Large Vetegarian Monitor Lizard Discovered *head explodes*

[Alyrium Denryle]

link

Giant lizard species discovered
By Matt Walker
Editor, Earth News

A new species of giant lizard has been discovered in the Philippines.

The 2m-long reptile is a monitor lizard, the group to which the world's longest and largest lizards belong.

The monitor, described as spectacular by the scientists who found it, lives in forests covering the Sierra Madre mountains in the north of the country.

The striking reptile has bright yellow, blue and green skin, and survives on a diet of just fruit, yet until now it has escaped the eyes of biologists.

"It is an incredible animal," says Dr Rafe Brown, one of the scientists who describe the new lizard in the journal Biology Letters.

In the journal, the researchers describe how rare it is to find such a large terrestrial animal new to science.

The discovery of the lizard, they say, is of a similar importance to two other large species of so-called "mega-fauna" discovered in recent years: the kipunji ( Rungwecebus kipunji ), a new genus of monkey found in Africa, and the saola, a Vietnamese forest bovid ( Pseudoryx nghetinhensis ).

The giant lizard is actually well known to resident Agta and Ilongot tribespeople living in the forests of northern Luzon Island.

The tribespeople regularly hunt the lizard for its meat, a vital source of protein.

Yet scientists were unaware of its existence.

That was until Dr Brown and an international team of colleagues from the US, Philippines and The Netherlands surveyed a series of lizard specimens preserved in museums both within the US and Philippines.

Within these specimens they identified the new species on the basis of its body size, scales, colouration and DNA.

With a main body length approaching 1m, with an additional 1m-long tail, the lizard has dark skin covered by golden yellow spots and flecks.

Its legs are mainly yellow, and its tail striped black and yellow.

In some pictures, the animal also looks to have green or blue scales.

The new species, which is called Varanus bitatawa , is thought to survive on a diet of fruit, making it one of just three species of fruit-eating monitor lizards in the world.

Monitor lizards include the world's most massive lizard, the Komodo dragon ( V. komodoensis ), which can reach up to 3m-long and weigh up to 90kg.

While not as massive, other species of monitor, such as the Crocodile monitor or Salvadori's monitor ( Varanus salvadorii ) of New Guinea, can also reach similar lengths.

Secretive creature

Why the new massive lizard has remained undiscovered by scientists until now is a mystery, especially as many biologists work in the northern Philippines.

The researchers say it may be because the lizard is naturally reclusive, being a highly secretive animal that never leaves the forest or crosses open country.

It could also be because few scientific expeditions have characterised the reptiles living in the Sierra Madre forests.

The new species of monitor lives at least 150km away from its nearest relative, another lizard called V. olivaceus , which also lives in trees and eats fruit.

I know there is one other species, but herbivorous monitors lizards are not the way things are supposed to be. However they are GORGEOUS

[LadyTevar]

OOO! PRETTY!

So, it's living just over the hillside from another, related species, but the two have differentiated enough not to interbreed? Wow...

Makes you wonder how many species in the US may actually be separate species, just because they live on the other side of the mountain. I do know that in the 1980s, two species of mice were discovered to be totally separate. The only difference? One lived on TOP of large rocks that had eroded out of the mountainside, while the other species lived around the bases of these rock piles, amongst the tree litter.

[Alyrium Denryle]

OOO! PRETTY!

So, it's living just over the hillside from another, related species, but the two have differentiated enough not to interbreed? Wow...

Makes you wonder how many species in the US may actually be separate species, just because they live on the other side of the mountain. I do know that in the 1980s, two species of mice were discovered to be totally separate. The only difference? One lived on TOP of large rocks that had eroded out of the mountainside, while the other species lived around the bases of these rock piles, amongst the tree litter.

A lot of the salamanders in your native WV are exactly like that. Though to be fair, reptiles and amphibians basically rape the biological species concept.

[Anguirus]

Damn, why'd I forget to post this?

[Mayabird]

A lot of birds are like that also. There are ongoing genetic studies showing that there are lots of cryptic (thank you, Ben) species where we once thought there was just one that, for instance, had different songs in different places. They might look alike to us but there's no genetic exchange. The first ones I can think of off the top of my head are the gray-cheeked thrush and Bicknell's thrush which can be told apart only by finding them in their differing breeding ranges or having one in hand to measure the wingspan.

[JBG]

link

Giant lizard species discovered
By Matt Walker
Editor, Earth News

A new species of giant lizard has been discovered in the Philippines.

