Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – There are interesting facts about a region in Indonesia which is called the “lost world”. Research in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B’, shows that the ‘lost world’ is located on Sumba.
This area is home to various animals, most of which have become extinct thousands of years ago, including mini elephants, mice, giant lizards, and even the Komodo dragon species.
The report refers to the discovery of fossils of animals that lived on Sumba around 12,000 years ago, quoted from MongabayFriday (3/11/2023).
In fact, the study found serious findings that make it possible that rare animals originally lived in the Sumba region.
This became even more convincing when fossils of Komodo dragons were discovered which currently only live on Komodo Island, Flores. In other words, this animal which is now considered rare actually comes from Sumba.
The expedition to research these extinct animals took place from 2011 to 2014 by a research team from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).
They collected fossils from Sumba as part of the archipelago formerly named ‘Wallacea’. This area originates from biologist Alfred Russel Wallace, who first established territorial boundaries based on the distribution of animal species in Indonesia in the 19th century.
Regions within Wallacea include Sumba, Sulawesi, Lombok, Flores, Halmahera, Buru, and Seram. The Wallacea region gained popularity in 2004, when an archaeological group uncovered fossils of an extinct creature called the ‘hobbit’ or Homo Floresiensis. This creature was found in Flores, the northern part of Sumba.
Until now, research on Sumba is still very rare. There have not been many surveys of fossils and wild life there.
“Perhaps because there are too many islands in Indonesia to study. It is still rare for biologists or paleontologists to focus on diverse areas in Indonesia,” said Samuel Turvey, research member at ZSL
Scientists hope that further research on Sumba can be carried out to gain insight into the evolution of species in the area.
“Discoveries in this area could open up amazing insights into lost worlds. There are many animals that evolved on the isolated islands of Wallacea but then became extinct with the emergence of modern human civilization,” explained Turvey.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
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