The largest lizard in the world. Interesting facts about lizards. Komodo monitor lizards: description and photo Galapagos monitor lizards

Komodo Island is located in the heart of the Indonesian archipelago. This is the habitat of the unique and largest 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 monitor lizard lives on the territory of the island. This is his home.

So, komodo dragons- 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.

The lizards are at the top the food chain islands. 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, a wild boar or other large prey in the bushes, the monitor lizard attacks and seeks to inflict a lacerated wound on the animal, into which many bacteria from oral cavity. 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 amount deaths due to untimely provision of 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.

Dragon from Komodo Island Varanus komodoensis), he is a Komodo monitor lizard, he is also a giant Indonesian monitor lizard - this is a lizard with the most impressive dimensions in the world.

flickr/Antoni Sesen

The average weight of the giant is 90 kg, and the body length, respectively, is 2.5 m, while the tail occupies almost half of the body. And the length of the most powerful specimen, the parameters of which were officially recorded, exceeded 3 meters and weighed 160 kg.

The appearance of the Komodo monitor lizard is the most interesting - either a lizard, or a dragon, or a dinosaur. And the island natives believe that most of all this creature looks like an alligator, and therefore they call it buaya darat, which means ground crocodile in the local dialect. And although the Komodo dragon has only one head and does not spew sheaves of flame from its nostrils, there is undoubtedly something aggressive in the appearance of this reptile.

This impression is reinforced by the color of the monitor lizard - dark brown, with yellowish patches, and (especially!) The appearance of the teeth - squeezed from the sides, with cutting, jagged edges. A cursory glance at this perfect arsenal, which is a "dragon" jaw, is enough to understand: jokes are bad with the Komodo dragon. With over 60 teeth and a jaw structure reminiscent of a shark's mouth, isn't this the perfect killing machine?

What is the diet of a giant reptile? No, no, monitor lizards have only superficial resemblance to vegetarian dinosaurs: the gastronomic preferences of the Komodo dragon are strikingly different from food preferences ancient ancestor. The tastes of the lizard are distinguished by an enviable variety: it does not disdain carrion and readily absorbs any living creature - from insects and birds to horses, buffaloes, deer and even its own brethren. Perhaps it is for this reason that newborn lizards, having barely hatched, immediately leave their mother, hiding from her in the dense canopy of trees?

Indeed, cannibalism is a quite common phenomenon among Komodo dragons: the dinner menu of adult monitor lizards often includes young relatives, smaller in size. A hungry monitor lizard can also pose a threat to humans, and it is not uncommon for prey to match in its weight class with the attacker. How do the lizards manage to prevail over the victim? Monitor lizards track down large prey from an ambush, and at the time of the attack they either knock down the victim with a powerful blow of the tail, breaking its legs, or bite into the flesh of a wild boar or deer with their teeth, inflicting a deadly lacerated wound.

The chances of survival in a wounded animal are scanty, because during a bite, dangerous bacteria from the lizard's oral cavity, as well as poison from poisonous glands, penetrate into its body. mandible reptiles. Inflammation develops at an accelerated pace, and the only thing left for the Komodo dragon is to wait until the victim completely loses his strength and cannot resist. He stubbornly follows the wounded prey, not losing sight of it. Sometimes such tracking lasts up to three weeks - after so much time, a buffalo bitten by a monitor lizard dies.

In the photo, I am a dragon and a slightly excited Lera :)

Those wishing to see such handsome men in natural environment habitation would have to go to the indonesian islands, since komodo dragons live there. However, daredevils who have planned such a journey should be as careful as possible: monitor lizards have a keen sense of smell, and even a tiny drop of blood from a minor scratch on the body can attract a pangolin located at a distance of 5 km with its smell. Cases of attacks on tourists have taken place, so the rangers accompanying tourist groups are usually armed with long, strong poles. Just in case.

