Big Ornate water monitor - Northern Angola

[Warren Klein]

I caught this big boy roaming the base on Sunday afternoon. He was missing the tip of his tail but still has a total length of 1740mm and weighed 6.5kg






I didn’t have a big enough box with me at the time so he had to ride shotgun back to the holding facility…. That was fun!

[Westley Price]

Wow look at those teeth!

I assume the teeth are serrated because some of them are not particularly sharp.

I bet he lost the tip of his tail from cracking the whip too hard

[Warren Klein]

The teeth are not serrated on the African species luckily for me because this boy actually got the better on me when I pulled him out of the cab and he latched onto my wrist! The teeth are peg like and just put some puncture holes in me but my wrist went blue and it felt like the bone was going to break from the jaw pressure. I'm just glad he never got a finger in his mouth or I would have really know all about it!!

[Bushviper]

Ouch

[kingspider]

Are any of the African Monitors venomous?

[Jamster]

No kingspider, the only venemous lizards are gila monsters, mexican beaded lizards and apparently some research suggests komodos not only have serious bacteria in the saliva but they do produce some form of toxin.

[kingspider]

I disagree 100% Komodos are venomous due to the production of venom proteins from venom glands in the lower jaw... there has been a discovery of venom proteins in some of the large Aussie varanids eg Lace Monitor (Varanus varius),Spotted Tree Monitor (V. scalaris) and the Parentir V. gigantues ....so thats at LEAST another 4 species to your list, I know they where investigating the savannah monitors and some of the indochinese monitors as well, but not sure the results.... I will concede that there is much Disagreement on whether production of venom-like proteins makes an animal "venomous" but im my beliefs, nature doesnt waste so the production of venom makes an animal venomous

[Jamster]

Im not sure if you misinterpreted, but I said that komodos have been found to produce toxins over and above the bacteria in their saliva.

If you take the simple categorization of snakes for example you get venemous and semi-venemous (and non-venemous ofcourse), which is somewhat linked to venom potency. So essentially so far the only venemous lizards are the 3 I stated as to the best of my knowledge the other varanids you mentioned don't possess venom potent enough to be classed as venemous but rather semi-venemous.

I may be wrong, but this is my interpretaion.

[Westley Price]

Semi venomous is maybe not the right wording, rather mildly venomous.

[Jamster]

Thanks Westley, that is the more appropriate term.

[kingspider]

Haha yes my bad I did misinterpret, but I personally, classify venomous as venomous....But I see where you are coming from, consequently I have been reading up, and so far all the monitors that have been investigated, do produce venoms and also a few agamids

[Jamster]

Sorry for hijacking your post Warren but I find this very interesting.

I have been tagged by a couple medium sized rockies and a 90 something centimetre water monitor, as well as receiving plenty Agama atra bites. Obviously the monitor bites were worse, but with size to pain ratio taken into account the agama bites were far worse due to those nicely enlarge front teeth. I was talking to Bill Branch a couple years back and he had a solid red bite mark on his hand, he told me a big agama bit him when he caught it. What delivery systems do these lizards use? Do they all use the lower jaw to deliver the venom?

[Bushviper]

Yeah technically the Varanus are venomous and there are reports on this forum about people who were affected after being bitten. I have been consulted on 4 bites from various Varanus species. Symptoms include muscle cramps, stomach cramping, headaches, light sensitive eyes and muscular spasms.

[Savu]

Interesting subject,but if I were to be on who wants to be a millionaire,and the final question was,how many venomous lizards are there at present,and I would answer 2,Gila monster and beaded lizard,I'm pretty sure I would walk away with a million.

[Chopper 1]

Nice one Warren!! The tar roads there look better than our ones down here
Tell me just for interest sake is that still the same hat from the "good old days" at Khamai?