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WARNING:
This
video contains extremely graphic content. Viewer
discretion is advised.
Monitor
Lizard Strike
Monitor
lizards can be very dangerous and aggressive. The
family of monitor lizards includes the largest lizard in the
world, the Komodo dragon. There are upwards of 30 species
in the family ranging in size from 6 inches to 12 feet.
Many
monitor species are commonly sold in the pet trade, such as
Savannah monitors and Nile monitors. While they often will
tolerate handling by humans, many do not. These are
carnivorous animals which eat just about anything... eggs, small
birds, mammals, and even other monitor lizards.
Monitor
lizards are not poisonous, however some species possess toxins
in their saliva which can lead to rapid infections and septic
conditions. While it is unlikely that a
smaller pet monitor lizard could kill a human, their bite can
lead to prolonged problems if not treated and kept clean.
If
you want to keep a monitor lizard as pet, use care and
caution. They have an extraordinary olfactory sense and
the slightest smell of food or blood can send a monitor into a
small frenzy. Females who have very large monitors should
avoid contact with them when menstruating to avoid bites and
stress on the lizard. Always take care to wash your
hands after handling food items or prey as monitors can pick up
on the faintest of odors quite easily. As an example, some
researchers believe that Komodo dragons can smell prey over a
mile away.
According
to the Associated Press, in January of 2002 a Delaware man was
found dead in his apartment with seven large Nile monitor
lizards eating his corpse. While there is no doubt that
the lizards did not kill their owner (he passed from natural
causes), this incident shows that they are instinctive animals
and will go after anything that smells like food.
In
the following video, you can see just how quickly a monitor
lizard reacts to prey. This is a Savannah monitor
which has been hand raised as a pet, and is quite tame. As
you can see, all it takes is a whiff of food and the monitor
immediately plunges into action. Sometimes this monitor
will grab the food in mid-air before it ever hits the
ground. Even tame monitors can make mistakes, so use
caution when handling or feeding!
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