Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I see at least one dead monitor in the roads here on Guam a month. They usually like to bask on the roads at around 11am-12pm, and thats when the roads are busy with people going to lunch. Its a really sad sight.

This guy was one of the lucky ones. I saw him flat on the road, this is how they usually bask, they look like they have been already hit by a car.....lol.

He was actually very small, about 2-2.5 feet.

joe

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When I got out of my car to take the pics he slowly started to walk across the road.

joe

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Another pic. Right when he touched the grass on the other side of the road he just took off into the jungle (weird, I would ahve thought he would be more spooked by me in the middle of the street?????).

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This is another "position" I usually see them basking in roads. Head up while the rest the body is flat.

joe

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All the indicus I saw in Gaum were moving pretty fast and disappeared before I could get close.

Have you tried pulling up near them and noosing them with a fishing pole with a noose at the end?

That works well with the big scary ctenosaurs in costa rica....providing you dont get chewed on when you finally grab it off the pole. despite their size, they are very flighty and fast, impossible to sneak up on unless you have a big long noose. For the noose part, I use waxed dental floss, less tempramental while securing knots, and it also is easier on the animal's neck, especially with an animal like a ctenosaur, or monitor, in that they A. twist around and flail once you noose them, and B. are fairly heavy. Good luck, wish I could find monitors in the road!
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- Happy herping!

KE

in some of the national parks you would see shingle back skinks, a.k.a., stumpies, squished on the road. It's sad people don't realize the treasures at their feet.

Doug T
Doug Taylor Reptiles