in the face of looming threat from the British who then ruled Burma, Khaw Soo Cheang was appointed governor of Ranong and later one of his sons, Khaw Sim Kong, was named to the royal court in Bangkok as an aide to the monarch.

Ranong at the time was so distant that tax collectors were far from willing to travel there. Khaw Soo Cheang, apart from being an able trader, also proved a shrewd administrator and obtained the right to collect taxes on behalf of the state.

He went about the work diligently and as his tin-mining business prospered he was able to bring in more workers which he sourced from his native China. In just three years there were thousands of Chinese working in tin mines, and as their numbers soared so did Ranong's contribution to state coffers. Khaw Soo Cheang had complete say when it came to collecting tax levied on tin mining and export, opium, liquor and gambling, which he pursued with due diligence and in an evenhanded manner.

As his reputation grew, so did his tin business to Lang Suan, Phangnga, Takua Thung, Phuket and Takua Pa, and in due course everyone of them were reporting to Bangkok, completely by-passing the tax collectors, and with tin prices reaching new highs the state revenue also peaked.

It was around this time that Khaw Soo Cheang, by now old and feeling his age, took absence of leave to visit his hometown in China. While he was away a revolt of sorts broke out among Chinese workers and there was rioting in Ranong which he helped clamp down on return.

For his services, he was bestowed the title "Phraya Damrong Sujarit Mahisorn Phakdi Jangwang" by King Rama V, while his eldest son was appointed chief administrator of Ranong.

Khaw Soo Cheang died at the age of 86 in May, 1882. He was survived by six sons. His final resting place is a plot of land donated by King Rama V.

Other attractions in Ranong town include the Wat Suwanna Khiri temple or Wat Na Muang that has a pagoda built by Burmese migrants seeking refuge from political turmoil in their country.

Buddhists too, they built the pagoda to show their gratitude for Ranong people. It features a tiled floor with geometric patterns reminiscent of King Rama V's days, and a multi-purpose sala or pavilion, a landmark that every boat heading to Ranong town passed in the old days.