The gray monitor lizard is a large creature. The maximum length of its body can reach one and a half meters. And the body, by the way, occupies only a third. The rest of the length is "occupied" by the tail. The maximum weight can reach 3.5 kg. But such cases are rare. Males, as is usually the case in the animal kingdom, are larger than females. However, it's not harder.

The gray monitor lizard, the photo of which is provided above, has a very interesting color. Although by ear, based on the name, it does not seem so. In fact, it appears more sandy or light brown than grey. It was not without numerous dark spots and specks with which the upper part of the body of these creatures is “strewn”. The neck is characteristically distinguished by 2-3 longitudinal dark stripes, which are connected at the back and seem to form a horseshoe-shaped pattern.

Interestingly, in "youth" the gray monitor lizard always looks brighter than at an older age. The general background of young individuals casts a yellow tint, and the dark stripes do not seem brown, but almost black.

Features of physiology

The oblique slit-like nostrils of these lizards are quite close to the eyes. Such a structure makes it easier for the monitor lizard to explore holes, since the nostrils are not clogged with sand in the process. This is important, because the gray monitor lizard preys mainly on rodents that live in burrows. Its victims are jerboas, ground squirrels, gerbils. Sometimes, however, lizards prey on geckos, young snakes and turtles. In general, they have a rich diet. Sometimes these creatures even attack snakes and, however, about hunting - a little later.

The gray monitor lizard is a reptile with strong, sharp teeth that are slightly bent back. With them, he holds his victim. Teeth are constantly updated. Throughout life, the lizard erases several of their pairs. By the way, the teeth of the gray monitor lizard do not have cutting edges. But despite this, he is still able to kill large animals and eat them, swallowing them whole, though not without effort.

Hunting

So, above we have listed what the gray monitor lizard eats. Now we can say a few words about exactly how this creature hunts.

If the lizard chose large snake, she will adhere to certain tactics. First, he will tire her with false attempts to attack - she will make calls from different sides, like a mongoose. And then, when the snake gets tired, it will jump on it and grab its head with its teeth (or a little further). Immediately, the monitor lizard will begin to shake the victim and beat him on the ground or stones. He needs the victim to stop resisting. Sometimes, for this, he can simply hold it in his teeth, clenching his jaws until the snake weakens. There will be nothing from the response (bite) to the monitor lizard. If the snake tries to “wrap” the hunter in a ring to strangle him, he will easily dodge.

When a monitor lizard hunts, he tries to stick to an already proven route. In the course of "research" he checks rodent burrows, bird nests, gerbil colonies. However, if nothing can be found, the reptile will not disdain carrion.

Habitat

The above countries have already been listed, on the territory of which a gray monitor lizard can be found. Peculiarities appearance allow him to remain unnoticed - he is perfectly camouflaged in the sand, and on trees, and between stones, and in the ground. By the way, the northern border of the habitat reaches the coast of the Aral Endorheic Sea (on the border of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan). This lizard is least often found in the valley near the Central Asian

As a rule, gray monitor lizards in in large numbers live where you can find a lot small mammals. The Turkmen village of Garametniyaz is considered to be such a place. More precisely, the territory next to it - there for everyone square kilometer the density of gray monitor lizards is from 9 to 12 individuals.

Lifestyle

Deserts and semi-deserts - this is where the gray monitor lizard is most often found. What are the features of his appearance - it was said at the very beginning of the article, and with this appearance he can easily hide from more predatory animals. Most often, these lizards can be found on semi-fixed or fixed sands, a little less often on clay soils.

Monitor lizards try to stick to river valleys, foothills, ravines, and tugai thickets. And they can not be found in those areas where dense vegetation is observed. True, they visit rare forest tracts. But certainly they will never live in those places that are adjacent to human dwellings.

Gray monitor lizards hide in the same burrows where turtles and rodents used to live. Can "settle" in a hollow or bird's nest. But they are looking for ready-made housing, as a rule, in clay deserts. Because it is difficult for them to dig their own hole there. But in sandy deserts- No. There, monitor lizards dig holes, the depth of which can reach several meters. During the winter, they hibernate there. And so that no one enters the hole, they close it with a cork from the ground.

