Monitor Lizard

Monitor Lizards are known for their intelligence. Coming from the family Varanidae in the animal kingdom,some species of this lizard can even count. They even can lure a nesting crocodile to catch them while another adult supervises the young ones to feed on the crocodile’s eggs.

Komodo Dragon, the largest among the Monitor Lizards.

Monitor Lizards have hundreds of subspecies that varies in sizes and other characteristics. The Komodo Dragon, is the largest among the Monitor Lizards and can measure as much as 10 feet in length. The smallest kind of a monitor lizard can only reach up to only 8 inches in length. The recorded largest monitor lizard is the extinct Megalania which reaches up to 26 feet in length and weighs up to a ton. The megalania was believed to have walk the earth some 40,000 years ago and only fossils and bones served as evidence of its presence.

A Monitor lizard is very active during day. When being alert, they usually erect their heads. In a presence of a predator, they defend themselves by lashing their tails; inflating their neck; hissing loudly ; spreading their rib cage and expanding the top of their body to look bigger to intimidate them.

They also  move sideways opening their mouths wide with their tails on an attack stance when they sense danger.Like snakes, monitor lizards eat their meal whole which includes snails, insects, birds, snakes, fish, other smaller lizards and even small crocodiles on their diet.

A Monitor Lizard male compete and combat with another male during breeding seasons to win a female. Females can lay up to 35 eggs on holes in large trees in forests or on holes of rocks on riverbanks. A female of this reptile will incubate their eggs from 8 to 10 weeks.

Two huge monitor lizards can be found caged in the backyard portion of Cebu Zoo. They are fed with chicken meat.

An ornate monitor lizard in its cage in Cebu Zoo.

Burmese Python

The Burmese Python is on the list to be one the largest snakes in the world. An average size of this snake can reach up to 12 feet in length but some rare specimens are reported to have reached as long as 20 feet. This reptile is nocturnal and are rarely seen active during the day. Spends most of the time hiding in holes on rocks, trees and undergrounds.

Scientifically named as Molurus Bivittatus, this snake has vivid skin color of brown with border patterns of light brown and yellow. Albinos are colored white with border patterns of a high contrast yellow. An interesting fact of this reptile is that it can go underwater for half an hour.

Being a carnivore, the Burmese Python feeds usually on rodents, birds and sometimes animals that are proportion to its size. It kills its prey through constriction. A method of wrapping its body on the victim and squeezing it until it dies.

An Albino Burmese Python

Burmese pythons are commonly found in the tropic areas of Asia. Though they found their habitat in marshlands or areas near water, there are also sightings of these snakes in grasslands and rocky foothills.

This reptile breeds mostly in spring time. One characterisic of the Females of this snake is that it takes care for its eggs very well. They wrap their body around the eggs to give sufficient temperature to make it warm. They are known to stay on their nest having a watchful eye on the eggs until it hatches and can lay up to 40 eggs per clutch.

Burmese Pythons in Cebu Zoo can be found on a plastic container where you can get hold of these snakes and have a picture taking.

Young Burmese Pythons in Cebu Zoo.