Savannah monitor size

[nepoez]

Hi all,

My sav(male) is almost 6 months old now and is just over 2 feet. Just wondering what is the expected size it's going to get to and at what rate usually? I've read lots about males getting to 4 feet and females 3 ft. But just wanted to hear it from you guys.

thx!

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by nepoez

Hi all,

My sav(male) is almost 6 months old now and is just over 2 feet. Just wondering what is the expected size it's going to get to and at what rate usually? I've read lots about males getting to 4 feet and females 3 ft. But just wanted to hear it from you guys.

thx!

Hi, they can reach the sizes you give in captivity, that`s often in excess of what they achieve in the wild.
There are some people who claim to have or have seen 5 feet Savannahs, but so far no actual proof? Some (many?) many people seem to err on the side of exaggeration when it comes to measuring their animals ("guesstimates" rule)....

[infernalis]

Originally Posted by murrindindi

Hi, they can reach the sizes you give in captivity, that`s often in excess of what they achieve in the wild.
There are some people who claim to have or have seen 5 feet Savannahs, but so far no actual proof? Some (many?) many people seem to err on the side of exaggeration when it comes to measuring their animals ("guesstimates" rule)....

I have seen these exaggerated numbers many times, heck we had a guy here who swore that his "friend" has a 6.5 foot Savannah monitor that is over a decade old, but as soon as he said his same "friend" had Komodo Dragons, his credibility at telling stories went south instantly.

I am six foot four, I cannot fathom an exanthematicus bigger than me.

Originally Posted by Banned

As previously stated, he has an exotic animal rescue center which houses a wide variety of animals. Many of them are large and/or poisonous lizards. Everything from these tiny little poisonous tree lizards(dont know the name), Gillas, many different species of monitors, all the way up to the grand daddy of them all, Komodos.
According to him...with over 30yrs experience in rescuing and housing these amazing creatures, temp and humidty are the key.
his center houses over a dozen Savs. Some rescued from black market sellers as babies...others rescued as large adults.
The largest of which is a 16 yr old, 6.5ft sav that they rescued over 10yrs ago and has become a permanent fixture at the center.

[Pirarucu]

I would plan on somewhere between three and four feet. His growth so far sounds good to me.
I agree that size is often quite exaggerated. The largest (verified) savannah I have seen is "Rusty" mentioned in DB' s book, who reached 54 inches at three years old.

[Pirarucu]

That post was so ridiculous... Because apparently there are Komodos getting turned into rescue centers now? I guess I must have missed the memo about the existence of poisonous lizards.. I also didn't know there was such a thing as a "black market" for savannahs. Maybe for some of the less common species, but not savs.
I agree, a five foot sav would be pushing it as is, but six and a half? Please. At least tell a feasable lie. If the animal exists, it's certainly not a sav, but maybe a very large albigularis.

[infernalis]

Originally Posted by Pirarucu

That post was so ridiculous... Because apparently there are Komodos getting turned into rescue centers now? I guess I must have missed the memo about the existence of poisonous lizards.. I also didn't know there was such a thing as a "black market" for savannahs. Maybe for some of the less common species, but not savs.
I agree, a five foot sav would be pushing it as is, but six and a half? Please. At least tell a feasible lie. If the animal exists, it's certainly not a sav, but maybe a very large albigularis.

My take on it.. if it was at all sincere.

Many people confused albigularis with exanthematicus for years, so that explains that one away.

somehow the word black market drifted away from the word Komodo (throughout the 70's and 80's komodoensis specimens were reported found in drug raids and such) 25 years or so ago it was a hell of a lot easier to go on vacation and smuggle back some eggs or neonate animals. Cocaine kingpins, cartel and Miami hustlers with huge checkbooks kept the poachers busy with all sorts of crazy exotic species.

We all see "poisonous" accidentally confused with venomous. no big deal there, Discovery channel is teaching todays society to continue with this incorrect usage.

Take a valid story and pass it around a little and the details warp quickly.

However given the knowledge pool here, that post was called out in mere minutes. I feel sorry for the kid, he may very well have believed this spew when it was told to him, and that's why he got upset. We destroyed his illusion that his "buddy" was special.

[murrindindi]

Hi Wayne, are you really 6feet 4 inches tall, or is that another guestimate??????







Personally, in the bits of you I`ve seen in your vids you look around 5ft.2inches at the most......

[infernalis]

Originally Posted by murrindindi

Hi Wayne, are you really 6feet 4 inches tall, or is that another guestimate??????







Personally, in the bits of you I`ve seen in your vids you look around 5ft.2inches at the most......

That would be accurate, kneeling in front of the enclosure.

[nepoez]

4 foot lizard in a 4x8 feet cage doesn't give them much exercise. Maybe I need a bigger cage.

[infernalis]

I just checked, and currently to this day 30,000 cash can buy you an underground komodoensis specimen.

