lizard-like reptiles among representatives have interesting: chameleons, lizards, crocodiles and other reptiles.Because of the classification of reptiles really want to understand what is called the desert lizard crocodile.Why is this so named reptile?
desert crocodile called a huge lizard - gray monitor lizard.In fact, the land is not the biggest crocodile lizard.He gave the palm Komodo Varan.Grey lizard - reptile medium size, weighing about 4 kg and reaches a half meters long.
Due to the large size of the representative named desert reptiles crocodile.While his habits and manner of movement is more similar to the habits of snakes.Large desert crocodile in serpentine bends the body, and to touch the air while moving using thin tongue.
area of ​​distribution
abode gray lizard - North Africa, the southern territory of Kazakhstan and Central Asia.In addition, they utilized the land that spread along the south-west Asia, stretching Pakistan and Balochistan.
To choose life reptile sand deserts.Those its place where sand in varying degrees, are fixed.He likes big lizard (desert crocodile) rocky foothills, riparian forests, cliffs along the coasts of the rivers.Dwelling she settles in the burrows of rodents of all kinds.Expand and deepen a tunnel dug gopher or large gerbils, lizard arranges its nest.
It deepens the hole up to two and a half meters, and at the end of building an extended chamber (about half a meter in length and twelve centimeters in width).Sometimes the beast Tutor ejection hole.Tunnel in this case reaches a minimum of four meters.
The characteristics of the desert crocodile
this lizard from other reptiles her family distinguishes several characteristic features.The cross section of the tail of her round.In gray lizard on top of the body is not a narrow longitudinal keel.Nostrils beast resembling oblique slit, close your eyes, or rather, to their front edges (while in other reptiles, they are at the end of the snout).
background body painted in grayish or reddish-brown hues.On the back and tail in the transverse direction at regular intervals clearly visible brown band between them randomly scattered darker flecks and specks.
Habits desert crocodile
Movement predator quick.When running the desert crocodile can reach speeds of up to 120 meters per minute.The beast rushes, his legs wide apart, raising his torso.His tail is not touching the ground.This rate of Varan not last long, tired, it slows down to such an extent that the man in the light catches the lizard so tired.
Predator climbs the low trees and shrubs.For it is not a problem to jump from a height of 0.5 meters.She met a man with the power he inflates the body, which forced takes on a different shape, wide and flat, emits a loud hiss.
his tail whipping with power from right to left and vice versa, makes it impossible to grasp the reptile.In this wide-open mouth of a crocodile desert he sticks out language and attempts to bite the enemy.The bite is not harmless lizard, he was painfully given.After a predator able to bite a human finger.
Central Asian and Kazakh desert crocodiles, climbing deeper into the hole, sealing the entrance ground stopper, hibernate.
food gray lizard
large lizard, desert crocodile - predator.Reptile eats all kinds of living creatures: insects and scorpions, phalanges and lizards, snakes (and poisonous too), young turtles, birds, rodents, and even in the spring and the eggs of birds and turtles.
In seeking food, monitor lizard forced to carry huge transitions.He left the hole, makes races, reaching half a kilometer.Route predator is usually unchanged.Going over and over again on the path blazed by day, the beast is engaged in the examination of the colonies of gerbils, tortoise burrows, birds' nests.He arranges overnight where it caught the twilight.
Reproduction big lizard
Puberty the gray lizard comes not before the third year of age.It is when the reptile will reach a length of 60-80 centimeters.Central Asian desert crocodile mates in May.And in early June samochki engaged in laying eggs.
They leave them deep in burrows.In addition, it does not cost anything to dig deep into the masonry sand.At the young in the nest postponed for 8-15, and the mother of females - up to 23 eggs.Prior to the release of the tiny eggs of reptiles takes 3-3.5 months.The Cubs have gray lizard appear in September.
Limiting factors
Natural enemies gray lizard considered birds of prey.It often turns into a victim imperial eagle and golden eagles.Dangerous for him and predatory mammals such as fox and wild cat.
However, the most serious enemy of the desert crocodile - people.He destroyed these reptiles because of the firmer skin, running for the manufacture of shoes and clothing products.Until recently, mining large lizard reached 20 000 individuals per year.In some places the predator killed.
However, the reason for the extermination of large lizards was not only in obtaining skins, they were killed because of prejudice.The word "monitor" is translated as "disease".Muslims are perceived as a threat to animal and destroyed it.Because of the mass extermination of the number of gray lizards reached a critical indicator.Today, the land crocodile taken under protection.The hunt for gray lizard is strictly prohibited.
