Dinosaurs in miniature, little dragons, whatever they call them. And these are all lizards scurrying next to us, a suborder of reptiles from the squadron scaly. These include all scaly ones, except for snakes and two-walkers. Let's look at this beauty of the animal world of the planet and read the facts about them.

Today, there are almost 6,000 species of tailed reptiles in the world.

Representatives of different families differ in size, color, habits, habitat, some exotic species are listed in the Red Book. In nature, the most common reptile can be considered a real lizard, the average body length of which is 10-40 cm.

Unlike snakes, lizards have mobile, split eyelids, as well as an elastic, elongated body with a long tail, covered with keratinized scales that change several times per season. Paws are clawed.

The tongue of a lizard can have different shapes, colors and sizes, it is usually mobile and easily pulled out of the mouth. It is with the tongue that many lizards catch their prey.

Most lizards are capable of dropping their tail in case of danger (autotomy). By contracting the cartilaginous muscles at the base of the tail, the lizard discards the tail and grows it again, albeit in a slightly shortened form.

Sometimes a lizard regrows not one, but two or three tails:

The longest-lived is the fragile lizard. A male fragile lizard (Anguis fragilis) lived in the Zoological Museum of Copenhagen, Denmark for over 54 years, from 1892 to 1946.

While most animals perceive the world in black and white, lizards see their surroundings in orange.

There are 2 ways of breeding lizards: laying eggs and live birth.

Females of small species of lizards lay no more than 4 eggs, large ones - up to 18 eggs. Egg weight can vary from 4 to 200 grams. The egg size of the world's smallest lizard, the round-footed gecko, does not exceed 6 mm in diameter. The egg size of the world's largest lizard, the Komodo dragon, reaches a length of 10 cm.

Lizard Monster Gila (HELODERMA SUSPECTUM)
Their bite is poisonous. During the bite, a painful neurotoxin enters the victim's body through the grooves in the tiny, sharp teeth.

Roundhead (PHRYNOCEPHALUS)
She is called the toad-headed agama - she is small, lives in empty ones and differs in one peculiarity - communication with round-heads occurs with the help of a tail, which they twist, and also the vibrations of the body are interesting, with the help of which they quickly dig into the sand. Bizarre mouth folds scare off enemies.

Infraorder iguana-like (lat.Iguania) has 14 families, the most prominent representative of which is the chameleon inhabiting Africa, Madagascar, the countries of the Middle East, Hawaii and some American states

Common iguanas (green)

Iguana is the fastest lizard - the speed of movement on land - 34.9 km / h - recorded in the black iguana (Ctenosaura), which lives in Costa Rica.

Marine iguanas
Marine iguanas of the Galapagos Islands, which Darwin called "demons of darkness", spend all their time diving under the water and scraping off the overgrown plants that iguanas feed on.

Chameleon
The chameleon is an eminently unique reptile. His fingers are connected by a membrane, he has an extremely prehensile tail, and he demonstrates his attitude to what is happening by changing color, eyeballs like binoculars move independently of each other, while a very long and sticky tongue shoots out and catches the victim.

Unusual even among chameleons - Brookesia minima or dwarf leaf chameleon. He is, without a doubt, one of the smallest reptiles known to man.


The largest lizard was the monitor lizard, exhibited in 1937 at the St. Louis Zoo, Missouri, USA. Its length was 3.10 m, and its mass was 166 kg.

The longest lizard is Salvador's thin-bodied monitor lizard, or musk deer (Varanus salvadorii), from Papua New Guinea. It, according to accurate measurements, reaches a length of 4.75 m, but approximately 70% of its total length falls on the tail.

Geckos
Geckos are an extensive family of small and medium-sized, very peculiar lizards, characterized in most cases by biconcave (amphitic) vertebrae and loss of temporal arches.


Many species of geckos have an amazing ability to camouflage - their skin darkens or lightens depending on the ambient light. In the course of experiments with wall geckos, they closed their eyes, but they continued to change color according to the usual algorithm.


Gecko lizards have no eyelids, so they are forced to periodically wet a special transparent membrane in front of their eyes with their tongue.

