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Living on Guam is what now "defines" me. It was such a dramatic difference in my life and outlook... (more...)
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Leaping Lizards! The Hall Monitor May Not Be What You Were Expecting!
My experience with the Western Pacific monitor lizard, Varanus indicus--also known as the mangrove monitor--has been over 12 years of living on the Western Pacific island of Guam, with side visits to Saipan, Tinian, Rota, Belau (Palau) (The big lizards have been frequently shown on CBS's "reality show"--"Survivor-Micronesia"), Chuuk (Truk), and Pohnapei. I've seen the 12-inch long juveniles near our home, and have encountered the "big ones" in the mangrove swamps and tropical forests of Guam, Palau, and Saipan. When you are face to face with a large lizard that doesn't want to back down and go away, it's a whole 'nuther feeling you get in your tummy.
Also, after working with these critters for a bunch of years, I went and watched the movie Jurassic Park--it was like watching a "reality show"!
Click here to see a close up of this Monitor Lizard!
Click here to see a another close up of this Monitor Lizard!
"When facing a large lizard not wanting to go away, it's a whole 'nuther feeling you experience."
Small Monitor, Varanus indicus, about 23" long, on the Western Pacific Island of Guam
Monitor Lizard Versus Crocodile and Birds...
But still gets a breakfast of eggs!
Monitor Lizard vs. Croc
For the monitor lizard it's no easy task snatching crocodile eggs. Especially not when you're up against mama croc and her feathered friends, dikkop birds. http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/?source=4001
Monitor Your Stuff!
Monitor Lizard Wall Clock
Wall Clock
Price: 11.49
Monitor Lizard Tote Bag
Tote Bag
Price: 13.59
Monitor Lizard Rectangle Magnet
Rectangle Magnet
Price: 2.59
Monitor Lizard Postcards (Package of 8)
Postcards (Package of 8)
Price: 6.29
Monitor Lizard Mug
Mug
Price: 11.49
Komodo Dragons -- Biggest of the Monitors -- What they do best: EAT and FIGHT!
And... some of their other relatives---also eating... hey, eating is fascinating, right?
A Different Kind of Lizard
These critters aren't like the iguanas and other lizards...They are "Old World Lizards"
Although lizards in general have received the greatest attention among reptiles with regard to population dynamics, most of these studies have been limited to specific life-history aspects of a few species within the families Iguanidae and Agamidae. These studies have dealt with mostly temperate environments; quantitative studies in the tropics have not been undertaken. Varanids are tropical and subtropical old-world lizards. And because they attain large sizes, are difficult to maintain in controlled experimental environments, and tend to have low population densities in the wild, the monitors have not been the subject of extensive ecological studies.Click here for a larger view of this Monitor Lizard!
Good Reading on Lizards! The Big Kind!
Monitors and Tegus (Complete Pet Owner's Manual)
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 05/17/2008)
List Price: $8.99
General Care and Maintenance of Popular Monitors & Tegus (The Herpetocultural Library Series)
Amazon Price: (as of 05/17/2008)
List Price: $14.95
Varanoid Lizards of the World
Amazon Price: $64.76 (as of 05/17/2008)
List Price: $89.95
The Savannah Monitor Lizard: The Truth About Varanus Exanthematicus
Amazon Price: (as of 05/17/2008)
List Price:
Monitors: The Biology of Varanid Lizards
Amazon Price: $32.50 (as of 05/17/2008)
List Price: $32.50
Monitor Lizard Strolling Around its home--Palawan, Philippines
Monitor Lizard at Palawan
A Monitor Lizard in its natural habitat at the underground river, near Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines
Big Lizard Stuff for the Lizard Lovers!
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
Carnivore, Omnivore... hey, when it's got a hold of your foot, does it matter?
The Pacific monitor lizard Varanus indicus (Daudin) or mangrove monitor lizard has a major predatory role in Micronesian forests (Western Pacific Ocean Islands)--it feeds on reptile and bird eggs, land snails, rodents, insects, crabs, small lizards, and carrion. Evidence in the research library of the University of Guam Marine Laboratory also indicates that the monitors also feed on fish--fish specimens preserved in the research library had been regurgitated by a cornered monitor in Palau. However, little ecological work with this animal has been done. Existing studies of Varanus indicus involve aspects of the monitor's feeding habits and food preferences and the lizard's utility as a rat control agent. But since rats are generally nocturnal (active at night) and since the monitors are active during the day, this application for "biological control" is a bit "misguided".Click here for larger view of this Monitor Lizard!
Want Lizards on Your Shirt? On Your Mug? Here's the Place to Get Them!
Komodo Dragon Large Poster
Get Komodo Dragon Picture - The Last Prehistoric Creatures in the Wolrd in your Large Poster
Komodo Dragon Photo Kids Hoodie
Komodo Dragon t-shirts and gifts. This lifelike komodo dragon photo looks great on a t-shirt and makes a great gift for a lizard lover. Please take a look at all our komodo dragon products.
