IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Politics Covid U. News World Opinion Business. Share this —. Monitor lizards will generally run away from people. They do not prey on humans but will defend themselves if threatened. They can make an intimidating hissing noise and often lash with their tail to protect themselves. Their claws and teeth can also inflict nasty injuries, which are prone to infection. The jury is out as to whether monitor lizards are actually venomous.
In any case, like many wild animals , monitor lizards are likely to be more afraid of you than you are of them. If you leave a monitor lizard alone it will generally go on its way without incident. The Thai name for a monitor lizard is used as one of the worst insults and curse words in the Thai language. It can be used to refer to anything evil and bad, and calling a Thai person a monitor lizard in Thai can have serious repercussions. Another, much politer, name is also used for the creature by those who do not wish to even speak its name.
Many Thai people see monitor lizards as dirty and disgusting, though there are diverse reasons why. Some Thais think seeing a monitor lizard will bring bad luck. One reason is that the lizards lurk around cemeteries and may be accompanied by spirits.
Another is that they feast on rotting flesh and carrion. Other people see them as unlucky for a much more practical reason: they steal chickens and eggs and can be a threat to small domestic animals. There have been reports of people leaving monitor lizards in the gardens and offices of people they dislike in an attempt to bring bad luck their way. It would also surely be quite intimidating to look outside to see a gigantic lizard! A member of the monitor lizard family Varanidae, it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of 3 metres 10 ft in rare cases and weighing up to approximately 70 kilograms lb.
Their unusually large size has been attributed to island gigantism, since no other carnivorous animals fill the niche on the islands where they live. However, recent research suggests the large size of Komodo dragons may be better understood as representative of a relict population of very large varanid lizards that once lived across Indonesia and Australia, most of which, along with other megafauna, died out after the Pleistocene as a result of human activity.
Fossils very similar to V. As a result of their size, these lizards dominate the ecosystems in which they live. Komodo dragons hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates, birds, and mammals.
It has been claimed that they have a venomous bite; there are two glands in the lower jaw which secrete several toxic proteins. The biological significance of these proteins is disputed, but the glands have been shown to secrete an anticoagulant.
The diet of big Komodo dragons mainly consists of Timor deer, though they also eat considerable amounts of carrion.
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