Flying dragon and gecko's foot
Flying dragons are a genus of the subfamily of Afro-Arabian agamas of the Agamidae family; unites about thirty Asian species of woody insectivorous lizards. Other Russian names of this genus are also found in the literature - dragons, flying dragons

The Frilled Lizard is a lizard from the Agamidae family. Chlamydosaurus is the only species in the genus.

There are also such types of lizards in which males are completely absent. Cnemidophorus neomexicanus lizards reproduce without laying eggs by parthenogenesis (a type of reproduction in which the participation of a male is optional).

Lesser girdle-tail (Cordylus cataphractus) is a species of lizard from the girdle-tailed family.

2012 is the year of the dragon in the Chinese calendar and the dragon is the only animal that is completely fictional. Or not?

These six amazing dragons, although they do not fully correspond to the stereotypes of winged, scaly, fire-breathing reptiles, are real and either by their appearance or by their name represent the most real dragons.

1. Dragonfly


Dragonflies got their name from ancient folklore, which portrayed them as distant descendants of extinct dragons. Many European legends have described dragonflies in an unsightly light, colloquially calling them by various names such as Horse Stinger, Eye stealer, Eye Cutter and Devil's darning needle.
On the other hand, Chinese and Japanese folk tales associate dragonflies with prosperity, harmony, agility and strength.

Although dragonflies are predators and a threat of mosquitoes, they do not bite a person and should not be afraid of them. However, everything was different 325 million years ago, when the huge insectoid ancestors of dragonflies from the order had a wingspan of more than a meter and fed on everything that moved along the earth, including our primitive amphibian ancestors.

2 the bearded dragon


Their gaping mouth, thorny hide and frightening appearance make them feel like real dragons, there is only one drawback that spoils everything - it is their size.

They grow up to 60 cm and look like they just stepped off the screen of a low-budget monster movie from the 50s of the last century.

Bearded dragons are very popular as pets, although they are prohibited from being exported outside Australia, where they live. There are seven different species of these animals, some of which have a kind of hood, which, when unraveled, makes them even more like a dragon.

3. Sea dragon


Sea dragons are tropical fish that are of two types - leafy and grassy and have family ties with what for some reason is called a seahorse. Leafy ones can grow up to 24 cm in length, while herbaceous ones grow up to 45 cm.

Both sea dragons and skates are similar in head shape resembling a horse, but dragons are more successful in disguise. They have acquired numerous spines and ribs, which enhances their resemblance to their mythical ancestor, but does not make them any more intimidating. Sea dragons are as safe as their counterparts, the seahorses.

4. Chinese water dragon


The signs of the Chinese zodiac are divided into five different elements, which alternate every 12 years, so in 2012 Chinese water the dragon gets an additional status. These representatives of the animal world can grow up to 90 cm in length, two-thirds of which is the tail.

The Chinese water dragon is a graceful green lizard with scalloped spines on its back. She prefers to live in tropical forests, in the immediate vicinity of water bodies and rivers. In case of danger, they simply jump into the water and hide in it.

As the Chinese dragon ages, iridescent spots appear on the neck, usually red, orange or pink in color. Their beauty and relative docility make them good pets, if you are a reptile lover of course. However, keep in mind that if you scare a Chinese dragon, it runs very quickly on its short legs.

5. Mandarin Dragonet


Mandarin ducklings (or mandarin ducklings) are a type of bottom fish that has no scales. But on the other hand, they have bright coloring, wide fins and a triangular head, which once reminded someone of a dragon. Some mandarin ducklings have amazing colorful coloration, for which they could be called psychedelic dragons.

These are very beautiful fish, but, unfortunately, they very poorly survive in aquariums. Another dragon that is difficult to get to your home ...

6. Komodo dragons


We would call these creatures “terrible lizards”, but this name is already taken by “dinosaurs” (which is translated from Latin in exactly the same way). If only there was another more appropriate name for these huge, predatory and venomous reptiles ... Komodo dragons grow up to 3 meters in length, zoologists call it island gigantism.
Although taxonomically Komodo dragons are monitors, I think they are the most dragon-like of any animal in existence.
Indeed, do you know anything outside of Anne McCaffrey's Riders of Pern that would be able to chew on a buffalo whole?

