巨蜥

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巨蜥属
化石时期:中新世到现代
巨斑泽巨蜥 Varanus salvator macromaculatus
科学分类 编辑
界: 动物界 Animalia
门: 脊索动物门 Chordata
纲: 爬行纲 Reptilia
目: 有鳞目 Squamata
科: 巨蜥科 Varanidae
属: 巨蜥属 Varanus
Merrem, 1820
模式种
饰纹巨蜥 Varanus varius
White, 1790
亚属

巨蜥巨蜥属学名Varanus)的蜥蜴,包括了所有蜥蜴中最重的科莫多龙及最长的萨氏巨蜥。它们的最近亲是蛇蜥科毒蜥属[1]

命名[编辑]

巨蜥属的学名是衍生自阿拉伯语的 “ورل”,意思是蜥蜴[2]

特征[编辑]

巨蜥如其名都是体型巨大的,最短的也有0.8米长。它们的长,尾巴及爪都很强壮,四肢发育良好。它们大部分都是陆生的,也有栖息于树上及半水生的。差不多所有巨蜥都是肉食性的,会吃哺乳类、鸟类、鱼类、蛋、昆虫类以及爬行类,只有葛氏巨蜥是吃果实的。[3]它们是卵生的,每次生7-37只蛋,它们会将蛋埋在土中或藏在空心树墩中。[4]

分布[编辑]

巨蜥属的分布范围非常广泛,属下物种遍布北非西亚中亚南亚东亚东南亚澳洲

演化历史[编辑]

巨蜥的代谢率较高,有多种感官来捕猎猎物。研究发现巨蜥,包括科莫多龙有轻微的毒素(可使猎物流血不止)。[1]由于蛇蜥科也是含有毒素,因而有学者认为所有有毒的蜥蜴是源自一个共同祖先,即Toxicofera演化支假说。[1]也有学者指蛇较为接近巨蜥,而多于其他现存的蜥蜴。后来这个理论被修改,将蛇改为鬣蜥亚目蛇蜥亚目的姊妹分类。[1]

更新世,如古巨蜥的巨型巨蜥是生活在东南亚澳洲

一些巨蜥似乎是可以单性生殖的。[5]

智商[编辑]

巨蜥非常聪明,一些物种甚至可以数数。[6]圣地亚哥动物园,一项研究将不同数目的蜗牛喂给非洲巨蜥,发现它们可以数数到六。[6][7]尼罗河巨蜥是会合作觅食:一只巨蜥会引开母鳄鱼离开巢穴,其他的则进入吃鳄鱼蛋。[6]作为饵诱的巨蜥之后会回来一同吃蛋。[6][7]华盛顿史密森尼国家动物园(Smithsonian National Zoological Park)的科莫多龙可以辨认出动物园管理员,且似乎也有不同的性格。[7]

饲养[编辑]

正在接受护理的受伤巨蜥。

蜥是爬行类宠物市场的常客,当中普遍的是草原巨蜥,因为它们体型细小、价廉,性格较为平静。[2]尼罗河巨蜥、南非白喉巨蜥泽巨蜥红树巨蜥翡翠巨蜥科莫多龙都有被饲养繁殖。[2]饲养的巨蜥需要隐藏的地方及适合的基床。[2]笼内须有足以整条巨蜥进入的水池。[2]在野外,巨蜥会吃任何能够驾驭的东西;但饲养下的会吃蟋蟀超级麦皮虫啮齿目,有时也可以熟蛋、蚯蚓饵鱼[2]不过,由于它们依然具有掠食者本性及体型庞大,将它们作为宠物也带有危险性。

保育状况[编辑]

巨蜥属是受到《濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约》附录二的保护。在印度南部的泰米尔纳德邦及其他部分,捕捉或杀死巨蜥是非法的。这些地区过往都有食用巨蜥物种的肉[8]。除了在印度南部,尼泊尔亦有人以巨蜥的肉作食用或医药用途[9]。在泰国、澳大利亚及西非亦曾听闻有人食用巨蜥。

南非白喉巨蜥

下属物种[编辑]

以下是巨蜥属的物种[10]

参考文献[编辑]