Activity

Monitor lizards can only be found during the day, and then if it is not too hot outside. If the thermometer goes off scale, the lizard will hide in a shelter. normal temperature their body is from 31.7 to 40.6 degrees maximum.

Monitor lizards are pretty fast creatures. They move at a speed of 100-120 meters per minute. That is, in an hour they are able to overcome 7.2 kilometers - and this is one and a half times more than a person can walk with a normal step. Although these lizards travel only a little more than 10 kilometers per day. They move long distances from their burrow, but always come back.

Monitor lizards easily climb trees and often enter water bodies. There is an assumption that they can mark their territory - this happens in summer and spring. However, not all biologists think so, so the fact is considered controversial.

Enemies

They are practically absent in gray monitor lizards, if we talk about their natural habitat. The only enemy of this lizard is man. Although young individuals are often attacked by black kites, snake-eaters, jackals, corsacs and buzzards. More large lizards can also attack the gray monitor lizard. And if he notices the danger, he will develop a speed of up to 20 km / h in order to break away from the pursuit. But if it doesn’t work out, it “swells up”, becomes flat and wide, begins to hiss and stick out its long forked tongue far away. Which, by the way, is its additional olfactory organ.

If the enemy is not afraid and continues to advance, the monitor lizard begins to whip its tail and rush at the aggressor. It can also bite, although this is the last trick he resorts to. Because the teeth of a monitor lizard can inflict severe pain leading to an inflammatory response. Lizards are not poisonous, but certain toxic components are present in their saliva.

What else is worth knowing?

Everyone knows that there are many fans of keeping exotic animals at home. gray monitor lizards apartment conditions no one contains, because they need special care. And only the person who knows by heart can provide it physiological features this lizard.

Interestingly, Muslims are wary of gray monitor lizards. Their name in Turkic sounds like "kesel". translated given word like "disease". And people believe that meeting with a monitor lizard promises misfortune.

At one time, these creatures were on the verge of extinction. Many found the skin of monitor lizards to be unusually beautiful, which is hard to disagree with. In addition, she is very durable. And monitor lizards were massively killed to make shoes, wallets, bags and other accessories out of their skins. At the beginning of the 20th century, 20 thousand individuals were destroyed per year. Then people realized what a horror they were doing, and they stopped killing these creatures. This pleases, although there are not so many representatives of the species left as before - in some places monitor lizards have already become extinct.

Despite its impressive name, it ranks third in size among relatives.

General information

The giant monitor lizard is relatively small compared to the Komodo one (among all varieties of lizards, it has no equal in strength and size). The second place belongs to the striped monitor lizard, leading a semi-aquatic lifestyle. The giant lizard takes an honorable third place along with the crocodile (or the lizard of El Salvador).

It surpasses the giant monitor lizard of its counterparts in length due to its rather long tail, which is why it received such an impressive name. It belongs to the Varanov family.

You can learn more about this interesting animal (what it is, where the giant monitor lizard lives, on which mainland) by reading this article.

Case from history

One day (1961) in the Watoga Mountains (New Australia), three lumberjacks were cutting down trees. When they were resting, they suddenly heard the crunch of branches nearby. There was a feeling that something of enormous size was making its way through the windbreak. Rising, the lumberjacks saw with horror an unexpected guest. They were approaching giant size animal six meters long.

It was believed that large land animals did not exist in Australia, and the appearance of this monster in men caused a real shock. After some time, the workers rushed to the car. Sitting in a closed car, they saw how a real huge dragon appeared from the thicket. He stepped with his powerful clawed paws and predatory drove his head with numerous teeth in his mouth around. The animal walked past the car and, descending a steep slope, disappeared into the forest.

This species of lizards is the third largest in the world fauna.

The upper body of the giant monitor lizard has a coffee color, and the back and sides are covered with black spots. His belly is painted in a light cream color. The belly of a young monitor lizard has a pronounced clear pattern, while in an old one it fades with age.