Do Not Komodo Dragon Grey T-Shirt
"Do Not Put Bows On A Komodo Dragon." Words to live by - unless you'd LIKE your arm ripped off. Featuring the huge lizard wearing a cute pink bow. Great reptile t-shirt!
Kimono Dragon Ringer T-shirt
This depicts the highly endangered and yet strangely elegant Kimono Dragon in it's natural habitat. Please support this beautiful and stylish creature.
Komodo Dragon Lizard Calendar Print
Komodo Dragon lizard picture looks cool on home, office, school wall. Butterfly wal
Dragon on a Dark T-Shirt
Dragon retro style, scary dragons, mythical, fantasy, monster, mythology, fire breathing dragon, Chinese dragon, Medieval flying dragon and mystical dragon. Buy dragon on a t-shirt, gifts & t shirts.
And their bigger relatives, the Komodos, don't need a male to have fertile eggs!
If just one escaped into the boonies near your house... sounds sort of like a movie about *big* lizards...
Varanids (and other families of lizards) have been assumed to have life-history and population characteristics similar to those of the Iguanids and Agamids. However, Dr. Walter Auffenberg, an expert in reptiles and particularly the Komodo Dragons, has shown in comprehensive studies that the social and feeding behaviors of Varanus komodoensis (Ouwens) differ significantly from those of Iguanids and Agamids. There is only one genus, Varanus, in the Varanid family, and thus there are many physiological and behavioral similarities between all members of the family Varanidae. Recent news: I just heard that Dr. Auffenberg recently passed away. I had corresponded with Dr. Auffenberg when I was working on my MS in Biology and studying these animals. He'll be greatly missed.Click here for a larger view of this Monitor Lizard!
More Lizard Info
Like Lizard Literature? Like Looking at Lizards? Lurking with Lizards? Look at these Lizard Links!
- Lizard Literature!
- Glenn and Winnie have a great selection of nature and wildlife books in their fantastic store (available both online and to walk-in folks!). They offer friendly, personal, and efficient service and can really help you find those rare used books (and even new ones!) that the bigger companies might not be able to help you with. Check out their lizard literature here!
- Honolulu Zoo Komodo Dragons
- Wow! Lizards in the Tropics... Lizards in Paradise. Unlike Geckos, these fellows don't walk up your walls and across the ceiling. Nope. They just knock the door down and have you for dinner. Just kidding. They'd probably knock first.
- Komodo Dragon Central
- Ya wanna know about da *big lizards*?--this is the place!
All sorts of goodies and interesting websites. - Little Monitor Lizard Book
- This is a very informative site about monitor lizards--many pictures and attributed references!
- America's Venomous Lizards--Gila Monsters and Mexican Beaded Lizards
- This Squidoo provides information about some of the largest and yet rarely seen lizards of the Southwest American Deserts. The Gila Monsters and Mexican Beaded Lizards are noted for being venomous lizards--their bites are extremely painful and can be deadly!
Nile River Monitor--Varanus niloticus
They are called "monitor lizards" because with their sharp hearing and sense of smell, they act as "monitors" against intruders on the water hole
Monitor Lizards--a throwback to the dinosaur days....
On Guam, I've encountered monitor lizards in mangrove swamps as well as deep within the limestone forests. Every time it has been an exciting experience--even if a bit disconcerting. If you surprise one, it usually hisses and makes a more threatening posture to try to scare you off (and they usually are good at that--especially the big ones! If the hissing and defensive posture do not scare you off, the monitor will try to scramble noisily through the underbrush.If in a dense tangle of roots in a mangrove swamp or in the thick underbrush of a limestone forest, the monitor lizards can easily evade capture through the tightest maze and quickly avoid any further encounter.
If cornered, however, they can become quite formidable. Their saliva contains a nasty mix of decaying tissue and bacteria (and now scientists have discovered that they may also have venom glands that produce an addition to the toxic brew in their mouth). When a monitor bites any prey, the prey succumbs eventually to the toxic saliva--anaphylactic shock sets in--and then its wound puts off a stench from its decay such that the lizards will be able to find their kill, dead or still alive (but barely).
Obviously, you do not want to be bitten by a monitor--in particular the Komodo Dragons--but any monitor can cause some serious damage. Their teeth are sharp and serated... used for ripping flesh. They can take a critical chunk of flesh when they bite.
So it's best to avoid being bitten. Although they may seem slow, they can speed to 30 miles per hour in short spurts. They can also lunge with their long necks. So, if you have one in your close proximity, take care around them. They can be relatively docile indoors, but if they get outdoors in the sunlight, they can become irritable and more aggressive.
Nile monitor makes fatal mistake--tangling with a python in the water!
More Monitor Lizard Links That You Can Monitor!
