Problem
I am trying to persuade Trevor Sharot to take the time to upload a video he took of a monitor lizard. (He is too busy writing his book on wine.) What is a monitor lizard and why do I think it is important?
Answer
I had often heard the term monitor lizard but didn't know what it was until he showed me the video and explained, "a monitor lizard is a monster lizard". That's easy to remember. M for monitor and M for monster. Like a monitor at school, the monitor keeps order, is big and in charge.
Wikipedia tells me that the monitor lizard got its name from the fact that some lizards have been seen standing upright, which warns you from a distance not to approach. Many types of lizards exist, including the vegetarian tree lizards which eat fruit but most are carnivorous and deadly, and the Komodo dragon and others can grow longer than a man is tall - as huge as twenty feet.
The small lizards which you see on walls and floors, indoor and out, in Singapore, are called geckos. They grow from tiny, the size of your small finger, to large, the size of your hands outspread from thumb tip to the tip of your little finger.
Monitor lizards are large, look like crocodiles. Like alligators. Vicious. Dangerous.
Dangerous Monitor Lizards
The one which Trevor photographed was the other side of a wire fence like a tennis net. Seeing a human approach, it growled and flung its tail against the other side of the wall!
"In theory," I speculated, "if you were carrying an umbrella or walking stick, or a crutch, you could swipe at it."
Trevor shakes his head. But the striking blow from its tail could knock a human or animal off its feet before the prey had time to plan attack or defense or take aim.
Komodo Dragons
People go on holiday, on tourist trips to Komodo to see Komodo dragons, which look like larger versions of the monitor lizard. I've watched videos of Komodo dragons hunting in a group, surrounding a large creature like a buffalo, striking it with poison, waiting until it sinks and dies.
Gechos in Greece
I used to be afraid of little lizards, geckos. I recall being horrified on holiday (a press trip to Greek islands) by a gecko running around the bedroom in Greece, rattling papers, scooting past my shoes. Now, my fear of a tiny gecko seems silly. I have bigger problems to worry about.
Danger and Safety
In India some species are protected, which has caused clashes between locals and authorities when reptiles and animals have killed people. I sympathise with the villagers who want to protect themselves, their neighbours, the workers, their children. As a mother, a woman, a human being, I value human life over that of animals.
What use is a komodo dragon or any large lizard? Apart from attracting the foolhardy or curious tourist? The latest news is that lizards do have potential benefits. From them we might be able to develop help with antibiotics and resistance.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monitor_lizard
https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/04/13/komodo-dragon-blood-might-help-fight-a-growing-human-threat/22038543/
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/05/20/komodo.dragon.bite/
https://www.nparks.gov.sg/gardens-parks-and-nature/singapore-botanic-gardens
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
I am trying to persuade Trevor Sharot to take the time to upload a video he took of a monitor lizard. (He is too busy writing his book on wine.) What is a monitor lizard and why do I think it is important?
Answer
I had often heard the term monitor lizard but didn't know what it was until he showed me the video and explained, "a monitor lizard is a monster lizard". That's easy to remember. M for monitor and M for monster. Like a monitor at school, the monitor keeps order, is big and in charge.
Wikipedia tells me that the monitor lizard got its name from the fact that some lizards have been seen standing upright, which warns you from a distance not to approach. Many types of lizards exist, including the vegetarian tree lizards which eat fruit but most are carnivorous and deadly, and the Komodo dragon and others can grow longer than a man is tall - as huge as twenty feet.
The small lizards which you see on walls and floors, indoor and out, in Singapore, are called geckos. They grow from tiny, the size of your small finger, to large, the size of your hands outspread from thumb tip to the tip of your little finger.
Monitor lizards are large, look like crocodiles. Like alligators. Vicious. Dangerous.
Dangerous Monitor Lizards
The one which Trevor photographed was the other side of a wire fence like a tennis net. Seeing a human approach, it growled and flung its tail against the other side of the wall!
"In theory," I speculated, "if you were carrying an umbrella or walking stick, or a crutch, you could swipe at it."
Trevor shakes his head. But the striking blow from its tail could knock a human or animal off its feet before the prey had time to plan attack or defense or take aim.
Komodo Dragons
People go on holiday, on tourist trips to Komodo to see Komodo dragons, which look like larger versions of the monitor lizard. I've watched videos of Komodo dragons hunting in a group, surrounding a large creature like a buffalo, striking it with poison, waiting until it sinks and dies.
Gechos in Greece
I used to be afraid of little lizards, geckos. I recall being horrified on holiday (a press trip to Greek islands) by a gecko running around the bedroom in Greece, rattling papers, scooting past my shoes. Now, my fear of a tiny gecko seems silly. I have bigger problems to worry about.
Danger and Safety
In India some species are protected, which has caused clashes between locals and authorities when reptiles and animals have killed people. I sympathise with the villagers who want to protect themselves, their neighbours, the workers, their children. As a mother, a woman, a human being, I value human life over that of animals.
What use is a komodo dragon or any large lizard? Apart from attracting the foolhardy or curious tourist? The latest news is that lizards do have potential benefits. From them we might be able to develop help with antibiotics and resistance.
You can also encounter them in the wild all over the world, Australia, Florido and other parts of the USA. Some lizards are kept as pets. Some have escaped and become 'invasive species'.
The safest place for you and your children to see animals is in a zoo. You can see a Komodo dragon in London Zoo, in London, England, UK. Nasty things. Other giant lizards are in in Washington DC and zoos and safari parks worldwide.
Useful Websitehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monitor_lizard
https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/04/13/komodo-dragon-blood-might-help-fight-a-growing-human-threat/22038543/
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/05/20/komodo.dragon.bite/
https://www.nparks.gov.sg/gardens-parks-and-nature/singapore-botanic-gardens
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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