The head of the animal is elongated, and in the mouth there are very sharp teeth that can gnaw through the flesh of prey. The short powerful paws of the monitor lizard have curved very sharp claws.

The total length of the animal, including the tail, is 2.6 meters, weight - 25 kg. But usually the length of the body of most monitor lizards does not exceed 2 meters. This value was determined by calculating the average length and weight of individuals selected by local zoologists.

The color of a giant monitor lizard not only looks quite impressive, it is also an excellent camouflage suit for a reptile: it is not noticeable against the background of vegetation that has dried up from the heat. When running (both on four and on 2 hind legs), a giant monitor lizard can reach speeds of up to 3-4 kilometers per hour. Body temperature depends on climatic conditions environment, extreme heat he can't stand it.

Enough a long tail This giant animal most often performs the functions of attackers: its blow can knock down not only a person, but also a large animal.

Spreading

What continent does the giant monitor lizard live on? Australia (the central part of the continent and the western part) is considered to be the birthplace of a large monitor lizard. This is Queensland.

In the Australian desert 40 thousand years ago primitive people were already engaged in hunting. On the surviving rock paintings, in addition to other extinct animals, there are also images of dragons. It is possible that this giant predator was part of the menu of the ancient aborigines.

The vast expanses of this fabulously beautiful continent have not been sufficiently explored. There is a photograph in which a man is depicted next to a huge dragon, although this is actually unlikely. Although it is known that in cold weather monitor lizards are inactive in the morning, and therefore they react sluggishly to their potential prey. Perhaps the person in the photo took advantage of a similar state of this animal.

Monitor lizards live in the driest parts of Australia: from the western part of Queensland to the western coasts of the continent. Habitats - semi-desert, desert zones and savannas.

habits, lifestyle

The giant monitor lizard (Australia) leads only a terrestrial way of life and lives in burrows and cracks in rocky terrain. In case of danger, he can safely be on a branch, quickly climbing up a tree trunk.

Baby monitor lizards can be the prey of predators, for example, dingo dogs. Man is the only enemy for an adult monitor lizard.

Nutrition

Usually the Australian giant monitor lizard feeds on birds, various insects, varieties of smaller monitor lizards. Its victims die not so much from being bitten by sharp teeth, but from blood poisoning and various concomitant infections.

Sometimes carrion is also included in the diet of the monitor lizard. There are also cases of attacks of large individuals on not very large kangaroos.

reproduction

The reproduction of these reptiles is not well understood. However, it is known that these reptiles, as a rule, do not create stable pairs. The female lays the fertilized eggs in a well-protected shelter. It can be an abandoned hole, a fallen tree hollow or a termite mound.

Usually, there are about 11 eggs in a clutch, for the successful development of which a temperature in the range from +30 to -32 ° C is required. Approximately 8 months lasts incubation period, after which small monitor lizards are born, with their innate instincts and in the first days of life, left almost to themselves.

Conclusion

The giant lizard is not bloodthirsty. He tries to run away when he meets a person, and attacks only in exceptional cases, when he is in danger. At the monitor lizard wild nature there are practically no enemies, because it is very difficult to defeat such a powerful and strong opponent.

These animals have very dense strong skin, and they are tenacious, like other lizards. Local residents claim that monitor lizards are not even afraid of bites poisonous snakes, however, confirmations from scientists on this fact No. It is only known that these voracious lizards eat a wide variety of snakes quite well, and without dividing them into harmless and poisonous.

The dragons of Komodo Island are without a doubt the most stunning animal discovery of the 20th century on planet Earth. In 1912, flying over the group of Lesser Sunda Islands in , a Dutch pilot was forced to land on the shore of a small uninhabited island due to a breakdown. Having comfortably settled down on the beach, the pilot began to repair his plane, when he suddenly felt that someone was standing behind him. Turned around and freaked out...

