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Komodo Dragons and Their Relatives - Monitor Lizards
The recent news of the SCUBA divers who were washed away from their dive boat area by a strong current while they were diving in the beautiful, yet shark-inhabited waters around the islands of Indonesia brought an interesting parallel to mind. These divers managed to struggle against the current and found themselves on a secluded beach that seemed to be a safe place to wait for a rescue boat to pick them up. Unfortunately, they found refuge on the Indonesian island of Rinca -- the home of the Komodo National Park and Refuge -- otherwise known as the home of the Komodo Dragons. They then realized that in order to spend the night on the beach (and any subsequent nights), that someone would have to stand watch and they would also all be able to throw rocks well to drive off any curious dragons. The Komodo dragons have an excellent sense of smell, they are perpetually hungry, and they are also intelligent and have a high curiosity about any new scents on their beaches. So when the island's Komodos sensed the arrival of new visitors to their beach, they came out of the boonies to investigate. The divers subsequently spent a few days throwing rocks at the advancing predators to keep them at bay until the rescuers discovered them on the beach. I spent a few years at the University on the Western Pacific Island of Guam studying relatives of the Komodo Dragons--the Micronesian Mangrove Monitor, Varanus indicus. Although I was not able to finish my Master's Degree studying these creatures (had a family emergency that forced me to return to the U.S. mainland), I was able to get plenty of pictures of the animals and to gather some interesting data on them. Monitor lizards (Komodo Dragons, Water Monitors, Mangrove Monitors, the Australian "Goanna", the Philippine "Bayawak", and the Nile River Monitor) are "Old-World" Lizards. They are not found in the wild in the Americas. In the "New World" (otherwise known as the continents of North and South America), the ecological niche for a similar sort of equivalent lizards is filled by the iguanids--and in the desert areas of North America, the Gila Monsters (Heladerma suspectum, Heladerma horridus). Monitor lizards got their name "monitor" because of their habit of being watchful along rivers and in fields (they can stand on their hind legs and use their long tail as a "counter-balance" to enable this posture). When they sense approaching danger (crocodiles, lions, and other larger predators), the big lizards crash loudly through the underbrush--thus the nickname "monitor". These lizards are opportunistic eaters--they will eat almost anything. Although they will expend energy to chase and capture live food, they will go after the easier food whenever possible. These easier foods include: eggs, small birds in nests, sick and dying animals, dead animals killed previously by other predators, and garbage in dumps. The lizards' eating habits cause their mouths to be full of a wide variety of bacteria... and this mess of bacteria renders their bite deadly. Any organism bitten by one of these animals will be infected by the mixed brew of bacteria, the victim's immune system will overload with the influx of infection, and the victim dies of anaphylactic shock. Of course, once the animal is on the verge of dying from the combination of massive blood loss and the bacteria "venom", the odor of death attracts the lizards. The lizards can smell the scent of a dying animal over many miles. So, the lizards can find the dead animal and quickly get a meal from it. Interesting creatures, yes. But ones that must be respected and not be toyed with. Even an accidental bite can be truly hazardous.
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Contributor's Note
Lizard Memories... what can I say...
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Mangrove Monitor, Western Pacific Island of Guam
Mangrove Monitor, Western Pacific Island of Guam
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Didn't see many lizards when I was in Guam, but here in the Philippines you will occasionally see these huge beasts lumbering across the road, or being carried around, hog-tied. Apparently they make a delicious meal, though I think it is a travesty to consign something as magnificent as a giant lizard to the cooking pot. I'd rather eat the guy who was carrying it.
 |  | nick Jul 20, 2008 03:47 | |
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