Originally Posted by CBS News report February 11, 2009

In another case, authorities kept nearly-extinct Madagascar tortoises and rare komodo dragons off the U.S. black market, where they would have brought $30,000 each. The smuggling ringleader was sentenced last summer to six years in jail

Contraband Creatures - CBS News

"The problem is very big. Wildlife smuggling is second only to drugs," explained U.S. Fish and Wildlife Inspector Mike Osborn.

[B_Aller]

"The problem is very big. Wildlife smuggling is second only to drugs," explained U.S. Fish and Wildlife Inspector Mike Osborn

Total and complete B.S !!

Can't believe you would buy into this nonsense Wayne, do some research before perpetuating this outright lie.

Smuggled wildlife is second to drugs my arse! What about human trafficing, weapons smuggling? Black market goods , hell smuggled beauty products are a bigger problem,....cigarettes sheesh just about anything that can be smuggled is more pervasive than wildlife smuggling. Not saying it doesn't happen or won't happen again but there just isn't the market for it. Ansong Wong and all the others were all busted before they could even offer up komodo's, who is buying komodos in the U.S? The albino water and nile monitors that were offered up for over 20K never sold, the albino blue tail offered up for 30K died before being sold. I heard for years about this Japanese herp group of super wealthy businessmen who keep highly endangered animals, I think it's a ghost story, doesn't exist.
I think the idea that animal smuggling is such a big problem here is blown out of proportion to justify budgets.
Show me some numbers from ANY organization that can even start to compare to the drug numbers and we'll talk.
Show me ONE keeper in the U.S who will drop 30-50K for one animal.

[franks]

Hey Ben, I could be wrong here, but I do not think wayne buys into that. I think he was posting a quote from the article, possibly because of its absurdity, but I am pretty sure that does not represent his views.

[infernalis]

My views are known by many. Faith is not in my vocabulary.

I have not heard of a righteous Komodo seizure in the US for over 30 years, give or take and even those details are just sketchy memories.

Now, the quote got screwed when I took it out of it's context.

Illegal animal trafficking includes the whole spectrum here (for sensationalism undoubtedly) the ivory, Rhino Horn, tiger *****, gorilla ash tray, bush meat, safari slaughters, etc.. are all grouped together and yet the words are construed together to grant the illusion of grandeur.

That's news for you... inflate and twist as needed.

They probably skewed the drug comment by only including imports from overseas. If you take away domestic crack, medicinal weed, domestic meth, domestic lsd, pill poppers, etc... that leaves only raw cocain and opiates as international trade.

[franks]

Originally Posted by infernalis

My views are known by many. Faith is not in my vocabulary.

I have not heard of a righteous Komodo seizure in the US for over 30 years, give or take and even those details are just sketchy memories.

Now, the quote got screwed when I took it out of it's context.

Illegal animal trafficking includes the whole spectrum here (for sensationalism undoubtedly) the ivory, Rhino Horn, tiger *****, gorilla ash tray, bush meat, safari slaughters, etc.. are all grouped together and yet the words are construed together to grant the illusion of grandeur.

That's news for you... inflate and twist as needed.

They probably skewed the drug comment by only including imports from overseas. If you take away domestic crack, medicinal weed, domestic meth, domestic lsd, pill poppers, etc... that leaves only raw cocain and opiates as international trade.

Twisted statistics? Lol there's no such thing. One thing I have learned in life is that if someone puts a number into a sentence that it is undoubtedly and irrevocably true.
I learned that from this college textbook:
Amazon.com: How to Lie with Statistics (9780393310726): Darrell Huff, Irving Geis: Books

[B_Aller]

Originally Posted by infernalis

My views are known by many. Faith is not in my vocabulary.

I have not heard of a righteous Komodo seizure in the US for over 30 years, give or take and even those details are just sketchy memories.

Now, the quote got screwed when I took it out of it's context.

Illegal animal trafficking includes the whole spectrum here (for sensationalism undoubtedly) the ivory, Rhino Horn, tiger *****, gorilla ash tray, bush meat, safari slaughters, etc.. are all grouped together and yet the words are construed together to grant the illusion of grandeur.

That's news for you... inflate and twist as needed.


They probably skewed the drug comment by only including imports from overseas. If you take away domestic crack, medicinal weed, domestic meth, domestic lsd, pill poppers, etc... that leaves only raw cocain and opiates as international trade.

Sorry I f I came off as rude, not my intention, this statement about wildlife and drugs is just one that gets a knee jerk reaction out of me as it is so often repeated by "reputable" sources even though it is not even close to true, and tends to send the conversation in the wrong direction.

I'm not in favor of smuggling animals in any way shape or form, in fact I support an almost complete ban on importation of reptiles. I'd just like the conversation to be based in reality, not hyperbole.

You can bet when I see the wildlife drugs comparison or the outright wrong assertion that there are more tigers/lions privately owned in Texas than in the wild I am going to spew some venom. I'm all for disagreements as long as the facts are straight.
I know you're one of the good ones Wayne, hope I didn't bum you out.
B