The Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard. Gray monitor lizard: description, habitat, habits, photo Komodo monitor lizard who are the enemies

The Komodo monitor lizard is an amazing and truly unique animal, which is not without reason called a dragon. The largest lizard in existence today most time hunting. It is the object of pride of the islanders and the ongoing interest of tourists.

Our article will tell about the life of this dangerous predator, features of its behavior and characteristics characteristic of the species.

Appearance

The photos of Komodo monitor lizards given in our article help to understand why the locals called this reptile a land crocodile. These animals are really comparable in size.

Most adult Komodo monitor lizards reach 2.5 meters in length, while their weight barely exceeds half a centner. But even among the giants there are champions. There is reliable information about the Komodo dragon, the length of which exceeded 3 meters, and the weight reached 150 kg.

Only a specialist can visually distinguish a male from a female. Sexual dimorphism is practically not expressed, but male monitor lizards are usually slightly more massive. But to determine which of the two monitor lizards is older, any tourist who arrived on the island for the first time will be able to: the young are always colored brighter. In addition, with age, folds and leathery growths form on dull skin.

The body of the monitor lizard is squat, stocky, with very powerful limbs. The tail is mobile and strong. The paws are topped with huge claws.

The huge mouth looks menacing, even when the monitor lizard is calm. The nimble forked tongue, which now and then emerges from it, is called creepy and frightening by many eyewitnesses.

History

Giant monitor lizards on Komodo Island were first discovered in the early twentieth century. Since then, scientists have continued to study the species.

It has been established that the history of the development and evolution of monitor lizards is associated with Australia. The species diverged from its historical ancestor about 40 million years ago, then migrated to the remote mainland and nearby islands.

Later, the population shifted to the islands of Indonesia. Perhaps this is related to natural phenomena or a decline in populations of species of nutritional interest to monitor lizards. In any case, the fauna of Australia only benefited from such a resettlement - many species literally escaped extinction. But the Indonesian ones were not lucky: many scientists associate their extinction precisely with the predators of the genus Varanus.

Modernity has successfully mastered new territories and feels great.

Behavioral Features

Monitor lizards are diurnal and prefer to sleep at night. Like the rest of the cold-blooded, they are sensitive to temperature extremes. The hunting time comes at dawn. Leading solitary monitor lizards are not averse to join forces while chasing game.

It may seem that Komodo dragons are clumsy fat people, but this is far from the case. These animals are unusually hardy, mobile and strong. They are able to reach speeds of up to 20 km / h, and during their run, as they say, the earth trembles. Dragons feel no less confident in the water: it is not a problem for them to swim to the neighboring island. Sharp nails, strong musculature and a balancer tail help these animals to climb trees and steep rocks perfectly. Needless to say, how difficult it is to escape from the monitor lizard to the victim on whom he laid eyes?

dragon life

Adult Komodo monitor lizards live separately from each other. But once a year the flock converges. The period of love and creation of families begins with bloody battles in which it is impossible to simply lose. The fight can end either in victory or death from wounds.

No other animal is dangerous for the monitor lizard. IN natural environment habitats these animals do not know anyone stronger than themselves. People don't hunt them either. Only another dragon can kill a dragon.

Titan mating games

The victorious monitor lizard can choose a girlfriend with whom he will have kids. The couple will build a nest, the female will guard the eggs for about eight months, which can be encroached upon by small nocturnal predators. By the way, relatives are also not averse to enjoying such a delicacy. But as soon as the babies are born, the mother will leave them. They will have to survive on their own, relying only on the ability to disguise themselves and run.

Monitor lizards do not form permanent pairs. The next mating season will start from scratch - that is, with new battles in which more than one dragon will die.

Komodo monitor lizard on the hunt

This animal is a real killing machine. Komodo islands can even attack those who are much larger than them in size, such as buffaloes. After the death of the victim, a feast begins. Monitor lizards eat the carcass, tearing off and swallowing huge pieces.

It is noteworthy that most predators prefer one thing - either fresh meat or carrion. Digestive system monitor lizard is able to cope with both. Giants gladly feast on the carcasses brought by the sea.

Killer Poison

Powerful jaws, musculature and claws are not the monitor lizard's only weapons. The real gem of the arsenal can be called a unique saliva. It contains not only huge doses (probably obtained by eating carrion), but also poison.

For a long time, scientists were sure that the death of a bitten victim comes from banal sepsis. But recently the presence of poisonous glands has been established. The amount of poison is small, causing instant death only in small animals. But the received dose is enough to start irreversible processes.

