Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just curious if anyone knows any good comprehensive papers listing monitors known to display ritualized combat, published after the 1994 Horn paper "New data on ritualized combats..."?

Hiya Ruston,

Long time no talk too...Here is a list of a few things for you, and Yes, I have them here too (Hope all is well):

Fitch, Henry S. 1981. Sexual size differences in Reptiles. Univ. of Kansas Mus. Nat. Hist. 70:1-72.

Horn, H.-G. 1985. Beitrage zum verhalten von Waran: Die ritualkampfe von Varanus komodoensis Ouwens, 1912; und V. semiremix Peters, 1869 sowie die imponierphasen der ritualikampfe von V. timorensis timorensis Gray, 1831 und V.t. similis Mertens, 1958. Salamandra 21(2/3):169-179.

Johnson, C.R. 1976. Some behavioral observations on wild and captive sand monitors, V. gouldii (Sauria: Varanidae). Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 59:377-380.

Early, Ryan L., O. Attum, P. Eason. 2002. Varanid combat: perspectives from Game Theory. Amphibia-Reptilia 23:469-485.

Cheers Ruston,
mark bayless

Hello.
Two males dancing.

I'll try and get stills and post them.

Gravid, V.gilleni, combat a gravid, V.storri. They wrestled in the same manner. F

The two that I have on video are clutchmates that grew into a pair. They are very young when they did it and probably only a foot long.
There goes the theory of it being only something adult males do when it's time to breed.

I could scream.
It's NOT? something 1. adults and 2. males, do???

Now you make me wonder what my extra monitor Blade really is? The only way I know Ana is female is the eggs, and that War is male, is, the embryos. Monitors just keep getting creepier...
D.

No wonder FR is crazy,..he understands these animals!

hahahaha, just kidding goannaman.
D.

HI RICH,
its documented for salvator that either sex can participate, and at any size (gaulke). i have yet to see that in my collection though.
question for you: i have a report of female salvators initiating sex (ill dig up report and write it up here). are you aware of other varanids doing same? in captivity? -john
cybersalvator

I had figured that it wasn't only the males that participate in that type of combat. This type of fighting is a lot of fun to watch and no one really gets hurt.
As far as initiated breeding, that depends on how you would define initiation. I have never seen a female wiggle under a male and lift her tail, but they usually get more amorous.
My female dums will lay on top of her date with her head towards his tail. The cross female would lay her arm over the male. In both cases they would spend much more time together.
I will say that in my experience, any type of biting, chasing, puffing, whipping, nipping etc. has never resulted in fertile eggs. This is true for all species I keep.
Good breeding goes smooth, sometimes I don't even know it's happened.
Good Luck

apparent there are reports of water and lace montors females being involved in ritualized combat displays...so it does not have to be a male breeding behavior at least in some cases...

Delean (1981?) described female - female combat in V. gouldii and Attum (2002) describes it in V. exanthematicus. I have seen photos I have of it between V. dumerilii...good pics of combat (M-F) from Dragoon.

cheers,
mbayless

I have a picture of two female blackthroats wrestling around. Looks like they have been watching to much WWE and one was being pinned for the 3 count.

HI Jody,

Ritual combat has been reported for all African varanus EXCEPT V. albigularis - can you share your photo with us here, and/or send me a copy? There is a short paper there!

Cheers and Thanx,
mbayless