Malaysian Monitor Lizards Under Threat
Living Dinosaurs
Monitor Lizards or Biawak in Malay, are members of the family Varanidae, a group of carnivorous lizards which includes the heaviest living lizard, the Indonesian Komodo dragon, with the crocodile monitor being the longest in the world and the Malaysian Water Monitor the second largest by weight.
No kidding, Monitor Lizards really are living dinosaurs! During the Pleistocene epoch, giant Monitor Lizards lived in Southeast Asia and Australasia, the best known fossil being Varanus priscus (formerly known as Megalania prisca).
Monitor Lizards have many interesting features, for example:
- They are highly intelligent, for example they have been proven to work in teams when distracting Crocodiles so that they can feed on eggs. Monitor Lizards have also been proven to count.
- They can move very quickly when they want to. When hunting Monitor Lizards can move at surprisingly fast bursts of speed to catch and grab prey.
- They are great swimmers and climbers, depending on the species. Some such as the Water Monitor spend a great deal of time underwater either in freshwater or sea water where they can catch, crabs, squid and fish. Komodo Dragons can even swim several kilometers across open ocean from one island to the next in search of new hunting grounds.
- Most Monitor Lizards harbor deadly bacteria in their mouths and saliva which can be used as a kind of "poison". If a Lizard bites a large prey item just once, it can then follow the wounded animal for days waiting for it to die of blood infections caused by bacteria transferred by the bite. It is thought that many people have died from bites where no medical attention has been acquired in time.
Malaysian Monitor Lizards Fact Sheet
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Description | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Monitor | Varanus salvator | Considered to be the second largest lizard in the world. Water Monitors love to swim and hunt underwater. | 2.5 » 3 Metres |
| Black Water Monitor | Varanus salvator komaini | A more unusual sub-species of the Water Monitor. | 2.5 » 3 Metres |
| South East Asian Water Monitor | Varanus salvator macromaculatus | A more unusual sub-species of the Water Monitor. | 2.5 » 3 Metres |
| Bengal Monitor | Varanus bengalensis | A smaller lizard identified by its overall brown appearance. | 1 Metre |
Vulnerable Status
Three species of Monitor Lizard are listed by the IUCN red list. All three Lizards, the Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis), Calcutta Oval Grain Lizard (Varanus flavescens) and the Gray's Monitor (Varanus olivaceus) do not occur in the Wild in Malaysia. However, the fact that they are on the red list and even have a vulnerable status is a major indicator and concern for Malaysian Monitor Lizards who could be facing a similar bleak future.