Monitor lizards are not only excellent tacticians, but also delightful strategists. They know how to wait, sometimes hanging around near the victim for 2-3 weeks and watching how she slowly dies.

coexistence with man

A natural question arises as to whether the Komodo monitor lizard can kill a woman, a man or a teenager? The answer, unfortunately, is yes. The lethality of a lizard bite exceeds 90%. The poison is especially dangerous for a child.

But modern medicine has an antidote. Therefore, in case of an unsuccessful attempt to make friends with a monitor lizard, you should immediately go to the hospital. The death of a person from a bite in our time is not such a common occurrence. As a rule, it occurs if a person hopes that he will be able to cope with an indisposition. Doctors strongly recommend not to take risks, human immunity is not designed for such loads as the poison of an exotic lizard.

This should be remembered not only by tourists, but also by those who decide to settle unusual pet Houses. In the intensive care unit of the district hospital, there may simply not be the necessary antidote, so prior consultation with a competent breeder is essential.

Monitor lizards in the reserve

No matter how sad it may sound, the formidable predator takes its place in the Red Book. Monitor lizards are protected at the state level. But the islands of Komodo, Flores, Gili Motang and Rincha have created huge reserves in which the giants live for their own pleasure. Despite the security and the work of a team of professionals, cases of attacks on people are sometimes recorded. Often this is due to excessive human attention to eating or fighting predators. Camera flash or noise can provoke an attack.

Therefore, if you set out to admire the Komodo monitor lizards, follow the rules of the reserve and listen to the instructor's advice.

The Australian giant monitor lizard is a reptile animal belonging to the order "Scaly" and joined the "Varanov" family.

This species of lizard, the largest ever lived in Australia, is the 3rd or 4th largest individual in the world fauna.

The upper part of the monitor lizard is painted in dark coffee color, the sides and back have black spots.

The belly is painted in a light cream color. To recognize a young individual from an old one, it is enough to look at its belly, a clear, pronounced pattern will be visible in a young monitor lizard, and in an old one it fades over time.

The head is elongated, in the mouth of the animal there are sharp teeth that are capable of tearing the flesh of prey. Paws are short, have sharp curved claws.

The body length of the animal, including the tail, is 2.6 meters, weight is about 25 kg. But this is rather an exception, since the length of the body in most adults does not exceed two meters. Local zoologists conducted a sample of animals to calculate the average weight and length of the reptile.

14 adults + total weight in 5.1 kg + length 1.67 cm;

21 individuals + weight 2.05 kg + length 1.3 cm;

Based on these experiments, it can be concluded that the melon species of reptiles is inferior in size.

The animal leads an exclusively terrestrial way of life, lives in cracks and burrows in rocky terrain. Also, if he feels a threat to his life, he can quickly climb a tree trunk and end up on a branch.

It is almost impossible to meet a monitor lizard in nature for an ordinary inhabitant of the continent, the animal is in every possible way a supporter of man and his dwelling. He has reasons for this. Previously, the natives hunted them. Some other desert tribes used the flesh of monitor lizards for medicinal purposes.

If the animal sees a person, it tries to immediately slip out of sight, if, nevertheless, he finds himself, then being hardy and physically prepared, he can run fast, developing a speed of more than 35 km / h. But that's not all, he can run not only on four limbs, but also on two, the speed does not change from this. It may well overtake a person who is not involved in athletics.

If a giant monitor lizard is overtaken by surprise, then it can provide decent resistance. He has a powerful enough tail, which is capable of breaking the bones of a large dog with one blow and knocking an adult man down.

The attack is accompanied strong bites, and can also cause serious injury with its powerful paws with sharply curved claws. The wounds inflicted can be fatal. Animals have a habit of often standing on their hind legs, leaning on their tail and observing what is happening in the aisles of visibility.

Monitor lizards are cold-blooded predators, so they can limit themselves in the amount of food they eat, which cannot be said about mammals that have similar anatomical similarities. The Australian monitor lizard can hunt from ambush and by chasing prey, its most common diet is as follows:

• Centipedes;
• Insects;
• Birds;
• snakes;
• rabbits;
• Kuzu;
• Rats;
• Including similar relatives;

Unfortunately, the diet of these animals is little known to mankind, but it is known for certain that an adult individual often eats vertebrate animals. Also, monitor lizards living on Barrow Island eat eggs and young green turtles or can catch Australian gulls.

Paradox

1. There are cases when monitor lizards attack big booty, such as; kangaroos, wombats and dingoes.
2. In another case, an animal died trying to swallow an adult echidna animal.

There is a suspicion that the body of the monitor lizard is immune from the bite of Australian snakes, but no one has conducted special experiments. The fact is that a giant monitor lizard hunts a snake called "mulga", and this has been noticed more than once.