The Komodo dragons are fairly well protected from poachers on their two islands of habitat. But the lack of food is increasingly forcing them to attack people, which makes them quite dangerous animals.

free translation (s)

September 17th, 2015

In December 1910, the Dutch administration on the island of Java from the governor of the island of Flores (for civil affairs) Stein van Hensbruck received information that giant creatures unknown to science lived on the outlying islands of the Small Sunda Archipelago.

Van Stein's report said that in the vicinity of Labuan Badi of Flores Island, as well as on the nearby island of Komodo, an animal lives, which the local natives call "buya-darat", which means "earthen crocodile".

Of course, you already guessed who will be discussed now ...

Photo 2.

According to local residents, the length of some monsters reaches seven meters, and three- and four-meter buya-darat are common. The curator of the Butsnzorg Zoological Museum at the Botanical Park of West Java Province, Peter Owen, immediately entered into correspondence with the island's manager and asked him to organize an expedition in order to get a reptile unknown to European science.

This was done, although the first lizard caught was only 2 meters 20 centimeters long. Hensbrook sent her skin and photographs to Owens. In an accompanying note, he said that he would try to catch a larger specimen, although it was not easy to do this, since the natives were terrified of these monsters. Convinced that the giant reptile was not a myth, the Zoological Museum sent a trapping specialist to Flores. As a result, the staff of the zoological museum managed to get four specimens of "earthen crocodiles", and the length of two was almost three meters.

Photo 3.

In 1912, Peter Owen published an article in the Botanical Garden Bulletin about the existence of a new species of reptile, naming an animal previously unknown to the spider Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis Ouwens). Later it turned out that giant monitor lizards are found not only on Komodo, but also on the small islands of Ritya and Padar, lying to the west of Flores. A careful study of the archives of the Sultanate showed that this animal was mentioned in archives dating back to 1840.

The First World War forced to stop research, and only 12 years later, interest in the Komodo dragon was renewed. Now the main researchers of the giant reptile are US zoologists. In English, this reptile began to be called Komodo dragon(comodo dragon). For the first time, the expedition of Douglas Barden managed to catch a live individual in 1926. In addition to two living specimens, Barden also brought 12 stuffed animals to the United States, three of which are on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Photo 4.

Indonesia's Komodo National Park, protected by UNESCO, was founded in 1980 and includes a group of islands with adjacent warm waters and coral reefs covering more than 170 thousand hectares.
The islands of Komodo and Rincha are the largest in the reserve. Of course, the main celebrity of the park is the Komodo lizards. However, many tourists come here to see the unique terrestrial and underwater flora and fauna of Komodo. There are about 100 species of fish here. In the sea there are about 260 species of reef corals, 70 species of sponges.
The national park is also home to animals such as maned sambar, Asian water buffalo, wild boar, Javanese macaque.

Photo 5.

It was Barden who established the true dimensions of these animals and refuted the myth of seven-meter giants. It turned out that males rarely exceed the length of three meters, and females are much smaller, their length is no more than two meters.

Years of research have made it possible to study well the habits and lifestyle of giant reptiles. It turned out that Komodo monitor lizards, like other cold-blooded animals, are active only from 6 to 10 in the morning and from 3 to 5 in the evening. They prefer dry, well-warmed areas by the sun, and are generally tied to arid plains, savannas and dry rainforests.

Photo 6.

In the hot season (May - October), they often adhere to dry riverbeds with banks overgrown with jungle. Young animals can climb well and spend a lot of time in trees, where they find food, and in addition, they take shelter from their own adult relatives. Giant monitor lizards are cannibals, and adults, on occasion, will not miss the opportunity to feast on smaller congeners. As shelters from the heat and cold, monitor lizards use burrows 1-5 m long, which they dig with the help of strong paws with long, curved and sharp claws. Hollows of trees often serve as shelters for young monitor lizards.

Komodo dragons, despite their size and external clumsiness, are good runners. At short distances, reptiles can reach speeds of up to 20 kilometers, and at long distances, their speed is 10 km / h. To get food at a height (for example, on a tree), monitor lizards can stand on their hind legs, using the tail as a support. Reptiles have good hearing, sharp eyesight, but their most important sense organ is the sense of smell. These reptiles are able to smell falling or blood at a distance of even 11 kilometers.

