New Frilled Dragon Day!

[SilenceIsACrime]

Originally Posted by Konfyouzd

Do they have teeth? I noticed he didn't even try to bite.

Mhmm, little tiny ones. They don't eat anything large enough to warrant crazy huge, serrated teeth or anything; mainly things like crickets and waxworms (I think he might graduate to pinky mice when he is fully grown but that's the extent of it).

If he bites me anytime soon I'll let you know how it feels

[Konfyouzd]

Well I was just curious about why he didn't try to bite the guy in the video at all. He must have known enough to know that wouldn't work.

[vampiregenocide]

I don't think their teeth cause much damage even when they're fully grown. They're pretty much just for grip rather than cutting. That said, I'd love a tegu or monitor but one bite could end my ability to play music for life.

[Konfyouzd]

Yea... I KNOW those aren't to be ....ed with. Monitors get MASSIVE too.

[vampiregenocide]

[Konfyouzd]

No way!

Are they the same as Komodo Dragons?

[vampiregenocide]

Same family yeah, komodo dragons are monitor lizards too. They're closely related to the now extinct mosasaurs actually as well.

[Konfyouzd]

Ahh okay. That explains a lot. A lady in my office was deployed to Iraq and she said they had HUGE lizards out in the desert and some of the guys in her squad/platoon/group/i-dunno-what-the-....-you-call-it used to try to catch them (to no avail, obviously).

[vampiregenocide]

Yeah monitors in general do get pretty big. Some get 5-6ft and Komodos have been reported to be 9ft long. They're fast and deadly animals, and even small ones can cause damage. I got a nasty scratch from a 12" Bosc monitor.

[Konfyouzd]

Only thing I really remember seeing about KDs is this one thing I saw on the Discovery Channel where one chased down I guess what would have been the equivalent of a deer for that particular area (don't remember where they were) and it actually caught it mid stride and bit one of its hind legs IN HALF.

That right there earned it the Not To Be ....ed With badge in my book. At least not in a "let's poke it and see what it does" kinda way...

[vampiregenocide]

Originally Posted by Konfyouzd

Only thing I really remember seeing about KDs is this one thing I saw on the Discovery Channel where one chased down I guess what would have been the equivalent of a deer for that particular area (don't remember where they were) and it actually caught it mid stride and bit one of its hind legs IN HALF.

That right there earned it the Not To Be ....ed With badge in my book. At least not in a "let's poke it and see what it does" kinda way...

Haha yeah they have immensely powerful jaws, and it's recently been discovered that they and other monitors possibly too, have venom. It was thought that it was just a bacterial infection caused by their bite, but they actually have venom glands. They can take down a buffalo with a single bite. It can take up to a week for the venom and infection to take the animal down, but they just wait. They can even swallow pigs whole.

[Konfyouzd]

Whole pigs?! WHOA. And how come it took them so long to find the venom glands in such a large animal?

[vampiregenocide]

Originally Posted by Konfyouzd

Whole pigs?! WHOA. And how come it took them so long to find the venom glands in such a large animal?

Good question. I'm guessing they were pretty small, and that combined with the fact Komodos were endangered and there probably aren't that many specimens to study up close. Their venom glands aren't big either as animals go. It sorta mixes in with their saliva.

[Konfyouzd]

Wow... He looks much much larger than that pig. Almost seems like an oxymoron for anything that large/brutal to be "endangered" but with humans around I guess anything is possible.

[vampiregenocide]

Originally Posted by Konfyouzd

Wow... He looks much much larger than that pig. Almost seems like an oxymoron for anything that large/brutal to be "endangered" but with humans around I guess anything is possible.

Haha well it's mostly just because of their limited range, their numbers have increased a lot lately so they're listed as vulnerable now which is an improvement. There was a species of now extinct large monitor similar to the Komodo living in Australia called Megalania, and that was possibly 20ft long or so. They would have lived at the same time as Aborigines.

[Konfyouzd]

Yea... Leave it to Australia to have that one. All their reptiles are so damn dangerous!

[vampiregenocide]

Originally Posted by Konfyouzd

Yea... Leave it to Australia to have that one. All their reptiles are so damn dangerous!

Everything there is dangerous.