Australian giant monitor lizard on a tree.

Reptiles do not disdain carrion, including eating relatives who are hit by cars. They are a kind of orderlies, they play very important role in the food chain wildlife of Australia.

Having outlined the victim, the monitor lizard attacks it with lightning speed. Clutching with strong jaws, it begins to shake the prey, breaking bones and turning the flesh into jelly. After that, he tries to swallow it whole. If it does not come out, thanks to its powerful neck, it tears the dead animal apart with sharp teeth and strong paws, and swallows pieces of flesh.

From the habitats of a person and this reptile described above, it simply cannot harm a person. But history knows cases when a predatory animal attacked domestic dogs, cats and birds.

The mating season begins in January and lasts until the end of February. During the mating season, males fight fiercely against each other, inflicting deep, long-healing wounds on each other. The female Australian monitor lizard lays eggs measuring from 1.7 to 2.2 centimeters in length and weighing up to 70 - 85 grams, in a hole specially prepared for incubation.

Giant monitor lizard photo.

A clutch may contain 30 to 40 eggs. After all the procedures, she fills the hole. The incubation period is very long, approximately 10 to 12 months.

I

Scientists conducted research on the presence of toxic poison in the oral cavity of the lizard and were very surprised. Prior to research, after being bitten by a monitor lizard, it was believed that the swelling and accompanying pain were the body's reaction to an infection from the animal's oral cavity. Based on the above material, it can be argued that the weakly toxic poison that the lizard is endowed with is to blame for everything.

Average, Australian big monitor lizard lives no more than 35 years. But there have been cases that in captivity, he can live up to 50 years.

1. At the moment, monitor lizards are exterminated by poachers in some countries, for the sake of valuable skins and delicious meat.
2. Some lizards are able to kill their victims with a slightly toxic poison.
3. More than thirty-five thousand species of lizards are known, which are depleted into twenty families.
4. Most huge monitor lizard lived on earth in 1937, its length was more than 3.10 meters, and its weight was more than 167 kilograms.

Komodo dragons are the largest lizards in the world. These are unique animals: they are excellent swimmers, they can climb trees, they have an excellent sense of smell and, at the end of this list, they are very poisonous. The bite of a monitor lizard can be fatal to humans.

The monitor lizard has many names - the monitor lizard of Komodo Island, the dragon of Komodo Island, and locals call him ora or buaya darat("terrestrial crocodile").

These giants live only on a few islands located in the group of the Lesser Sunda Islands - about. Komodo, oh Rinka, oh. Jili Mothang and Fr. Flores.

Adult males reach 2.5 - 3 meters and weigh 70 kilograms. Although there is evidence that the largest specimen reached a length of 3.13 meters and weighed 166 kilograms. Females are smaller and reach a length of only 1.5 - 2 meters. The length of the monitor lizard's tail is about half the length of the body. The coloration is dark brown, juveniles have bright yellowish spots on their backs. The mouth is equipped with teeth with cutting edges, which are suitable for tearing meat into pieces.

Monitor lizards are diurnal animals. In the hottest time of the day, they hide in the shade, and in the afternoon they go hunting. At night they sleep soundly in their shelters. Young monitor lizards are excellent tree climbers and live in hollows for their own safety.

Komodo dragons are excellent swimmers. They can easily swim across small rivers, bays or overcome the distance to neighboring nearby islands. True, there is one "but". They cannot stay in the water for more than 15 minutes. And if they do not have time to get to land, they drown. Perhaps it was this factor that influenced the natural boundaries of the habitat of these animals.

Monitor lizards run fast, at short distances its speed can reach 20 km / h. In cases of need, they can stand up on their hind legs, using their powerful tail as a support.

They dont have natural enemies. They will destroy anyone. But birds of prey and large snakes feed on young monitor lizards with pleasure.

Komodo dragons are omnivores. They eat everything from large insects to horses, buffaloes and other monitor lizards. Yes, yes, intraspecific cannibalism is common among these lizards. This is especially pronounced in the famine years. Adults often eat smaller relatives.

They lie in wait for their prey. Sometimes they knock her down with a blow of a huge tail, breaking her legs. Large specimens prefer carrion, which they provide for themselves. The thing is that they inflict a lacerated wound on the animal, into which the infection enters. There is inflammation of the wound and infection of the blood. After a while, the animal dies. The monitor lizard, thanks to its forked tongue, which is the organ of smell, finds the corpse of the victim even at a distance of several kilometers. Other monitor lizards run to the smell of carrion. A fight begins, the purpose of which is to establish dominance among the males.

