Recently, in India, four Indian men broke into a tiger reserve and collectively sexually assaulted a Bengal monitor lizard. Many people are not ashamed of the actions of these four Indians, and they are also full of sympathy for the Bengal monitor lizard who was hurt! Although everyone is very concerned about this matter, but everyone is not very familiar with the "victim" Bengal monitor lizard, today I will lead you to understand one of the protagonists of this incident, the Bengal monitor lizard, to see what charm it has, so that people of different species can commit such crimes against it!
Bengal monitor lizards (scientific name: Varanus bengalensis, alias common Indian monitor lizards) have diverged into three subspecies in the long process of reproduction, namely: the Bengal monitor lizard Yijiang subspecies, the Bengal monitor lizard Vietnamese subspecies, and the Bengal monitor lizard name subspecies. Although their name is Bengal monitor lizard, it is not entirely distributed in Bangladesh, but Bangladesh is the model source of this lizard. They are found in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India and other countries. If you count, there are nearly twenty countries and regions in the world where this monitor lizard is found, and even traces of this monitor lizard activity have been found in the southern border area of our country.
The Bengal monitor lizard has a large body with yellow spots, a triangular head, well-developed eyelids, rounded pupils, and exposed eardrums. The tongue is thin, long, and deeply forked at the apex, retracting into the base tongue sheath. The whole body is covered with hard scales, there are no symmetrical scales on the top of the head, the dorsal scales are granular, round or ovate, and the ventral scales are quadrilateral and arranged in a horizontal row. The scales are under the leather bone plate. The body is more than 90 cm long, and the tail alone is 50 cm long. Although the tail is long, it is not easy to break. The weight is about twenty pounds.
Bengal monitor lizards can adapt to different climates, even if they are very different, whether it is in arid and hot areas, areas with four distinct seasons, or in tropical rainforests. In order to adapt to the climate of different regions, different Bengal monitor lizards have evolved different ways of survival. Like the giant lizard in the rainforest, it is basically active all year round. As for the Bengal giant lizards that live in arid inland areas such as Pakistan, they hide in burrows and go into dormancy in the summer to reduce water evaporation. In short, although they are the same species, the habits of Bengal monitor lizards in different regions are very different. Coupled with the fact that they look different, it's hard to believe they're the same animal.
Bengal monitor lizards feed on insects, spiders and other arthropods, frogs, lizards, snakes, bats, fish snails and small invertebrates, and lick ants. It's a flat-headed brother among reptiles. In terms of reproductive ability, Bengal monitor lizards are also very strong. The breeding season of wild Bengal monitor lizards is generally concentrated in the summer. After mating, females can lay about 15 eggs per fetus. To ensure that their eggs hatch properly, Bengal monitor lizards dig holes to hide their eggs. Of course, it would be better if you came across a natural cave. For example, ant caves are not only the best places to hide Bengal monitor lizard eggs, but also provide them with abundant food. As a cold-blooded animal, the breeding of Bengal monitor lizards after spawning has come to an end. The hatching of eggs is determined by nature. However, precisely because Bengal monitor lizards do not hatch eggs, there are many variables in their egg hatching process. When the ambient temperature is right, young lizards can break free from their shells for more than two months. However, if the ambient temperature is not suitable, incubation can take even a full year.
The main threat to the species is habitat destruction, with indirect effects being pesticide contamination and reduced available food resources in the agricultural areas where the species lives. The biggest threat, however, may be that the species is hunted by humans due to the commercialization of its skin and the usual consumption of meat. The fats of this plant can also be used in traditional medicine. The Bengal monitor lizard is protected by the state in our country, and random hunting is punishable by law.