What do monitor lizards eat

For example, an escaping lizard often runs in a zigzag pattern to a place such as a bush or rock. Rather than following the lizards zigzag pattern the monitor lizard heads directly to the object the lizard is escaping to and catches it before it arrives. Other lizards escape to a tree by jumping on the tree and then spiral around the to back side, The monitor anticipates this and heads directly to the backside of the tree.

Species that feed on eggs buried in tunnels in the ground dig directly down to the eggs rather than try to enter through the tunnel entrance which is often a considerable distance away from the eggs. Other species use their tails to push fish into shallow water where they can pounce on them. Komodo monitors can sense carrion from seven miles away. They have been observed climbing to ridge tops so they can sniff the wind for carrion odors.

Monitor lizards often catch their prey and then head to some hidden place to kill and consume it. Females often go into estrus for a week or two in the middle of the dry season.

This is the only time that males exert themselves as they rush to get at receptive females before the rivals in their home range do. The females are often widely separated. They alert potential male suitors by staking themselves out in a large tree or some other landmark, moving about very little and giving off a pheronome chemical that can be detected up to a mile away.

Males can pursue multiple partners by visiting the home ranges of several females. One small monitor lizard was observed visiting the territory of four females in 45 minutes.

Of the females he visited he had mated with two of them already. About five weeks after mating female monitor lizards lay 50 one- or two-ounce eggs, usually in underground nests. Having not eaten much for months, she has to reach deep into her fat and nutrients reserves to provide for her young.

It is not uncommon for a female to drop in weight from 15 pounds to 9 pounds to after giving birth and incubating the eggs. Some species lay their eggs in termite mounds, They return to the mounds about nine months later to allow the hatchlings to exit.

The eggs incubate for about four months and the hatchlings emerge in the middle of the wet season. Hatchlings have disproportionally large heads. With these configurations it can swallow prey about the same size as itself. Monitor lizards hatchlings are preyed upon by snakes and raptors. They have good vison and a keen sense of smell and can help them stay out of trouble. Still the they have a lot of obstacles to overcome and only about a third of young monitor lizards make it to their first birthday.

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Section , the material on this site is distributed without profit. References from Singapore Biodiversity Encyclopedia and www. A Singapore Government Agency Website. Click logo to go back to the homepage Menu. Do check SafeDistParks. For all notifications, please visit our noticeboard. Keep habitat clean They also play an important role as scavengers in biomass decomposition and recycling. Is this true? Are monitor lizards venomous? Are they dangerous? Conservation In Singapore, it is illegal under the Wildlife Act to remove wild animals, including monitor lizards, from the wild.

How can I help? If you witness any illegal trading or poaching: Collect information. Some of the most popular pet species include savannah, Ackies, Nile, black-throated, black tree, emerald tree, timor, and crocodile monitors, just to name a few.

All species need a light source and a heat source, and you should choose these at the discretion of your breeder or veterinarian. When you do pick your species, make sure you choose a responsible breeder with healthy animals. It is also important to remember that you should never release a pet into the wild. The vast majority of monitor lizards are solitary creatures, and patrol their territories. Most territories are relatively large, and the lizards choose them based on how much food they can find and how close they are to prospective mates.

These reptiles alternate their time between basking in the sun, and searching for prey. Some species are nocturnal and active at night, and some species are diurnal and active during the day. All species of monitor lizards lay eggs, which make them oviparous. The number of eggs in a clutch varies based on the species, some lay only a handful of eggs, while others lay well over 20 or Even within a single species, the incubation time varies based on the temperature of the eggs.

When the young hatch, they are fully independent and begin to hunt on their own. Most young monitor lizards live in trees and eat insects, and they begin to eat larger prey as they grow larger. Different species of monitor lizard interact with humans differently. Because of this, these reptiles are present in a number of different cultures, religion, and folklore.

People also use these reptiles as a food source in many regions. This makes them relatively significant in some cultures or tribes. Animals Network. Chordata Reptilia Squamata Varanidae Varanus. Red Angus. Paint Horse.