The 2m-long reptile is a monitor lizard, the group to which the world's longest and largest lizards belong.

The monitor, described as spectacular by the scientists who found it, lives in forests covering the Sierra Madre mountains in the north of the country.

The striking reptile has bright yellow, blue and green skin, and survives on a diet of just fruit, yet until now it has escaped the eyes of biologists.

"It is an incredible animal," says Dr Rafe Brown, one of the scientists who describe the new lizard in the journal Biology Letters.

In the journal, the researchers describe how rare it is to find such a large terrestrial animal new to science.

The discovery of the lizard, they say, is of a similar importance to two other large species of so-called "mega-fauna" discovered in recent years: the kipunji ( Rungwecebus kipunji ), a new genus of monkey found in Africa, and the saola, a Vietnamese forest bovid ( Pseudoryx nghetinhensis ).

The giant lizard is actually well known to resident Agta and Ilongot tribespeople living in the forests of northern Luzon Island.

The tribespeople regularly hunt the lizard for its meat, a vital source of protein.

Yet scientists were unaware of its existence.

That was until Dr Brown and an international team of colleagues from the US, Philippines and The Netherlands surveyed a series of lizard specimens preserved in museums both within the US and Philippines.

Within these specimens they identified the new species on the basis of its body size, scales, colouration and DNA.

With a main body length approaching 1m, with an additional 1m-long tail, the lizard has dark skin covered by golden yellow spots and flecks.

Its legs are mainly yellow, and its tail striped black and yellow.

In some pictures, the animal also looks to have green or blue scales.

The new species, which is called Varanus bitatawa , is thought to survive on a diet of fruit, making it one of just three species of fruit-eating monitor lizards in the world.

Monitor lizards include the world's most massive lizard, the Komodo dragon ( V. komodoensis ), which can reach up to 3m-long and weigh up to 90kg.

While not as massive, other species of monitor, such as the Crocodile monitor or Salvadori's monitor ( Varanus salvadorii ) of New Guinea, can also reach similar lengths.

Secretive creature

Why the new massive lizard has remained undiscovered by scientists until now is a mystery, especially as many biologists work in the northern Philippines.

The researchers say it may be because the lizard is naturally reclusive, being a highly secretive animal that never leaves the forest or crosses open country.

It could also be because few scientific expeditions have characterised the reptiles living in the Sierra Madre forests.

The new species of monitor lives at least 150km away from its nearest relative, another lizard called V. olivaceus , which also lives in trees and eats fruit.

I know there is one other species, but herbivorous monitors lizards are not the way things are supposed to be. However they are GORGEOUS

You are right to capitalise Gorgeous. We have Goannas hereabouts (Sydney) but they are fairly drab compared to this one. The diet does surprise me for a large monitor though I would expect some opportunistic consumption of animal or insect protein. Is it a result of that particular environment in some way, like marine Iguanas?

[Shroom Man 777]

Wasn't there another species of herbivorous monitor lizards, although small and inhabiting some tiny isolated Polynesian island somewhere in the pacific, and arboreal?

I wonder if this is anything like the common monitor lizards in the Philippines. IIRC people feed them bananas too.

[Alyrium Denryle]

Wasn't there another species of herbivorous monitor lizards, although small and inhabiting some tiny isolated Polynesian island somewhere in the pacific, and arboreal?

I wonder if this is anything like the common monitor lizards in the Philippines. IIRC people feed them bananas too.

No... the ones common in the Philippines are water monitors and they are 2-2.5 meter long killing machines that will eat pretty much anything. People just feed them bananas when they crawl up begging for food. You can actually get them to be as tame and personable as dogs with enough work. Monitors are one of the few reptiles that look back at you with a certain intelligence when you look at them.

[Shroom Man 777]

The other reptiles are... crocodiles? Sea turtles?

[Alyrium Denryle]

The other reptiles are... crocodiles? Sea turtles?

Crocodiles, turtles, snakes, most other lizards.

[Ilya Muromets]

I wonder how many people stumbled across these guys and never thought much about them. To the untrained eye at first glance, that looks just like any other monitor lizard you see 'round these parts. Although the greenish hue is pretty.

No... the ones common in the Philippines are water monitors and they are 2-2.5 meter long killing machines that will eat pretty much anything. People just feed them bananas when they crawl up begging for food. You can actually get them to be as tame and personable as dogs with enough work. Monitors are one of the few reptiles that look back at you with a certain intelligence when you look at them.

