The Central Asian gray monitor lizard is an amazing creature. This is the largest lizard in the fauna of Central Asia. Representatives of the species are distributed in the territories of Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. Also, gray monitor lizards are listed in the IUCN Red List and some listed countries. However, these are not the most interesting facts about these large lizards.
Color
The gray monitor lizard is a large creature. The maximum length of its body can reach one and a half meters. And the body, by the way, occupies only a third. The rest of the length is "occupied" by the tail. The maximum weight can reach 3.5 kg. But such cases are rare. Males, as is usually the case in the animal kingdom, are larger than females. However, not harder.
The gray monitor lizard, the photo of which is provided above, has a very interesting color. Although by ear, based on the name, it does not seem so. In fact, it appears more sandy or light brown than grey. It was not without numerous dark spots and specks with which the upper part of the body of these creatures is “strewn”. neck characteristic2-3 longitudinal dark stripes are distinguished, which are connected at the back and seem to form a horseshoe-shaped pattern.
Interestingly, in "youth" the gray monitor lizard always looks brighter than at an older age. The general background of young individuals casts a yellow tint, and the dark stripes do not seem brown, but almost black.
Features of physiology
The oblique slit-like nostrils of these lizards are quite close to the eyes. Such a structure makes it easier for the monitor lizard to explore holes, since the nostrils are not clogged with sand in the process. This is important, because the gray monitor lizard preys mainly on rodents that live in burrows. Its victims are jerboas, ground squirrels, mice, voles, gerbils. Sometimes, however, lizards prey on geckos, young snakes and turtles. In general, they have a rich diet. Sometimes these creatures even attack snakes and Central Asian cobras. However, more about hunting later.
The gray monitor lizard is a reptile with strong sharp teeth that are slightly bent back. With them, he holds his victim. Teeth are constantly updated. Throughout life, the lizard erases several of their pairs. By the way, the teeth of the gray monitor lizard do not have cutting edges. But despite this, he is still able to kill large animals and eat them, swallowing them whole, though not without effort.
Hunting
So, above we have listed what the gray monitor lizard eats. Now we can say a few words about exactly how this creature hunts.
If a lizard has chosen a large snake as a prey, it will adhere to a certaintactics. First, it will tire her with false attempts to attack - it will make visits from different sides, like a mongoose. And then, when the snake gets tired, it will jump on it and grab its head with its teeth (or a little further). Immediately, the monitor lizard will begin to shake the victim and beat him on the ground or stones. He needs the victim to stop resisting. Sometimes, for this, he can simply hold it in his teeth, clenching his jaws until the snake weakens. There will be nothing from the response (bite) to the monitor lizard. If the snake tries to "wrap" the hunter in a ring to suffocate, he will easily dodge.
When a monitor lizard hunts, he tries to stick to the already proven route. In the course of "research" he checks rodent burrows, bird nests, gerbil colonies. However, if nothing can be found, the reptile will not disdain carrion either.
Habitat
The above countries have already been listed, on the territory of which the gray monitor lizard can be found. Features of appearance allow him to remain unnoticed - he is ideally camouflaged in the sand, and on trees, and between stones, and in the ground. By the way, the northern border of the habitat reaches the coast of the Aral Endorheic Sea (on the border of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan). This lizard is least often found in the valley near the Central Asian river Syrdarya.
As a rule, gray monitors live in large numbers where many small mammals can be found. The Turkmen village of Garametniyaz is considered to be such a place. More precisely, the territory next to it - there is a density of gray monitor lizards for every square kilometeris from 9 to 12 individuals.
Lifestyle
Deserts and semi-deserts - this is where the gray monitor lizard is most often found. What are the features of his appearance - it was said at the very beginning of the article, and with this appearance he can easily hide from more predatory animals. Most often, these lizards can be found on semi-fixed or fixed sands, a little less often on clay soils.
Monitor lizards try to stick to river valleys, foothills, ravines, riparian thickets. And they can not be found in those areas where dense vegetation is observed. True, they visit rare forest tracts. But they will certainly never live in those places that are adjacent to human habitations.
Gray monitor lizards hide in the same burrows where turtles and rodents used to live. They can "settle" in a hollow or a bird's nest. But they are looking for ready-made housing, as a rule, in clay deserts. Because it is difficult for them to dig their own hole there. But in the sandy deserts - no. There, monitor lizards dig holes, the depth of which can reach several meters. During the winter, they hibernate there. And so that no one gets into the hole, they close it with a cork from the ground.
Activity
Varanov can only be found during the day, and then if it's not too hot outside. If the thermometer goes off scale, the lizard will hide in a shelter. Their normal body temperature is between 31.7 and 40.6 degrees maximum.
Varanas are pretty fast creatures. They move at a speed of 100-120 meters per minute. I.ein an hour they are able to overcome 7.2 kilometers - and this is one and a half times more than a person can walk with a normal step. Although these lizards travel only a little more than 10 kilometers per day. They travel long distances from their burrow, but always come back.
Little monitor lizards easily climb trees, often enter water bodies. There is an assumption that they can mark their territory - this happens in summer and spring. However, not all biologists think so, so the fact is considered controversial.
Enemies
The gray monitor lizards practically do not have them, if we talk about their natural habitat. The only enemy of this lizard is man. Although young individuals are often attacked by black kites, snake-eaters, jackals, corsacs and buzzards. Larger lizards can also attack the gray monitor lizard. And if he notices the danger, he will develop a speed of up to 20 km / h in order to break away from the pursuit. But if it doesn’t work out, it “swells up”, becomes flat and wide, begins to hiss and stick out its long forked tongue far. Which, by the way, is his additional olfactory organ.
If the enemy is not afraid and continues to attack, the monitor lizard begins to whip its tail and rush at the aggressor. It can also bite, although this is the last trick he resorts to. Because the teeth of a monitor lizard can cause severe pain, leading to an inflammatory reaction. Lizards are not poisonous, but certain toxic compounds are present in their saliva.
What else is worth knowing?
Everyone knows that there are many fans of keeping exotic animals at home. Nobody keeps gray monitor lizards in apartment conditions, because they need special care. And only the person who knows by heart the physiological characteristics of this lizard can provide it.
Interestingly, Muslims are wary of gray monitor lizards. Their name in Turkic sounds like "kesel". This word is translated as "illness". And people believe that meeting a monitor lizard promises bad luck.
At one time, these creatures were on the verge of extinction. Many found the skin of monitor lizards to be unusually beautiful, which is hard to disagree with. In addition, she is very durable. And monitor lizards were massively killed to make shoes, wallets, bags and other accessories out of their skins. At the beginning of the 20th century, 20 thousand individuals were destroyed per year. Then people realized what a horror they were doing, and they stopped killing these creatures. This is encouraging, although there are not as many representatives of the species left as before - in some places monitor lizards have already become extinct.
