WALLACEAN Tropical & Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forest
reptiles
The reptiles of the tropical dry forests of Wallacea include the largest of all land reptiles...
Squamata: Lizards and Snakes
Family Gekkonidae
Gekko gecko, 'Tokay Gecko'; Large gecko. (Satonda, Indonesia). The scientific name and most of the common names are onomatopoeic, and variations on describing the loud double call. U.S.A soldiers in Vietnam called it the 'fuck-you' lizard. Very widespread; from India, across Indonesia, to New Guinea.
Family Agamidae: Dragons
Draco, 'Gliding Lizard'.
Family Varanidae: Monitor Lizards
Like snakes, Komodo Dragons (and other monitors) have a forked tongue. This allows the animal to find what direction their prey is when they 'taste' the air.
Varanus komodoensis, 'Komodo Dragon' (Komodo Island, Indonesia). The largest lizard in the world, and the largest land reptile in the world.
(Rinca, Indonesia)Two male Komodo Dragons in combat.
(Rinca, Indonesia)It was once thought that the saliva of Komodo Dragons was full of dangerous bacteria that helped infect and bring down prey; this has now been observed not to be true. However, recent studies suggest Komodo dragons (and a few other large monitors) may have mildly venomous bites.