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF

Kingdom: Animals (Animalia).
Type: Chordata.
Class: Reptiles (Reptilia).
Order: Scaled (Squamates).
Family: Monitor lizards (Varanidae).
Genus: Monitor lizards (Varanus).
Species: Komodo monitor lizard (Varanus komodensis).

WHY IS INCLUDED IN THE RED BOOK

According to scientists, there are between 4,000 and 5,000 Komodo monitor lizards left on Earth. Why did it happen so? There are many reasons: high volcanic activity, environmental pollution, illegal production of monitor lizards for the sake of skins and claws, and tourism. Part of the reptiles die of starvation, as poachers kill animals that are easiest for monitor lizards to hunt. The Komodo National Park was established in 1980 specifically to protect and preserve the unique species.

WHERE Dwells

komodo dragon lives in Indonesia, but only on a limited number of islands: Rincha, Jili Motang, Florex and Komodo. According to the name of the last place, the monitor lizard received the name "Komodo". Scientists believe that the species is home to. Presumably, about 900 thousand years ago, the species entered the Indonesian islands, where it successfully took root. These animals do their best to avoid human contact.

HOW TO FIND OUT

The Komodo dragon is the largest lizard in the world. In the wild, monitor lizards weigh up to 70 kg, but when kept in captivity, they can be much larger. The largest Komodo dragon known to science, reached a body length of 3.13 m and weighed 166 kg. In this case, about half the length is the tail. The skin of monitor lizards is brownish-brown and covered with light yellow speckles. The color of young monitor lizards is more intense. They have eye spots on their backs and tails, which can coalesce to form stripes. Aborigines often call the Komodo monitor lizard "ground crocodile". The nickname is fully justified by many features. external structure reptiles. She has a stocky squat body, short, widely spaced legs, a flattened head, very sharp, laterally flattened teeth with jagged edges. They help to cope excellently even with large prey. The long curved claws are impressive! With their help, monitor lizards dig deep shelter holes and hunt their victims.

LIFESTYLE AND BIOLOGY

The Komodo dragon leads a solitary lifestyle. He is rather secretive and does not like company. Only occasionally, for example mating season or during the search for food, monitor lizards unite in small groups. The rest of the time, each individual prefers to take care of itself on its own.

The Komodo dragon is highly dependent on temperature. Therefore, many features of his life are influenced by weather conditions. He is active during the day. He spends the night in a shelter, from which, if necessary, he can still go out and go hunting. The Komodo dragon is an excellent swimmer. It perfectly overcomes the distances between the islands by water. Juveniles spend a lot of time in trees, while older reptiles are more common on the ground. With its seeming clumsiness, the Komodo monitor lizard is able to reach speeds of up to 20 km / h and get food from a small height, standing on its hind legs and leaning on its tail.

The average life expectancy is 25 years. It is assumed that they can live longer. By about 10 years of age, monitor lizards reach sexual maturity. Males arrange fights for the female, and the winner gets the right to continue their race. The female lays a clutch of 20 eggs in a hole or compost heap. The female remains to guard the nest for eight to nine months, until the babies are born. Immediately after birth, they leave the nest and rush to the trees, where they spend the first few years of their lives.

Who can not be called picky in food is the Komodo monitor lizard. He is ready to swallow anything that moves, be it a grasshopper, a frog or a dog. Its impressive size, sharp teeth and tenacious claws help it attack even such large animals as a horse or a deer. Of course, he is not able to immediately kill the animal. But, inflicting wounds on him, with which poison and bacteria enter, the monitor lizard patiently waits until his victim dies, and only then proceeds to the meal. Do not disdain monitor lizards and carrion. In its environment, the Komodo dragon is the largest and dangerous predator so he has no one to fear.

The Komodo dragon easily moves from one emotional state into another. A peacefully lying and seemingly calm reptile can become angry and aggressive in a matter of minutes. Komodo monitor lizards have been known to attack zoo employees and ordinary people. Therefore, the giant should be treated with extreme caution.