I. Basic information

Chinese name: Spot monitor lizard

Latin name: Varanus giganteus  (Gray 1845)

Kingdom: Animalia

phylum: Chordate

Subphylum: Vertebrate subphylum

Class: Reptiles

Family: Monitor lizards

Second, morphological characteristics

The eye-spotted monitor lizard is the largest lizard in Australia. The eye-spot monitor can grow up to 2.5 meters and weigh 25 kilograms, with an average length of 2 meters and a weight of 20 kilograms. They are heavier and stouter than round-nosed monitor lizards, but shorter in size. They are relatively slender compared to Komodo dragons or Saxon dragons.

The eye-spotted monitor lizard is named after the eye-like markings all over its body. The special shape of its eyelids gives it a melancholy expression on its face, which is a more interesting and attractive feature of this species. Eye-spotted monitor lizards often stand on their hind legs and look at the far side with their tail supported on the ground to avoid threats. They sprint quickly over short distances; like other monitor lizards, eye-spotted monitor lizards also have a wide range of diets. Complete carnivores, whether snakes, lizards, birds and small mammals will hunt, adults can even eat a kangaroo, and also eat the eggs of other animals.

Third. Toxicity

Most lizards are non-toxic, and many people thought that the eye-spot monitor lizard was also non-toxic in the early days, and they all thought it was causing wounds Infection, caused by oral bacteria, but Yan Niu discovered in 2005 that similar infections occurred after the bite of the adorned monitor lizard, Komodo dragon and banded tree monitor lizard, including rapid swelling, failure of coagulation in the local area, and thorns. pain, and other symptoms that persist for hours. Judging from these characteristics, the infection of bacteria is not so fast, so researchers believe that some giants are poisonous, including the eye-spotted monitor lizard, which has a natural immunity to poisonous snakes and is the nemesis of poisonous snakes. I always heard that snakes eat Lizard, this time it's the lizard's turn to eat the snake.

Many people saw the eye-spot monitor lizard for the first time in a documentary on the Science and Education Channel. I don't know how many climbing enthusiasts were shocked by the ferocity and murderousness of the eye-spot monitor. The eye-spot monitor lizard It has also become a fetish for climbing enthusiasts, and the well-deserved king of Australian monitor lizards~