Photo 7.

Most of the monitor lizard population lives in the western and northern parts of the Flores Islands - about 2000 specimens. About 1000 live on Komodo and Rincha, and on the smallest islands of the Jili Motang and Nusa Kode groups, only 100 individuals each.

At the same time, it was noticed that the number of monitor lizards has fallen and the individuals are gradually becoming smaller. They say that the decline in the number of wild ungulates on the islands due to poaching is to blame, so the monitor lizards are forced to switch to smaller food.

Photo 8.

Of the modern species, only the dragon of Komodo Island and the crocodile monitor are attacking prey significantly larger than themselves. The crocodile monitor lizard has teeth very long and almost straight. It is an evolutionary adaptation for successful bird feeding (penetration of dense plumage). They also have serrated edges, and the teeth of the upper and lower jaws can act like scissors, making it easier for them to dismember prey in the tree, where they spend most of their life.

Venomtooths are poisonous lizards. Today, two types of them are known - the gila monster and the escorpion. They live mainly in the southwestern United States and Mexico in rocky foothills, semi-deserts and deserts. Gila moths are most active in spring, when their favorite food appears - bird eggs. They also feed on insects, small lizards and snakes. The poison is produced by the submandibular and sublingual salivary glands and flows through the ducts to the teeth of the lower jaw. When bitten, the teeth of gila monsters - long and curved backwards - enter the body of the victim by almost half a centimeter.

Photo 9.

The monitor lizards menu includes a wide variety of animals. They practically eat everything: large insects and their larvae, crabs and fish thrown out by storms, rodents. And although monitor lizards are born scavengers, they are also active hunters, and often large animals become their prey: wild boars, deer, dogs, domestic and feral goats and even the largest ungulates of these islands - Asian water buffaloes.
Giant monitor lizards do not actively pursue their prey, but more often conceal it and grab it when it comes close to itself.

Photo 10.

When hunting large animals, reptiles use very intelligent tactics. Adult monitor lizards, leaving the forest, slowly go to grazing animals, from time to time they stop and fall to the ground if they feel that they are attracting their attention. They can knock down wild boars and deer with a blow of their tail, but more often they use their teeth - inflicting a single bite on the animal's leg. This is where success lies. After all, now the "biological weapon" of the Komodo dragon has been launched.

Photo 11.

For a long time, it was believed that the victim is ultimately killed by pathogens in the saliva of the monitor lizard. But in 2009, scientists found that in addition to the "deadly cocktail" of pathogenic bacteria and viruses in saliva, to which the monitor lizards themselves have immunity, reptiles are poisonous.

Research led by Bryan Fry from the University of Queensland (Australia) has shown that the number and types of bacteria commonly found in the mouth of the Komodo dragon is not fundamentally different from other carnivores.

Moreover, as Fry states, the Komodo dragon is a very clean animal.

The Komodo monitor lizards, which inhabit the islands of Indonesia, are the largest predators on these islands. They hunt pigs, deer and Asian buffaloes. 75% of pigs and deer die from the bite of a monitor lizard after 30 minutes from blood loss, another 15% - after 3-4 hours from the poison secreted by its salivary glands.

A larger animal - a buffalo, having been attacked by a monitor lizard, always, despite deep wounds, leaves the predator alive. Following its instinct, a bitten buffalo usually tries to find refuge in a warm body of water, the water of which is teeming with anaerobic bacteria, and, in the end, dies from an infection that penetrates its legs through wounds.

The pathogenic bacteria found in the mouth of the Komodo monitor lizard in previous studies, Fry believes, are traces of infections that enter his body from contaminated drinking water. The number of these bacteria is not enough to cause the death of a buffalo from a bite.


The Komodo dragon has two venom glands in the lower jaw that produce toxic proteins. These proteins, when injected into the victim's body, prevent blood clotting, lower blood pressure, contribute to muscle paralysis and hypothermia. Everything in general leads the victim to shock or loss of consciousness. The poisonous gland of Komodo monitor lizards is more primitive than that of poisonous snakes. The gland is located on the lower jaw under the salivary glands, its ducts open at the base of the teeth, rather than being expelled through special channels in poisonous teeth, like in snakes.

