"Highly Desirable" to import?

[Joe M]

While i agree with you, croc monitors are pretty close in terms of danger and they are legal.

Croc monitors get long, but they're fairly small weight wise, as are most lizards that spend a fair amount of time in trees in the wild. I would rather be chased by a 8 foot croc monitor weighing under 100 pounds with a non-deadly bite, then a 10 foot komodo that weighs 300 pounds and a single bite could kill a human. Just my opinion, but I've dealt with fairly large water monitors before, and i wouldn't have the same confidence doing the same thing with a komodo. At least you know that while a water monitor or croc monitor bite hurts like hell and probably requires stitches, I'll most likely be alive the next day to talk about it. Its all about venom/poison/bacteria or whatever scientists are claiming the komodos deadliness comes from. I would consider the two to be totally different levels of danger.

Oh, and I'm not aware of a croc monitors that ever took down a 1000 pound water buffalo with a single bite.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDWSmQsvRSE

 

[Lepisosteus platyrhincus]

Nothing wrong with komods being in private hands. Hopefully they will one day.

 

[ReelBigFish]

they are but are breed so prolificly in farms that there really is no reason not to commercialize them. hopefully soon

Commercialize Chinese alligators in the US? It wouldn't stand a chance against the American alligator, who has more meat and skin for leather.

Has any work been done recently on evaluating this species? The IUCN's site says it was last evaluated in 1996...

BTW, I'm extremely jealous that you have caiman lol

 

[Lepisosteus platyrhincus]

Thanks!!

I mean commercialize it for pet trade. It is highly suitable for the trade, better than most crocadilllians

 

[ReelBigFish]

Thanks!!

I mean commercialize it for pet trade. It is highly suitable for the trade, better than most crocadilllians

Definitely agree it would a better pet, but even though breeding in captivity is extremely successful, I would like to see wild populations restored first. I wouldn't enjoy keeping an animal knowing the species is on the brink of extinction in the wild.

 

[coura]

Definitely agree it would a better pet, but even though breeding in captivity is extremely successful, I would like to see wild populations restored first. I wouldn't enjoy keeping an animal knowing the species is on the brink of extinction in the wild.

Sorry dude, will take a long time to happen if it will ever happen (hopefully so but the way things are going semi-captivity could very well be the "wildish" way they are going to live in the next generations). In the mean time their comercialization in the pet trade wont stand in the side of reintroduction, actually there is not much more pristine habitat capable of sustaining more gators then it already does. If you can sucessfully end with poaching, polution, fishing and other forms of decline then it will be more room for wild gators. But you allways get surplus animals, specimens which bloodlines are already very well represented and those can be comercialized in the pet trade and used to make new breeding groups in private hands. That is what is being made in Europe, still beggining but defenetly on the go.

 

[A. gigas]

Croc monitors get long, but they're fairly small weight wise, as are most lizards that spend a fair amount of time in trees in the wild. I would rather be chased by a 8 foot croc monitor weighing under 100 pounds with a non-deadly bite, then a 10 foot komodo that weighs 300 pounds and a single bite could kill a human. Just my opinion, but I've dealt with fairly large water monitors before, and i wouldn't have the same confidence doing the same thing with a komodo. At least you know that while a water monitor or croc monitor bite hurts like hell and probably requires stitches, I'll most likely be alive the next day to talk about it. Its all about venom/poison/bacteria or whatever scientists are claiming the komodos deadliness comes from. I would consider the two to be totally different levels of danger.

Oh, and I'm not aware of a croc monitors that ever took down a 1000 pound water buffalo with a single bite.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDWSmQsvRSE

1) a lot of that killing power comes from bacteria in their saliva which they don't have in captivity.
2) yes, they have venom, but so do all other monitors, including crocodile monitors
3) komodo dragons are fairly docile in captivity, and will even come to be petted. croc monitors, on the other hand, are incredibly difficult to tame, and even then they still have a short fuse, and could turn on you at any minute.
4) crocodile monitors are actually the longer (not heavier) i have heard of them reaching 12-13 feet.

in short, they both have deadly potential. i would much rather have the more docile one, which is also a lot heavier, and probably slower. croc monitors are climbers, and are strong and lightweight. komodo dragons are stronger, but they also weigh a lot more. if i had to guess, i'd say the croc monitor is faster.

so, if you had to pick one..
croc monitor: fast, usually very aggressive, and unpredictable.
komodo: a little slower, usually docile.

i think i know which i'd pick..

 

[ReelBigFish]

Sorry dude, will take a long time to happen if it will ever happen (hopefully so but the way things are going semi-captivity could very well be the "wildish" way they are going to live in the next generations). In the mean time their comercialization in the pet trade wont stand in the side of reintroduction, actually there is not much more pristine habitat capable of sustaining more gators then it already does. If you can sucessfully end with poaching, polution, fishing and other forms of decline then it will be more room for wild gators. But you allways get surplus animals, specimens which bloodlines are already very well represented and those can be comercialized in the pet trade and used to make new breeding groups in private hands. That is what is being made in Europe, still beggining but defenetly on the go.

I know it will take a long time....if ever...I'll need to look into what's being done now to help them...I'm very curious since they haven't been evaluated since 1996.

 

[coura]

1) a lot of that killing power comes from bacteria in their saliva which they don't have in captivity.
2) yes, they have venom, but so do all other monitors, including crocodile monitors
3) komodo dragons are fairly docile in captivity, and will even come to be petted. croc monitors, on the other hand, are incredibly difficult to tame, and even then they still have a short fuse, and could turn on you at any minute.
4) crocodile monitors are actually the longer (not heavier) i have heard of them reaching 12-13 feet.

in short, they both have deadly potential. i would much rather have the more docile one, which is also a lot heavier, and probably slower. croc monitors are climbers, and are strong and lightweight. komodo dragons are stronger, but they also weigh a lot more. if i had to guess, i'd say the croc monitor is faster.

so, if you had to pick one..
croc monitor: fast, usually very aggressive, and unpredictable.
komodo: a little slower, usually docile.

i think i know which i'd pick..

I dont think crocs should be legal to have without a permit and in my opinion one facility inspection to make shure the keepers has the space to keep this animal happy. Nothing major but needed.

 

[HPIZZLE]

1) a lot of that killing power comes from bacteria in their saliva which they don't have in captivity.
2) yes, they have venom, but so do all other monitors, including crocodile monitors
3) komodo dragons are fairly docile in captivity, and will even come to be petted. croc monitors, on the other hand, are incredibly difficult to tame, and even then they still have a short fuse, and could turn on you at any minute.
4) crocodile monitors are actually the longer (not heavier) i have heard of them reaching 12-13 feet.

in short, they both have deadly potential. i would much rather have the more docile one, which is also a lot heavier, and probably slower. croc monitors are climbers, and are strong and lightweight. komodo dragons are stronger, but they also weigh a lot more. if i had to guess, i'd say the croc monitor is faster.

so, if you had to pick one..
croc monitor: fast, usually very aggressive, and unpredictable.
komodo: a little slower, usually docile.

i think i know which i'd pick..

a three or four hundred pound mound of muscle would destroy a kid. id take on the croc monitor any day, ive messed with them before. but a komodo is barely slower and like 1 zoo has one they call tame.

and a croc monitor will prolly be flighty were as a komodo would prolly size you up cause your the size of his easily killed prey.