Posted by:
FR
at Sun Jul 30 16:30:48 2006 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by FR ]
The use of extreme examples is very silly and naive of those who do so.
I work with many reptiles in the field, and in some basic way, most behave the same. But only is a basic way, like an outline. But the details in the outline can vary a lot.
For instance, With montane rattlesnakes(C.willardi, lepdis, prici) the can live in fairly predictable groups and stay together most if not all the year. Yet, diamondbacks appear to group up breed then seperate immediately after copulation. Both rattlesnakes, but very different in behavior, as you would expect.
Of interest, our diamondbacks return to the same pairs or groups, year after year. Compared to the montanes staying in the same pairs and groups, year after year.
When working with wild gilas(same ones for 27years) they maintain strong pairs, within strong groups, and stay together for decades(Enviornment permitting) Remember Gilas and monitors are very similar, except gilas being a whole lot slower and easier to watch.
Also, they want captivity to be what forces snakes and lizards to work in groups. I totally disaggree with them. I do agree that it forces closer contact. For instance, in nature, a pair will live in the same area. Often right with its mate, but a other times stay within a few feet of its mates and still at other times, many meters away. But still staying in the same area as their mates. Not going into other areas with other groups. In most cases, its the male that attends the female, he will follow the female with gusto, at all times, even in non breeding seasons.
So using King Cobras is funny, whether they are solitary or not. If you use them as an example(an opposite extreme), then you must include other cobras known to live in dense colonies, as well. But that would not support his point.
Something else not discussed is the size space relationship. Smaller monitors are easily found in small tight groups. But larger monitors must have more space. So its harder to see, but still exsists.
If you think in a more pratical way, how fast do monitors travel? A large monitor can travel a hundred meters in a few minutes. Compared to small monitors that cannot move that fast. So small monitors can have several different colonies within a hundred meters, but larger monitors need hundreds of meters to include different colonies.
So indeed its far harder to see large monitors in groups, with the exception of Komodos, which are in groups because they are on an island(hahahahahahahahahahaha) and some one is/was feeding them goats. Cheers
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RE: First off - FR, Sun Jul 30 16:30:48 2006