The Komodo dragon is the only modern lizard species to typically be legitimately and justifiably feared by humans, although actual fatal attacks by dragons on Komodo are exceedingly rare. The Komodo dragon is easily the most massive living lizard. Adults can commonly weigh over 70 kg (154 lb). Wild dragons can weigh up to at least 91 kg (201 lb) with empty stomachs with a record weight of 166 kg (365 lb) being from captivity. Adult Komodo dragon are often more than 2.42 m (8 feet) long with a record of 3.12 m (10.3 feet). Komodo dragons unlike most carnivorous or mostly carnivorous lizards is a true apex predator, accessing any animal that dwells on land there. Much of modern large prey is introduced by man like feral pigs and feral water buffalo. Very few attacks are known to prove fatal, especially with appropriate precautions, but Komodo dragons are certainly large and powerful enough to kill an adult person. Bites by captive Komodo dragons are not unheard of but usually intervention occurs before the situation turns life-threatening for the human. Other monitor lizards that get quite large can be considered formidable and fairly intimidating in their own rights but do not generally pose any direct risk to humans. The Asian water monitor is the second biggest living lizard, known to weigh up to 15 to 30 kg (33-66 lb) with a known record weight of 50 kg (110 lb). Most large Asian water monitors are up to 2 to 2.42 m (6–8 feet) but a record exists shows a length record of 3.3 m (10.9 feet), even longer if not as heavy as the Komodo dragon. However, in most of its range, the Asian water monitor is more of a mesopredator rather than an apex predator, since it has to attend with considerably larger predators like saltwater crocodiles, leopards and tigers. On a few of the smaller northern Indonesian islands it inhabits, though Asian water monitors might technically function as apex predators.
A lot of photos make Komodo dragons appear even larger than they are. They are the only modern lizards to be about human sized in weight.
The Asian water monitor is the second biggest contemporary lizard.
A few of the other larger monitor lizards may function as apex predators where they live mainly due to a paucity of larger predators where they live in modern times. One such monitor is the crocodile monitor, which is frequently up to 2 m (6.6 feet) long. The largest crocodile monitor of verified length was 2.45 m (8.4 feet) in total with much longer specimens reported but remaining unverified. This species is relatively slender and long railec witty some adults known to weigh some 6.3 to 20 kg (14–44 lb), the weight of large specimens is unknown and probably exaggerated in estimates at times. Crocodile monitors also exploit a unique niche by being largely an arboreal species in upland forested regions. Another monitor that fulfills somewhat of an apex predator role is the perentie, arguably alongside some of the Australian goannas like the lace monitor. Perenties are mostly up to 1.5 m (4.95 feet) long in adults and most weigh close to 7 kg (15.4 lb) with only a few getting over 2 m (6.6 feet) long. The record size verified is about 2.5 m (8.1 feet) long and 20 kg (44 lb) in weight with claims of up to twice that weight unverified. In the dry Australian outback, the big monitors can exploit a top predator niche in essence due to the lack of megafaunal predators in the environment.
Crocodile monitors get to be one of the largest living monitors but are often more slender than other large species.
Perentie like crocodile monitors may often function like apex predators in their environment due to lack of larger local predators.
Other monitors can certainly be large and possibly imposing to some, with the largest African monitors like Nile monitors and rock monitors being important predators in their environment but are definitely mesopredators. Outside of the monitors, few lizards get quite so large. Iguanas are some of the largest lizards outside of that family. Although not generally considered fearsome, iguanas are certainly large. Mostly herbivorous lizards, iguanas may get longest in the green iguana. Adults commonly measure 1.2 to 1.7 m (3.9–5.6 feet) in total, with the biggest getting to 2 m (6.6 feet), more than half of which is tail. Green iguanas can weigh 1.2 to 4 kg (2.6–8.8 lb) with some getting to 8 kg (17.6 lb) or even 9.1 kg (20 lb). The heaviest iguana appears to be the blue iguana of Grand Cayman Island. The blue iguana can be up to 14 kg (31 lb) in weight and up to 1.5 m (4.9 feet) long, making them slightly bigger than the maximum for the Galapagos land iguana, at up to 13 kg (28.6 lb).
Blue iguanas (top with King Charles of England), Galapagos land iguana and green iguana are some of the bigger iguana species.
Some lizards in the Americas that are not iguanas may be considered rather formidable and large. The Helioderma genus of lizards are recommended to be approached or handled with caution as they are some of the few truly venomous lizards. However, they do not have the elongated fangs of many venomous snakes and serious bites on people are exceptionally rare. The Gila monster is considered the largest native lizard in the United States, typically weighing about 0.675 kg (1.5 lb) and scaling up to 2.3 kg (5.1 lb) and reaching up to 56 cm (22 inches) long, but is actually possibly the smallest of the Helioderma species. Other species, all kinds of beaded lizard, can reach around 91 cm (36 inches) long and weigh some 2 to 4 kg (4.4–8.8 lb) as is the case in the Mexican beaded lizard (the best known of these lizards). Tegu lizards are another lizard in the neotropics that could conceivably be intimidating enough to some. The Argentine black-and-white tegu and the red tegu are the largest species. The black-and-white can be up to 1.2 to 1.5 m (4–4.9 feet) long and weigh up to 7 kg (15.4 lb) while the red tegu can weigh up to about 9 kg (20 lb) and reach about 1.4 m (4.6 feet) in length. Although omnivorous, tegus can be surprisingly proficient predators on prey like birds, small mammals and reptiles close to their own size, with a strong bite force (reportedly stronger than a much larger German Shepherd). Caiman lizards are another rather large neotropical lizard genus and distant cousin of tegus, getting up to 1.2 m (3.9 feet) and maximum weight of around 4.6 kg (10 lb).
Mexican beaded lizards are venomous and large but are nor known to be dangerous to humans.
Red tegu and Argentine black-and-white tegus are the largest tegus, strong biting lizards from the American tropics.
No comments:
Post a Comment