Hell, my mom got me one for a pet when I was a kid. We fed it fish, and sometimes chicks. It managed to figure out a way to escape from our pen by using a piece of laundry that got blown off the clothesline by climbing on it. Yeah, those bastards are smart.

[Shroom Man 777]

I wonder how many people stumbled across these guys and never thought much about them. To the untrained eye at first glance, that looks just like any other monitor lizard you see 'round these parts. Although the greenish hue is pretty.

Da. Even that greenish hue is pretty yellowish, so it's hard to tell it apart from the average water monitor. Man, monitor lizards are so kawaii! ^__________^

Hell, my mom got me one for a pet when I was a kid. We fed it fish, and sometimes chicks. It managed to figure out a way to escape from our pen by using a piece of laundry that got blown off the clothesline by climbing on it. Yeah, those bastards are smart.

I also had one, but I don't know if it really escaped or if it just died from malnutrition and if my parents just told me that it escaped so I wouldn't cry.

[Questor]

A lot of the salamanders in your native WV are exactly like that. Though to be fair, reptiles and amphibians basically rape the biological species concept.

How so?

[Edi]

A lot of birds are like that also. There are ongoing genetic studies showing that there are lots of cryptic (thank you, Ben) species where we once thought there was just one that, for instance, had different songs in different places. They might look alike to us but there's no genetic exchange. The first ones I can think of off the top of my head are the gray-cheeked thrush and Bicknell's thrush which can be told apart only by finding them in their differing breeding ranges or having one in hand to measure the wingspan.

There are some species of bird where you don't even get that much difference, just the song, but because the mating songs of different populations are different, they are incapable of interbreeding since they would not recognize a potential partner seeking a mate. There are certain kinds of thrushes and sparrows that exist in a ring around the Himalayas in this manner. They can interbreed with the populations right next to them or one space over, but more shift than that and it doesn't work anymore.

It's actually a perfect example of speciation in action.

[Alyrium Denryle]

A lot of the salamanders in your native WV are exactly like that. Though to be fair, reptiles and amphibians basically rape the biological species concept.

How so?

They hybridize like crazy. Even species that are highly genetically divergent.

[Alyrium Denryle]

A lot of birds are like that also. There are ongoing genetic studies showing that there are lots of cryptic (thank you, Ben) species where we once thought there was just one that, for instance, had different songs in different places. They might look alike to us but there's no genetic exchange. The first ones I can think of off the top of my head are the gray-cheeked thrush and Bicknell's thrush which can be told apart only by finding them in their differing breeding ranges or having one in hand to measure the wingspan.

There are some species of bird where you don't even get that much difference, just the song, but because the mating songs of different populations are different, they are incapable of interbreeding since they would not recognize a potential partner seeking a mate. There are certain kinds of thrushes and sparrows that exist in a ring around the Himalayas in this manner. They can interbreed with the populations right next to them or one space over, but more shift than that and it doesn't work anymore.

It's actually a perfect example of speciation in action.

Ensatina salamanders are the same way. They are known as ring species.

[Molyneux]

A very pretty lizard - and if they are tameable (or other monitor lizards are), that makes me wonder - has anyone really put effort into testing the intelligence of monitors? I'm not expecting a Jurassic Park-type sequence on the island of Komodo or anything, but it's interesting to think of how good they might be as pets if we put some effort into breeding.

[Kintaro]

A very pretty lizard - and if they are tameable (or other monitor lizards are), that makes me wonder - has anyone really put effort into testing the intelligence of monitors? I'm not expecting a Jurassic Park-type sequence on the island of Komodo or anything, but it's interesting to think of how good they might be as pets if we put some effort into breeding.

It's all up to the individual lizard to determine for its self if it wants to become tame or not. I have personally handled many monitors (I have a water monitor and a blue tail monitor), and it seems that about forty percent are somewhat docile. There are those that are extremely tame, but as with all animals, you must be alert while they are in your presence. To the untrained eye (like my wife, ), they can seem unpredictable.

It has also been observed that some monitors can count up to six. Click They seem to be quite smart. I had an argus monitor that moved the dirt to one side of its cage so it could reach and push off the lid. Little did he realize that the lid was fastened to the cage with screws.