[SirMyghin]

Originally Posted by vampiregenocide

Haha yeah they have immensely powerful jaws, and it's recently been discovered that they and other monitors possibly too, have venom. It was thought that it was just a bacterial infection caused by their bite, but they actually have venom glands. They can take down a buffalo with a single bite. It can take up to a week for the venom and infection to take the animal down, but they just wait. They can even swallow pigs whole.

On a more recent BBC series (I think it was life, but might of been planet earth, most likely life though) they got on film a Komodo tagging a water buffalo or something (pretty much a moose) and then following it for days while it died of the venom. Then them all swarming it before it could die completely, it was ridiculous. Not to mention the guides, with sticks (for defense ) hiding in trees as it became to hot for them to be confident.

[vampiregenocide]

Originally Posted by SirMyghin

On a more recent BBC series (I think it was life, but might of been planet earth, most likely life though) they got on film a Komodo tagging a water buffalo or something (pretty much a moose) and then following it for days while it died of the venom. Then them all swarming it before it could die completely, it was ridiculous. Not to mention the guides, with sticks (for defense ) hiding in trees as it became to hot for them to be confident.

Yeah I saw that aha. Dragons can smell a dying or dead animal from miles away, and they all gather in. It helps them tear the meat apart so they benefit from feeding in groups and playing a tug of war on the carcass.

[Konfyouzd]

Originally Posted by SirMyghin

On a more recent BBC series (I think it was life, but might of been planet earth, most likely life though) they got on film a Komodo tagging a water buffalo or something (pretty much a moose) and then following it for days while it died of the venom. Then them all swarming it before it could die completely, it was ridiculous. Not to mention the guides, with sticks (for defense ) hiding in trees as it became to hot for them to be confident.

Hiding in trees with sticks? Are they known to attack ppl on sight? I know this might sound silly but it seems some animals that are larger and/or inherently more badass than us still choose to run from us.

[SilenceIsACrime]

Got a picture of him with his frill out finally! Not sure why he is so pissed right now but I am not complaining about finally having a photo



Also - I totally approve of the conversation happening about other badass lizards

[vampiregenocide]

Originally Posted by Konfyouzd

Hiding in trees with sticks? Are they known to attack ppl on sight? I know this might sound silly but it seems some animals that are larger and/or inherently more badass than us still choose to run from us.

Larger reptiles can be pretty brave, and if they are territorial they may chase you down. Bear in mind dragons kill deer and buffalo, which are intimidating animals, so a human seems less of a threat. However they are normally pretty calm if a little curious, as there are plenty of small villages and research outposts on the islands they inhabit so they come into contact with humans fairly regularly and are used to their presence. They're not to be ....ed with, but more often than not they'll either leave you alone or can be chased away.


Also your lizard is gorgeous. :3

[Alberto7]

Originally Posted by SilenceIsACrime

I don't know, but he does seem to have teeth, and I wouldn't want to get bit by him . That is one beautiful creature you got there man, congratulations!

On the Komodo dragons thing, they're some pretty fascinating animals. They're also known for being relatively intelligent. There was a documentary on one of the Discovery Network's channels (or it might have been Nat Geo Wild) about a group of researchers trying to tag a few of them in the wild. They also showed how they kept them in a zoo, and what their bathing and feeding routines looked like. They definitely seem to recognize their keepers and show high levels of intellect when compared to other reptiles.

I remember seeing a few water monitors just chilling around at one of the hotels I stayed in on my trip to Sri Lanka last summer. It was pretty funny seeing them walking around on the grass without giving two flying ....s about the people around them

All this talk about reptiles is making me want a lizard. It's a shame I can't accommodate anything of decent size right now (and probably for a while longer). I have to settle with two betta fish on two separate 2.5 gal tanks. Playful and funny little things, for sure, but I'd like something that I can bond a little better with.

As a suggestion for a name... I really don't have any, but my friend's bearded dragon's name is Dr. Manhattan it's ....ing epic. I don't think it'd be a bad choice

[BrainArt]

Originally Posted by Konfyouzd

Epic instincts are epic.

Why are humans' first two instincts to run or curl into the fetal position?

Next time you're threatened, whip out your manhood and run around screaming like a crazy person.

I've already been doing this.

[nojyeloot]