Photo 12.

In the mouth, poison and saliva mix with decaying food debris to form a mixture in which many different deadly bacteria multiply. But it was not this that surprised the scientists, but the poison delivery system. It turned out to be the most complex of all such systems in reptiles. Instead of injecting with one blow with their teeth, like poisonous snakes, the monitor lizards have to literally rub it into the victim's wound, making jerking jaws. This evolutionary invention has helped giant monitor lizards survive for millennia.

Photo 14.

After a successful attack, time begins to work for the reptile, and the hunter has to go all the time on the heels of the victim. The wound does not heal, the animal is getting weaker every day. After two weeks, even such a large animal as a buffalo has no strength, its legs buckle and it falls. It's time for the lizard to feast on. He slowly approaches the victim and rushes at her. His relatives come running to the smell of blood. In places of feeding, fights often occur between equivalent males. As a rule, they are cruel, but not fatal, as evidenced by the numerous scars on their bodies.

For people, a huge head covered, like a shell, with unkind, unblinking eyes, a toothy gaping mouth, from which protrudes a forked tongue, which is in motion all the time, a bumpy and folded body of dark brown color on strong spread legs with long claws and a massive tail is a living embodiment of the image of extinct monsters of distant eras. One can only marvel how such creatures were able to survive in our days practically unchanged.

Photo 15.

Paleontologists believe that the ancestors of the Komodo dragon appeared in Australia 5-10 million years ago. This assumption fits well with the fact that the only known representative of large reptiles is Megalania prisca measuring from 5 to 7 m and weighing 650-700 kg was found on this continent. Megalania, and the full name of the monstrous reptile can be translated from Latin as "the great ancient vagabond", preferred, just like the Komodo dragon, to settle in grassy savannas and thin forests, where he hunted mammals, including very large ones, such as diprodonts, various reptiles and birds. They were the largest venomous creatures that have ever existed on Earth.

Fortunately, these animals became extinct, but their place was taken by the Komodo dragon, and now it is these reptiles that attract thousands of people to come to the forgotten islands to see the last representatives of the ancient world in natural conditions.

Photo 16.

Indonesia has 17,504 islands, although these figures are not final. The Indonesian government has set itself the difficult task of conducting a complete audit of all Indonesian islands without exception. And who knows, maybe at the end of it, animals unknown to people will still be discovered, albeit not as dangerous as Komodo monitor lizards, but certainly no less amazing!

The Komodo monitor lizard is an amazing and truly unique animal, which is called a dragon for a reason. The largest lizard in existence spends most of its time hunting. It is the pride of the islanders and the continuing interest of tourists.

Our article will tell you about the life of this dangerous predator, the peculiarities of its behavior and characteristics of the species.

Appearance

The photos of Komodo monitor lizards given in our article help to understand why the locals called this reptile a land crocodile. These animals are indeed comparable in size.

Most adult Komodo monitor lizards reach 2.5 meters in length, while their weight barely exceeds half a centner. But even among the giants there are champions. There is reliable information about the Komodo dragon, the length of which exceeded 3 meters, and the weight reached 150 kg.

Only a specialist can visually distinguish a male from a female. Sexual dimorphism is practically not pronounced, but male lizards are usually slightly more massive. But to determine which of the two monitor lizards is older in age, any tourist who arrives on the island for the first time can: the young are always brighter. In addition, with age, wrinkles and leathery growths form on the dull skin.

The body of the monitor lizard is squat, stocky, with very powerful limbs. The tail is mobile and strong. The paws are crowned with huge claws.

The huge mouth looks menacing, even when the monitor lizard is calm. A nimble forked tongue, now and then emerging from her, many eyewitnesses call creepy and frightening.

History

Giant monitor lizards on Komodo Island were first discovered at the beginning of the 20th century. Since then, scientists have continued to research the species.

It has been established that the history of development and evolution of monitor lizards is associated with Australia. The species split from its historical ancestor about 40 million years ago, then emigrated to the distant mainland and nearby islands.