[Napoleon the Clown]

Lizards are considerably smarter than people give them credit for. I owned an iguana that figured out the concept of using the cat (which was terrified of him thanks to getting cracked on the face) as a step so he could get on the couch easier. Why jump when you can use the stairs? This is a concept that my grandmother's bulldog couldn't grasp without multiple demonstrations, too. So yeah, some lizards are rather smart. And some dogs are very stupid.

The iguana also loved the sound of my mom's voice and would beeline toward her whenever we had him out and she talked. Lizard had a personality, which is a great indicator of intelligence, IMO.


These monitors are pretty cool. I didn't know there were any monitors that ate plants, much less were full-on herbivores. I guess it shouldn't be that surprising though, considering all that's really needed is the right bacteria in the gut. That's what lets iguanas digest plant matter, afterall.

[JBG]

Lizards are considerably smarter than people give them credit for. I owned an iguana that figured out the concept of using the cat (which was terrified of him thanks to getting cracked on the face) as a step so he could get on the couch easier. Why jump when you can use the stairs? This is a concept that my grandmother's bulldog couldn't grasp without multiple demonstrations, too. So yeah, some lizards are rather smart. And some dogs are very stupid.

As an owner of 4 cats that cracked me up. The reactions of each would be dissimilar but I can't imagine them liking a lizard doing that at all. They would of course try to justify it etc but, as they say, dogs have owners, cats have staff so to be occasional staff of a lizard....!!!

[Alyrium Denryle]

Lizards are considerably smarter than people give them credit for. I owned an iguana that figured out the concept of using the cat (which was terrified of him thanks to getting cracked on the face) as a step so he could get on the couch easier. Why jump when you can use the stairs? This is a concept that my grandmother's bulldog couldn't grasp without multiple demonstrations, too. So yeah, some lizards are rather smart. And some dogs are very stupid.

As an owner of 4 cats that cracked me up. The reactions of each would be dissimilar but I can't imagine them liking a lizard doing that at all. They would of course try to justify it etc but, as they say, dogs have owners, cats have staff so to be occasional staff of a lizard....!!!

Well you have to remember... an adult iguana (or even a sub-adult) can rather trivially kill a cat. Both the cat and the lizard know this.

[Napoleon the Clown]

The iguana was only about four to four and a half feet long when he cracked the cat. Still scared the shit out of the cat and left him with a nice scar across the bridge of his nose. When the iguana stepped on him the cat looked to see what just committed this indignity and then froze solid. Oh yeah, he remembered. My brother walked in on our then kitten climbing the curtains to bat at the pretty green thing. When the iguana was closing in on five feet. He yelled at the cat, of course. Thanks to that, she's still alive. And the curtain rod still holds true. The iguana didn't like her. He chased her across the room on two separate occasions. Fortunately for her, it was with his mouth instead of his tail.

Alyrium's not kidding about killing a cat. An adult can rip through a pair of jeans without much trouble. We're not talking "bite" or "claw" either. This is all in the tail. Which is twice as long as the body and mostly muscle. Basically what we're telling you is... Never fuck with an ill-tempered green iguana. They can fuck you up. Getting cracked by even a three foot one doesn't feel good, and they can easily hit six feet. Mine was five feet or so when he died (got an infection) and every animal in the house had a healthy respect for him except for the dog, which didn't even know he existed.

Another piece of advice: If you ever decide to become the proud owner of a green iguana, be prepared to devote an entire bedroom to it. They get that big and need that much space. Mine ended up roaming freely most of the time because his enclosure was too small. We were actually planning on getting him something bigger before he died. They are rather smart, though. I could go on about mine and other iguanas at great length. They are awesome lizards.

[aieeegrunt]

A girl I dated had a big green iguana, an Airedale and several cats. All the other pets in the house lived in terror of the iguana, who was actually pretty benign. He would let you hold him for a while, but then you'd get this warning hiss that was like "Putttt me dowwwwwwwwwwn hisssssssss". You wanted to put him down at that point.

[Molyneux]

...and that's why I will never own an iguana. Pretty lizards, and very cute when they are small, but I think I'd rather have something a little more nice and manageable, like a king cobra.

[Alyrium Denryle]

...and that's why I will never own an iguana. Pretty lizards, and very cute when they are small, but I think I'd rather have something a little more nice and manageable, like a king cobra.

They are no worse than a cat. Bigger sure, some are nicer than others, but iguanas, like any reptile, will telegraph to you what it wants to do. Unlike mammals which often time just do things.