Small prey can be swallowed whole, while large prey can be torn to pieces. Females and juveniles mainly feed on what is left of lunch or on birds and small animals.

The breeding season for monitor lizards occurs in winter, during the dry season. The number of males is 2 times higher than the number of females. Therefore, ritual fights for females take place at this time.

After mating, after 6-7 months, the female goes in search of places to lay eggs. Most often they are nests of weed chickens, large compost heaps or tall piles of fallen leaves. She digs a deep mink there and lays 20 eggs, weighing 200 grams each. The female guards her nest for 8-8.5 months, until small lizards hatch into the light. Immediately after the appearance, the instinct of self-preservation is triggered in them, and until they are eaten, they climb neighboring trees. They live there for the first 2 years.

Many have heard that the bite of a monitor lizard can be fatal. It turns out that their saliva contains 57 different strains of bacteria that cause wound inflammation and blood poisoning. It is believed that these bacteria appeared as a result of eating carrion. This is true, but there is another mystery here.

Most recently, in 2009, scientists at the University of Melbourne proved that monitor lizards have venom glands that are located on the lower jaw. They secrete a poison containing various toxic proteins that cause the cessation of blood clotting, a decrease blood pressure, muscle paralysis and loss of consciousness. The ducts of these glands are located at the base of the teeth, and the poison mixes with saliva, which contains many bacteria.

Monitor lizards are dangerous for humans, to a greater extent this applies to him venomous bites. If you do not seek medical help in time, then death cannot be avoided. They pose a particular danger to children. In famine years, there are recorded cases of death of children from these monsters. Cases of monitor lizards digging up corpses from graves are known.

These animals are not allowed to be killed. They are listed in the IUCN Red List. Especially for them, a national park was organized on Komodo Island.

Komodo Island is located in the heart of the Indonesian archipelago. This is the habitat of the unique and most large lizards in the world - Komodo dragons.

We are in Indonesia. Komodo Island is relatively small, its area is about 390 sq. km. Almost the entire territory is occupied by national park Komodo, created in 1980 to protect Komodo monitor lizards. Coastline as if indented by rocky capes, clearly of volcanic origin:

The nature here is unique. Arid savannah extends almost throughout the entire territory.

You can get here from the island of Bali on such tourist devices:

In general, Komodo is an island frequently visited cruise ships from all over the world:

It is necessary to get here because of this unique miracle of nature - the Komodo dragon! This terrifying, deadly dangerous monitor lizard lives on the island. This is his home.

So, Komodo dragons are giant lizards, reaching a length of 3 meters and weighing up to 150 kg! The natural lifespan of monitor lizards in nature is probably around 50 years.

Handsome. Komodo dragons feed on a wide variety of animals. Fish are their prey sea ​​turtles, wild boar, buffalo, deer and reptiles. Also, repeated cases of attacks on a person were recorded.

At first glance, these lizards seem very clumsy and unhurried. However, when running over short distances, the monitor lizard is able to reach speeds of up to 20 km / h. They hunt relatively large prey from an ambush, sometimes knocking the victim down with blows from a powerful tail, often breaking her legs in the process.

Monitor lizards are at the top of the island's food chain. And this is their victim - a deer:

Reptiles do not have poisonous teeth, but their bite is most often fatal. Having tracked down a deer, wild boar or other large prey in the bushes, the monitor lizard attacks and seeks to inflict a laceration on the animal, into which a lot of bacteria from the oral cavity is introduced. As a result of such an attack, blood poisoning occurs in the victim, the animal gradually weakens and dies after a while. The dragons of Komodo Island can only follow the victim and wait until he dies.

Tourists and monitor lizards are separated neither by a fence with barbed wire, nor by any moat, nothing to inspire confidence in safety. Groups of tourists are usually accompanied by rangers, armed with long poles with a forked end to protect themselves from possible dragon attacks.

Monitor lizards use burrows 1-5 meters long as shelters, which they dig with their powerful paws with claws.

Komodo dragons are less dangerous to humans than crocodiles or sharks. However, the number of deaths due to untimely medical assistance after bites (and, as a result, blood poisoning) reaches 99%!

To get food at a height, the monitor lizard can stand on its hind legs, using its tail as a support. Komodo dragons are good climbers and spend a lot of time in trees.

About 1,700 monitor lizards live on Komodo Island. On the neighboring island of Rinca - about 1,200 individuals. According to scientists, Australia should be considered the birthplace of Komodo monitor lizards.

Cannibalism is common among Komodo monitor lizards: adult lizards often eat smaller individuals. Therefore, as soon as the cubs are born, they immediately instinctively climb a tree, looking for shelter there.