- Crocodile Monitors? Bigger than Komodo Dragons?
- Can there be a monitor lizard larger than the Komodo Dragon? This website seems to support that idea--with the "Crocodile Monitors" of the swamps of Papua New Guinea.
- List of Australian Monitor Lizards
- This website provides a long list of the Australian monitor lizards. It shows the range/territory of each of the lizards listed and also provides great pictures of the lizards.
- More Images by Dave on Goodies!
- Not only can you find Lizard Pictures here, but other images on Goodies from CafePress!
Living Dragons!
Funcky Big Lizard and Creepy Crawly Movies---Vote For Your Favorite!
Some are better than others. Sometimes even the old Godzilla Movies might make these look cheesy!
Curse Of the Komodo
This flick is a fun romp... unfortunately, it has more...0 points
Komodo vs. Cobra
This one is preposterous. Funky acting and funky f more...0 points
Komodos Can Kill With One Bite--Just the Bacterial Mess In Their Mouth Will Kill Ya!
And, maybe, just maybe, there might be some venom involved...
Kills With One Bite
Scientists are still figuring out the mysteries of the Komodo dragon. How is it capable of killing large prey with a single bite? Death by Dragon : SAT FEBRUARY 23 9P et/pt : http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/?source=4003
Monitor Illustrations--from history
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byParting Shots--Making Jurassic Park Jealous.... Some Cool Videos of Monitor Lizards!
Komodo dragon
Uploaded by HarrieMotion
Monitor Lizard
Uploaded by hwdilg
Liz Pics! Komodo Pics! Monitor Pics! Varanus Pics!
Rueters News agency reported that a boy was killed on June 4, 2007 by a Komodo D...
Varanus komodoensis
komodo dragon, eye to eyeThis is Woodland Park's male dragon, apparently inter...
The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is the largest living lizard in the worl...
Endangered Species: The retina of a Komodo Dragon has only cones, not rods, ...
(Varanus komodensis)Endangered The Komodo dragon is the world's larges...
A Komodo Dragon, the world's largest lizard, on the prowl in the wild on Rinca I...
Komodo Dragon at Chester Zoo on 15th July 2006
A Komodo Dragon watching me closely at Komodo Island National Park in Indonesia....
Komodovaraan / Komodo dragon.
Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) - Zoo Barcelona
Komodo Dragon in Chester Zoo taken in late summer 2007
After his banquet he was ready to cross the lagoon, this was the last time he al...
With its 2m long and weighing around 20kg they are successful hunters of birds, ...
..water monitor lizards are among the largest lizards in the world.. they eat an...
On Explore - November 28, 2007.Keeping his beady eye on me this crocodile moni...
The water monitor is the second largest lizard in the world (almost 2mts) after ...
The water monitor is the second largest lizard in the world (almost 2mts) after ...
Common Water Monitor Lizard Varanus salvatorThe odd lumbering water monitor li...
Copyright © 2008 Luz Rovira - All rights reserved
This Varanus appeared in Lumpini Park, a public park in Bangkok, Thailand. It wa...
Yellow-spotted monitor (Varanus panoptes)
Yellow-spotted monitor (Varanus panoptes) standing up to get a better look at me
young male varanus panoptes horni tripoding
Sand goanna (Varanus gouldii). See my blog for the story:
Monitor Lizards are usually solitary, and especially males never co-exist on a g...
Nil Varan (Nile Monitor, Varanus niloticus)Aufgenommen am 29.12.2007Uganda Mur...
Looks like anaconda!!
Nijlvaraan
Khao Yai National Park, Pak Chong District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand
Don't Speak with a Forked Tongue! Just Write a Note and Say "Hi!"
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totalhealth
nice lens. I love fishes and reptiles for pets, and I,m looking forward on having an iguana. Posted May 14, 2008 |
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beachbum_gabby
kinda scared of them. But well presented lens. Great Job! Posted April 29, 2008 |
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kiwisoutback
Outstanding lens! These are very cool animals. Posted April 07, 2008 |
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fotos4web
Excellent lens - very scary lizards ! Posted April 07, 2008 |
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EasyW
Great lens, well done! Check out my Singing Dog lens ;) Posted March 15, 2008 |
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LeslieBrenner
5 monitors! Saw a documentary on the Komodo dragon once and never want to get near one. It's smaller Guam cousin sounds similar. Posted February 24, 2008 |
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Evelyn_Saenz
Greeting from your cousins theAlligators. Posted February 12, 2008 |
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NAIZA
Fantastic lens about the lizards! But I never seen the real one before, the much bigger ones! Haha! Great video! Posted October 19, 2007 |
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Gatsby
5* Awesome job! Best Natural Dog Food Posted October 08, 2007 |
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DogWhisperWoman
5* From me! I agree with classic! Dog Whisper Woman Posted October 08, 2007 |