All monitors have "venom" in their saliva?

[Skiploder]

As far as I know, Komodos are the only monitors that have been proven to have any real venom. Monitors (wild ones at least, don't ask me about captive) have infectious saliva due to their rather unclean diets. So rather than a venom attacking the nervous system or cardiovascular, it just gets really infected.

Tegus and monitors do have an anticoagulant in their saliva, and that I can say from first hand (literally, my own hand) experience. A 3 foot tegu bit me and it bled for 3 days straight, non stop.

Zack:

Komodos were widely thought to kill prey by septicemia - bacterial infections of the blood - that was proven to be untrue.

The problem with that theory is that the death of large prey occured too quickly to be attributable to systemic bacterial poisoning. It's one of those urban legend things - sort of. While they have a mouth full of many strains of nasty bacteria, that's not what was causing rapid swelling and blood pressure/clotting changes.

[stuck]

thanks for posting the links skiploder. very interesting stuff on them.

stuck

[CoolioTiffany]

Thanks for the info Zack.

But.. does this mean that there is 3 venomous species of lizards now? I wanted a Komodo named Puppy...

Allergenic, not everyone knows this fact about monitors. Heck I search about a lot of things and I've never heard of this until now. So, I'm guessing if I didn't know this simple fact, I'm sure many others don't know it either..

[CoolioTiffany]

Well, are these venoms of the snakes and lizards actually extremely effective? Like the Gilas and Beadeds causing you extreme pain when they inject their venom in, like the snakes in South America that can kill you pretty quickly once the venom is injected?

Hognose's venom is not very potent. I hear it can get as bad as a Copperhead bite, but I also hear that's rare. Boomslangs are a different story, I still don't see how they are considered a colubrid instead of an elapid.

[Skiploder]

Well, are these venoms of the snakes and lizards actually extremely effective? Like the Gilas and Beadeds causing you extreme pain when they inject their venom in, like the snakes in South America that can kill you pretty quickly once the venom is injected?

Hognose's venom is not very potent. I hear it can get as bad as a Copperhead bite, but I also hear that's rare. Boomslangs are a different story, I still don't see how they are considered a colubrid instead of an elapid.

The venom of the thrasops jacksonii is the same as the venom of the boomslang - the difference is in the effectiveness of the delivery system. A good bite from a boomslang, with it's three mobile teeth and compressor musculature can kill you, a bite from a nominally enlarged-fanged thrasops won't.

However, to small prey like a rodent, the venom does the exact same thing.

Many colubrids have venom on par with some elapids - the difference lies mainly in the effectiveness of the delivery system.

Many vipers have relatively weak venom, as do some elapids - again, a relatively weak venom in copious amounts injected into prey will produce more significant effects than the same venom will in smaller amounts chewed into a wound.

Tiff, I strongly suggest you check out Bryan Fry's Venomdoc forum and do a search on "colubrids" on there. Not only is it an informative site, but he breaks it all down in detail that only a guy who has actually intimately researched the subject can.

[BPelizabeth]

Wow this is a very interesting thread. In regards to the monitors ....I never knew. That would explain what happened when I got bit a few weeks ago. I was at the store and like an idiot...I went to touch one from the front. He was so quick and got me on my finger. My fault!! But I did not even feel it....but it bled like crazy which I thought was so wierd. No other problems just blood running down my arm. Now I know.

[Big Gunns]

Zack:

Komodos were widely thought to kill prey by septicemia - bacterial infections of the blood - that was proven to be untrue.

The problem with that theory is that the death of large prey occured too quickly to be attributable to systemic bacterial poisoning. It's one of those urban legend things - sort of. While they have a mouth full of many strains of nasty bacteria, that's not what was causing rapid swelling and blood pressure/clotting changes.

Well BG has an interesting view on this since he has been to Komodo Island and talked with the guides about this. They were aware of the report that Dragons had venom. They however said it is not true. BG did not want to argue with them about it. He's not so sure that they could really know for sure. It was interesting that they said this though.

[Skiploder]

Well BG has an interesting view on this since he has been to Komodo Island and talked with the guides about this. They were aware of the report that Dragons had venom. They however said it is not true. BG did not want to argue with them about it. He's not so sure that they could really know for sure. It was interesting that they said this though.

BG? BG?

Are you Brian Grieg Fry?

I'm a big fan, BIG fan!

Were the guides wearing shoes?

I find it interesting that the guides debunked Fry's studies, I wonder when they are going to release their research (cue rimshot here).

[Big Gunns]

BG? BG?

Are you Brian Grieg Fry?

I'm a big fan, BIG fan!

Were the guides wearing shoes?

I find it interesting that the guides debunked Fry's studies, I wonder when they are going to release their research (cue rimshot here).

Funny you should ask that. One of the guides had dress shoes on. Something you might wear to a wedding.

The national shoe of Indonesia is the Flip flop though. Everyone including nurses in hospitals wear them. BG hates the flip flop. It's hot 24/7 365 though so BG understands.

[Skiploder]

Funny you should ask that. One of the guides had dress shoes on. Something you might wear to a wedding.

The national shoe of Indonesia is the Flip flop though. Everyone including nurses in hospitals wear them. BG hates the flip flop. It's hot 24/7 365 though so BG understands.

Funny you should mention that - the last wedding I went to I wore flip flops.