#Varanus salvator

[sixquarksinatrenchcoat]

#made on my morning commute #celebrities shop too #lizard #monitor lizard #asian water monitor #varanus salvator

[snototter]

A pair of Asian water monitors (Varanus salvator) in Singapore

by Tan TS

#asian water monitor #reptiles #monitor lizards #varanus salvator #varanus #varanidae #squamata #reptilia #chordata #wildlife: singapore

[sitting-on-me-bum]

New Normal

A water monitor lizard (Varanus salvator) struggles along the plastic-filled forest floor foraging for food. “More and more plastic fills our mangrove forests and it’s affecting our wildlife that call it home.”

by Kei Miyamoto, Indonesia

Mangrove Photography Awards

#kei miyamoto #photographer #indonesia #mangrove photography awards #water monitor lizard #lizard #reptile #animal #varanus salvator #garbage #trash

[edgarmoser]

varanus salvator "schwarzer drache"

#varanus salvator #schwarzer drache

[mirtapersonal]

beautiful friends I met at the National Reptile Zoo in Kilkenny, Ireland.

#axolotl #photo #animals #national reptile zoo #amphibian #snake #lizard #eyelash gecko #crested gecko #asian water monitor #water monitor #sailfin lizard #Correlophus ciliatus #Varanus salvator #Ambystoma mexicanum

[reptiles-and-rainbows]

A female Varanus salvator komaini in Tropicario, Helsinki. She was very adorable, and these are the pictures of her that I think are most accurate to what she was like to see in real life. This particular water monitor is also a mother - through parthenogenesis! Here is her son, called Mikael, whom we also saw!

#monitor lizard #monitor lizards #varanus #varanus salvator #varanus salvator komaini #Asian water monitor #water monitor #parthenogenesis #lizard #lizards #reptile #reptiles #herpblr #herpetology

[askdrzinasia]

Hangin' out with my buddy on a sunny day

Come on, we all have a that friend that really is half dragon and a bit scary, but still nice to hang out with on a hot day.

This couple really did not much out of the day. The Turtle kept his toes in the water, and as I was walking by several times, the large Water Monitor only changed the position of his snout. Something smelly, but not interesting enough to do something else.

Opportunistic and wide spread

The Asian water monitor (Varanus salvator) is a large varanid lizard native to Southeast and South Asia. It is common from the coastal eastern India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Mainland SEA, southern China and Indonesia.

The monitors is highly opportunistic when choosing habitats, and it is semiaquatic. Meaning they are able to live near or in human habitats were there easy access to large water sources. Like Bangkok in Thailand, were I have seen several of theses varanids near the many rivers and channels in that city. Not very large ones, but maybe just under a meter length including their tails.

Moving and smelling the air, crossing the giraffe compound in Dusit Zoo. This one appx 80 cm long.

These animals reach breeding maturity when they are about 40 cm long and a weight of 1 kilo for males, and 50 cm for females. They normally grows up to 2 meter, but there are one specimen in Sri Lanka which reached 3,21 meter. The weight is a moderate appx 20 kg. But the max weight is over 50 kilo.

Their size and weight is second only to the Komodo Dragon lizards.

They are top-level predators, only natural enemies are crocodiles and humans. They eat a huge variation of food, from fish and rodents to human garbage and domesticated cats and dogs. They are not considered a direct danger for humans, but they may bite if cornered. Varanid bites are filled with oral bacterias that can lead to serious infections. And some of the variants may have venom glands.

Edible and skinned

It is an edible animal, hunted and served as a delicious source of protein in several South East Asian cuisines and in India. Globally, their skins are traded in millions for different type of leatherware products. It is not considered threaten. But habitats are threaten by loss and fragmentation.

No idea of a possible future as shoes and handbags.

The Red eared slider Terrapin turtle are not native to South East Asia at all, it origins in North America in Southeast around Mississippi and Gulf of Mexico. It is consider one of the worst invasive species in the world, being spread as a pet release or escapees. They are spread all over the Eurasian continent, from Scotland and Russia to South east Asia, the Pacific and Zealandia.