Later the population shifted to the islands of Indonesia. Perhaps this is due to natural phenomena or a decrease in the populations of species of food interest for monitor lizards. In any case, the fauna of Australia only benefited from such a resettlement - many species literally escaped extinction. But the Indonesians were not lucky: many scientists associate their extinction with the predators of the Varanus genus.

Modernity has successfully mastered new territories and feels great.

Features of behavior

Monitor lizards are diurnal and prefer to sleep at night. Like the rest of the cold-blooded, they are sensitive to temperature extremes. Hunting time begins at dawn. Leading solitary lizards are not averse to joining forces during the pursuit of game.

It may seem that Komodo lizards are clumsy fatties, but this is far from the case. These animals are unusually hardy, mobile and strong. They are able to reach speeds of up to 20 km / h, and during their run, as they say, the earth trembles. Dragons feel no less confident in the water: to swim to the neighboring island is not a problem for them. Sharp nails, strong musculature and a balance tail help these animals to climb trees and steep rocks perfectly. Needless to say, how difficult it is to get away from the monitor lizard for the victim on which he has his eyes?

Dragon life

Adult Komodo lizards live separately from each other. But once a year the flock converges. The period of love and family creation begins with bloody battles in which it is impossible to simply lose. The fight can end in either victory or death from wounds.

No other animal is dangerous for the monitor lizard. In their natural habitat, these animals do not know anyone stronger than themselves. People don't hunt them either. Only another dragon can kill a dragon.

The mating games of the titans

The victorious rival of the monitor lizard can choose a friend with whom he will have children. The pair will equip the nest, the female will guard eggs for about eight months, which can be attacked by small nocturnal predators. By the way, relatives are also not averse to feasting on such a delicacy. But as soon as the babies are born, the mother will leave them. They will have to survive on their own, relying only on the ability to disguise and run.

Monitor lizards do not form permanent pairs. The next mating season will start from scratch - that is, with new battles in which more than one dragon will die.

Lizard Komodo hunting

This animal is a real killing machine. the Komodo Islands can attack even those who are much larger than them, such as buffaloes. After the death of the victim, a feast begins. Monitor lizards eat the carcass, tearing off and swallowing huge pieces.

It is noteworthy that most predators prefer one thing - either fresh meat or carrion. The digestive system of the monitor lizard is able to cope with both. The giants are happy to feast on the carcasses brought by the sea.

Murderous poison

Powerful jaws, muscles and claws are not the monitor's only weapon. The real gem of the arsenal is the unique saliva. It contains not only huge doses (probably obtained by eating carrion), but also poison.

For a long time, scientists were convinced that the death of a bitten victim comes from banal sepsis. But the presence of poisonous glands has recently been established. The amount of poison is small, it causes instant death only in small animals. But the dose received is enough to start irreversible processes.

Monitor lizards are not only excellent tactics, but also delightful strategists. They know how to wait, sometimes hanging around the victim for 2-3 weeks and watching her slowly die.

Coexistence with man

A natural question arises as to whether the Komodo monitor lizard can kill a woman, man or teenager? The answer, unfortunately, is yes. The lethality of a monitor lizard bite exceeds 90%. Poison is especially dangerous for a child.

But modern medicine has an antidote. Therefore, in case of an unsuccessful attempt to make friends with the monitor lizard, you must immediately go to the hospital. The death of a person from a bite in our time is not such a common phenomenon. As a rule, it occurs if a person hopes that he can cope with the malaise. Doctors strongly recommend not to take risks, human immunity is not designed for such loads as the poison of an exotic lizard.

This should be remembered not only by tourists, but also by those who decided to settle an unusual pet at home. In the intensive care unit of a district hospital, there may simply not be the necessary antidote, so a preliminary consultation with a competent breeder is extremely necessary.

Monitor lizards in the reserve

As sad as it may sound, the formidable predator takes its place in the Red Book. Monitor lizards are protected at the state level. But the islands of Komodo, Flores, Gili Motang and Rincha have created huge reserves in which the giants live for their pleasure. Despite the security and the work of a team of professionals, attacks on people are sometimes recorded. Often this happens due to excessive human attention to eating or fighting predators. Camera flash or noise may trigger an attack.

Therefore, if you set out to admire the Komodo monitor lizards, follow the rules of the reserve and listen to the instructor's advice.