Reptile & Amphibian Forums

First let me say that iv never studied them in nature and have never even seen them in nature, however many captive behavioural observations broth me to this conclusion, aim sharing my tots with you in hope that someone will shed more light on this subject. Expressing my tots in English so that everyone can understand my concept is quit unlikely, however ill give it my best trying not to omit any valuable information’s. Monitors start as eggs in a nest, even though we do not fully understand nesting, we do know about temps humidity and general egg husbandry, now hers some of my views, I think growing foetus can produce some heat, this allowing the middle eggs to stay a few degrees higher, possibly acting as sex determination, this natural process is altered when we separate eggs and place them side by side in incubators, next when eggs hatch I believe IMPRINTING is a key to varanids survival, many animals have a window of about few minutes to a few hours where IMPRINTING happens, usually imprinting is a maternal bond, however I believe it’s a social bonding tool for monitors, this allowing them to grow as a commune and eventually pair bonding and reproducing, there are some advantage for young monitors to grow in such commune, safety being primary. Many things can bring us to this thinking, years of trying to pair up WC, or raising young WC monitors in pairs or group only to see them kill each other after a brief separation, same clutch monitors in general can be separated and reintroduced at will, even CB from deferent clutches are more difficult to mix. If we applied this logic to wild monitor populations, then most copulations are from siblings or from dominant males (father) as most intruders are aggressively chased away or rejected.
Pleas consider this as thinking out laude, contrary to many folks aim not afraid to be wrong.

Ps. I also think that inbred birds and reptiles can evolve and adjust to ever changing habitat faster.
SteeveB

That I always thought could be proof of the same thoughts. Whitethroats have hundreds of local varieties and colors patterns, but why does each color or pattern that works for them survive through each generation? I believe in many cases they inbreed in local family groups as usually reptiles are geographically isolated. After all if you cross a WT and BT you get something in between in appearance. I remeber the point brought out by Mark Bayless about WTs living in an area from one part to another all have different colors and patterns but they keep those individual colors and patterns, if so its common sense that they frequently inbreed to keep those camoflage patterns that work passing on. This is obvious in rattlesnakes, on one mountain top we found 3 colors of rattlesnakes that pass those colors and patterns on to their offspring without crossing. They live within a couple hundred meters of each other yet they keep mainly to their own color or pattern when they breed although hundreds will mass brumate together with all 3 colors and patterns. Im sure there are many many examples in the reptile world.

I think that when you start looking into locality specifics you will find them being closely related. I believe that is how they become that color or pattern variation within that locality and keep it as such. I do not think it is merely they adapted it because of diet, or any such thing. It is partly to enviroment in that they are within that area only.

For a trait to come forward it has to be closely bred within a small group also carrying that trait. If bred back out all of the time that trait will not show up often. So for anything to repeatedly show up such as locality differences, I think it is a safe bet to say they are related closely.

We should always keep in mind, that even thought many reptiles, including monitors, seem to prefer inbreeding, they also include outbreeding as normal practice.

Inbreeding may be the goal and intentions of some species of reptiles, but thru exclusion, outbreeding can occur. That is, outcasts, like young males, are chased away, most will die, but some will find new homes with new un-or-distantly related mates.

Whats odd and funny is, we and possibly the monitors, consider outcasts to be failures, but in all reality, they are as important and may be the check and balance that keeps populations from genetic bottlenecking.

On the otherhand, inbreeding and delerious genes are not of concern in nature. If something bad occurs, its quickly washed away, that is, its dead, gone, erased. Then healthy nearby individuals(the outcasts) will soon take over the empty habitat. By the way, soon could be very long periods. As a field researher, I see populations disappear, and hear others say they have seen that. We also say, they do not return. But to understand time and lifespans, the time of our lifespan may be merely seconds compared to the lifespan of a species and its populations. FR

I posted this and anticipated your response, your view are always inspiring to me, I wish you could see this same thread on an other forum I posted it, I know I cant say the name on KS but IL try ss-ak-ss,com I posted more there, Thanks for your insight

later

As you know, I do not go to other forums, two is plenty enough. And actually that takes up to much time. For instance, I do not post on KS at night. Only during breaks during the day.

As you know, the others know where I am, and if they want my opinion, they know where to find it, or not, hahahahahahahahaha.

I have always thought you and your posts very creative and entertaining. Even during the conflict. Thanks FR