#bangkokzoo #lostplaces #thaifood #turtle #asiancuisine #2014 #Asian #water #monitor #varanus #salvator #2014CE #bangkok #thailand #lastchancetosee #dusit #zoo #dusitzoo #animalphotography #citylife #citywalk #art #market #buddhism #bluesky

[herpsandbirds]

Asian Water Monitor (Varanus salvator), family Varanidae, found across much of SE Asia

photograph by Mike Grosshanten Photographie

#monitor lizard #varanus #varanidae #lizard #reptile #herpetology #animals #nature #asia

[antiqueanimals]

Asian water monitor (Varanus salvator)

Reptiles and Amphibians of the World. Written by Hans Hvass. Illustrated by Wilhelm Eigener. Originally published in 1958.

Internet Archive

#reptiles #lizards #monitor lizards #asian water monitor #Wilhelm Eigener

[recentadultburnout]

Info for writer in Thai series fandom: More language thingy

Swear words and metaphor

*Some words may have more meaning than what I mention.

ไอ้ Ai and อี ee = words to be added in front of other words (a name or swear word), showing contempt or closeness (in a rude way).

Ai is masculine and ee is feminine, but nobody actually cares at this point.

เหี้ย hia or เชี่ย shia = Varanus salvator

These two words are the same. Hia is an original, and shia is a word that is born from distorting the voice in order to reduce vulgarity. It's kind of like referring to an f-word with any other word starting with f. We also used many other words that mean "Varanus salvator" as a sensor version of the "hia" swear word. little crocodile or chicken eater, for example.

They can also be used to empathize by adding to the end one or two times, for example, "super cool" would be "cool hia hia".

Tbh, whenever I read in English and see the word "hia," I always think of this word before a word that means "older brother." And to make it worse, the placement of both of them in the sentence can be exactly the same. Sometimes it took me an embarrassingly long time to realize the writer intended it to be an older brother.

สารเลว saraleo = miscreant, bastard, swinish, vile, caitiff, rascally

If you are 2gether fan, this is the word Tine calls Sarawat.

There are many similar words, such as

rayam-ระยำ-wicked, disgusting, inauspicious

chanrai-จัญไร-vile, unfortunate, ruined, crush

chatchua-ชาติชั่ว-lowlife

เสือก sueak = to meddle in matters that are not their own; to meddle in other people's affairs

ห่า har = infectious disease (cholera), pestilential disease (plague), and the evil spirit responsible for disease epidemics. 

สัตว์ sus =animal

พ่อง pong=your father

แม่ง maeng =your mother

They are shorten from por(father)/mae(mother) mung(you)

ดอกทอง dok thong=whore

This word sounds like a golden flower, but it's just a coincidence as far as I know.

ส้นตีน son teen=heel=lowest point of your body

ควย kyua=cock

หี hee=vagina

สันดาน san dan=in-born traits

as in bad inborn traits. The "bad" is omitted on the assumption that everyone understands.

ตอแหล tor lear=liar, fake

-->sato (สตอ-Crudia chrysantha Schum)-->strawberry

เปรต pret=The hungry ghost, frequently described as a very tall monster with a needle-sized mouth. = tall(negative meaning) or a bad person

อ้อย oi=suger cane=อ่อย oi=attempt to entice something or someone to be caught (typically used by a woman seducing a man).

For example, a cane truck has overturned here.=Someone here is trying really hard to seduce someone.

งิ้ว ngiw=bombax anceps (thorn-covered tree)

In the story, when sinners go to hell, the adulterer must climb this tree naked.

Mark from Love Mechanics asks on Facebook how hurtful it would be to climb a ngiw tree after having sex with Vee, implying that he is at least interested in someone who is not single.

Gold fish=short memory

Tiger=flirtatious person who is good at getting who they want (typically a guy)

A tiger with faded stripes=old tiger=someone who used to be flirtatious but is no longer. 

Dog can be alot of things depent on the context but usually a bad things.

"Dog with a rotten head" means someone nobody wants to get close to or interact with.

If someone looks just like a dog, that means their current state is bad. Too drunk = like a dog. Crying too much = like a dog.

Giving someone dog food means making someone, usually your friends, a dog. Used when you complain about your love life to someone, ask them for advice and they tell you to leave your current partner since the partner is being awful to you, you say so! Then you turn around and reconcile with your partner. So now your friend is a bad guy whom your partner won't want you to associate with anymore because they incite you to be at odd witn your partner.

Temple's dog = low status, usually used for a low-status man who likes a high-status woman who would be called ดอกฟ้า(dokfha) which translates directly to "sky flower." Use something like, "You are a temple's dog yet want to pluck a sky flower, you should know your place!"

