Now showing on Animal Planet, 'Mutual Of Omaha's Wild Kingdom'. Pretty good program about this rare reptile. 
Check it out!!
http://animal.discovery.com/fansites/wildkingdom/butaan/about/about.html
Assumed extinct for 130 years, the Butaan lizard is one of the world's rarest reptiles. A giant, fruit-eating tree-dweller, the tremendously shy Butaan has never been filmed in the wild until now.
In this Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom special, biologist Daniel Bennett leads a group of scientists to remote Polillo Island in the Philippines to study and film this little-known species. Few scientists have seen the Butaan in the wild; its habit of hiding out in the high canopies of the forest has made research difficult, not to mention hazardous.
Growing up to 7 feet in length, the Butaan a close relative of the carnivorous Komodo dragon has a highly specialized, frugivorous diet. It feeds almost exclusively on the tough, reddish-orange fruit of the pandanas palm tree.
Over the past 20 years, more than 90 percent of the Butaan's habitat has been destroyed to make way for coconut and rice plantations. Today, only one square mile of habitat remains on Polillo Island for the Butaan, and with trees continuing to fall at an alarming rate, time may be running out for this unique species.
Butaan: The Lost Dragon is filled with adventure, danger and discovery. Using remote cameras, camera traps and specialized tree mounts, Daniel Bennett and his fellow scientists uncover the secrets of this "lost dragon."
Catch this Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom premiere on Sunday, May 21, at 7 p.m. ET.
Check it out!! http://animal.discovery.com/fansites/wildkingdom/butaan/about/about.html
Assumed extinct for 130 years, the Butaan lizard is one of the world's rarest reptiles. A giant, fruit-eating tree-dweller, the tremendously shy Butaan has never been filmed in the wild until now.
In this Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom special, biologist Daniel Bennett leads a group of scientists to remote Polillo Island in the Philippines to study and film this little-known species. Few scientists have seen the Butaan in the wild; its habit of hiding out in the high canopies of the forest has made research difficult, not to mention hazardous.
Growing up to 7 feet in length, the Butaan a close relative of the carnivorous Komodo dragon has a highly specialized, frugivorous diet. It feeds almost exclusively on the tough, reddish-orange fruit of the pandanas palm tree.
Over the past 20 years, more than 90 percent of the Butaan's habitat has been destroyed to make way for coconut and rice plantations. Today, only one square mile of habitat remains on Polillo Island for the Butaan, and with trees continuing to fall at an alarming rate, time may be running out for this unique species.
Butaan: The Lost Dragon is filled with adventure, danger and discovery. Using remote cameras, camera traps and specialized tree mounts, Daniel Bennett and his fellow scientists uncover the secrets of this "lost dragon."
Catch this Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom premiere on Sunday, May 21, at 7 p.m. ET.