  1. ^ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Fry, B.G.; Vidal, N; Norman J.A.; Vonk F.J.; Scheib, H.; Ramjan S.F.R; Kuruppu S.; Fung, K.; Hedges, B.; Richardson M.K.; Hodgson, W.C.; Ignjatovic, V.; Summerhays, R.; Kochva, E. Early evolution of the venom system in lizards and snakes. Nature. February 2006, 439: 584–8 [2009-08-26]. doi:10.1038/nature04328. (原始内容存档于2009-04-19). 
  2. ^ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Robert George Sprackland. Giant lizards. Neptune, NJ: T.F.H. Publications. 1992: 61. ISBN 0-86622-634-6. 
  3. ^ Greene, Harry W. Diet and Arboreality in the Emerald Monitor, Varanus Prasinus, With Comments on the Study of Adaptation. Field Museum of Natural History. 1986. ISBN 9998057760. 
  4. ^ Bauer, Aaron M. Cogger, H.G. & Zweifel, R.G. , 编. Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press. 1998: 157–159. ISBN 0-12-178560-2. 
  5. ^ Smith, Kerri. Dragon virgin births startle zoo keepers. Nature. [2006-12-20]. (原始内容存档于2021-03-09). 
  6. ^ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 King, Dennis & Green, Brian. Goannas: The Biology of Varanid Lizards. University of New South Wales Press. 1999: 43. ISBN 0-86840-456-X. 
  7. ^ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Pianka, E.R.; King, D.R. and King, R.A. Varanoid Lizards of the World. Indiana University Press. 2004. 
  8. ^ Meats We Also Eat. The Telegraph India. 2017-01-08 [2018-08-12]. (原始内容存档于2018-08-12) (英语). 
  9. ^ Ghimire, H. R., Phuyal, S., & Shah, K. B. Protected species outside the protected areas: People's attitude, threats and conservation of the Yellow Monitor (Varanus flavescens) in the Far-western Lowlands of Nepal. Journal for Nature Conservation. 2014, 22 (6): 497–503. doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2014.08.003. 
  10. ^ Varanus Merrem, 1820. GBIF. [2023-06-07]. (原始内容存档于2023-05-31). 
  11. ^ 11.0 11.1 Welton, Luke J., Scott L. Travers, Cameron D. Siler & Rafe M. Brown. 2014. Integrative Taxonomy and Phylogeny-based Species Delimitation of Philippine Water Monitor Lizards (Varanus salvator Complex) with Descriptions of Two New Cryptic Species. Zootaxa. 3881(3); 201–227. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3881.3.1
  12. ^ Luke J. Welton, Cameron D. Siler, Daniel Bennett, Arvin Diesmos, M. Roy Duya, Roldan Dugay, Edmund Leo B. Rico, Merlijn Van Weerd and Rafe M. Brown. 2010. A Spectacular New Philippine Monitor Lizard reveals a Hidden Biogeographic Boundary and a Novel Flagship Species for Conservation. Biology Letters. 6 (5): 654–658. doi: dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2010.0119.
  13. ^ Carlos J. Pavón-Vázquez, Damien Esquerré, Alison J. Fitch, Brad Maryan, Paul Doughty, Stephen C. Donnellan and J. Scott Keogh. 2022. Between A Rock and A Dry Place: Phylogenomics, Biogeography, and Systematics of Ridge-tailed Monitors (Squamata: Varanidae: Varanus acanthurus complex). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. In Press, 107516. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107516
  14. ^ Valter Weijola, Fred Kraus, Varpu Vahtera, Christer Lindqvist and Stephen C. Donnellan. 2017. Reinstatement of Varanus douarrha Lesson, 1830 As A Valid Species with Comments on the Zoogeography of Monitor Lizards (Squamata : Varanidae) in the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea. Australian Journal of Zoology. DOI: 10.1071/ZO16038
  15. ^ Maryan B, Oliver PM, Fitch AJ and O'Connell M. 2014. Molecular and Morphological Assessment of Varanus pilbarensis (Squamata: Varanidae), with a description of a new species from the southern Pilbara, Western Australia. Zootaxa. 3768(2): 139-158.
  16. ^ J. Sean Doody, Hugh James, Kim Colyvas, Colin R. Mchenry and Simon Clulow. 2015. Deep Nesting in A Lizard, Déjà Vu Devil's Corkscrews: First Helical Reptile Burrow and Deepest Vertebrate Nest. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. DOI: 10.1111/bij.12589
  17. ^ Valter Weijola, Stephen Donnellan and Christer Lindqvist. 2016. A New Blue-tailed Monitor Lizard (Reptilia, Squamata, Varanus) of the Varanus indicus group from Mussau Island, Papua New Guinea. ZooKeys. 568: 129-154. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.568.6872
  18. ^ Paul Doughty, Luke Kealley, Alison Fitch and Stephen C. Donnellan. 2014. A New Diminutive Species of Varanus from the Dampier Peninsula, western Kimberley region, Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum. 29 128–140.
  19. ^ Valter Weijola and Fred Kraus. 2023. Two New Species of Monitor Lizards (Squamata: Varanus) endemic to the Louisiade and Tanimbar Archipelagos with A Key to the Subgenus Euprepiosaurus. Journal of Natural History. 57(13-16); 947-975. DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2023.2218574

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