Justin, Thanks for the correction on that. Didnt even consider the gators in my argument.

Murrindindi,
Just because I do not mistake survival mechanisms for social behavior does not mean I am clearly lacking in knowledge. I am being realistic and not making these animals out to be more than thay really are. There is no need to. They are awesome just the way they are.

Tell me more about this "complex social structure" in desert monitors. You are telling me that what I know or think comes from reading and at the same time you are asking me if I have read someone elses findings.

Experience is better than book knowledge but the books help too. From my experience, varanids have no social structure. They do not bond to others. They do not need eachothers company, and they are far from emotional. There is much more to being social than just being found in the same log, under the same rock, or under the same sheet of tin. You need a structure, a hierarchy, emotional bonding, and complex thought processes.

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