A dog that serves someone means someone who only cares about serving their boss (who is a bad person) and nothing else, like morals or other people. A lackey

Bird(quite a new slang) = Can't get what you want, typically means someone you want as a lover.

Phonix = immortal bird = repeatedly failing to get what you want *We do use phonix as a poetic expression too, not just for this meaning.

Buffalo = idiot/fool. 

You can say A is putting horns on B when A is cheating on B; this means A makes B an idiot for believing in A.

When you fail your exam, you might say that these days you eat grass instead of rice (like a buffalo).

There is a saying that goes like this: "One who remembers when they get hurt (and leaves or does something to not get hurt again) is a human; one who is willing to endure it is a buffalo." If you put up with something you shouldn't, you are a buffalo.

Pig

fat

weak/easy to win against

Fox

Cunning

Sedusing

catfish,termite=ugly

rhinoceros=Someone who tries to steal someone else's lover or just acts inappropriately in general according to the traditional feminine standard. Originally, it was only used to call women, but it is no longer the case.

barking deer=gay man

gibbon=woman

It was originally used by trans women to refer to cis women. can be seen as rude, but like many other words, many people don't actually take offense if it is used playfully. These two words, "barking deer" and "gibbon," are usually used together.

The reason why a character does not always know information stated in the subtitle

Gender of someone

The Thai language, for the most part, is gender-neutral. The she or he in the English subtitle usually has to be chosen by the translator.

Who/what the speaker is talking to/about

Many times, sentence structures in spoken language won't require a subject or object. I guess when that gets translated, it looks weird, so the translator has to pick something to add in. In a lot of situations where I am not sure how to address my interlocutor, I can simply avoid doing it, but when I'm writing in English like this, I have to pick something, right?

When

There are no tenses in Thai the way there are in English. We have words for determining whether something happened in the past, present, or future, but you can say something without using any of those and it will be just fine.

Rice

When someone asks if someone has eaten rice(ข้าว-khao) yet, the word rice usually means meal/food and not strictly rice. The word rice can mean food in general a lot of the time.

Polite words

There are a lot of words that mean the exact same thing but have a different degree of politeness. You may already have noticed it with the way there are so many words that mean you or I. You may also notice it when you watch alot of any Thai series. Like, how when a character says "eat" in the subtitle, there are some varied sounds, such as daek(แดก-rude), kin(กิน-common), than(ทาน-a bit more polite-shorten from rapprathan), rapprathan(รับประทาน-polite).

Meaning of polysyllabic words

Some polysyllabic words, when each syllable is separated, still have a meaning, but their meaning may not be consistent with the meaning of that polysyllabic word. So even when you recognize the meaning of each syllable, the meaning of the polysyllabic word you deduce from it may not be correct. I mean, if we look deeper, we should be able to make it make sense, but yeah.

For example, the word "witch" in Thai is mae mod(แม่มด). Mae means mother or something you can used to indicate that a word it is in refers to a woman and Mod means ant when it's a separate word, but when combined, they mean witch. Or for the word whose meaning is more similar to the words used to create it, the word khun nhu(คุณหนู), which means "young master/mistress." used for address the child of the boss, when sperate khun is a prefix to show politeness or respect, and nhu means mice or a word used for calling children. You can see that while some of the single-syllabic words are arguably related to the meaning of the polysyllabic word, some aint so much.

I hope this explanation doesn't make you more confused.😅 But if it is, do tell me. I will try to do better.

Thai alphabet

Our letters are named after words they used to spell. Like, both letters ญ and ย sound the same(yor), but the word woman (หญิง-ying) uses letter ญ and the word giant (ยักษ์-yak) uses letter ย, so letter ญ is named yor ying and letter ย is named yor yak.

Think of it like if A's full name is "A apple".

Index

#thai language #thai culture

[manusuchus]

A speculative arboreal crocodylian

A year ago I began my research on the Mekosuchians, especially around the genus Mekosuchus and my already very strong skepticism at that time about the claims that they were tree-dwelling crocodiles (Something extremely improbable and which I may comment on another occasion. For now you can read in depth about Mekosuchus in this post by Armin).

At that point I wondered ; what would an arboreal crocodile really look like if it existed? 

I decided that it would be a derived member of the subfamily Caimaninae, specifically belonging to the Jacarea clade (which includes all species of the genus Caiman and Melanosuchus). 

The body has evolved in a convergentely with squamates such as Varanus salvator, being thinner and more elongated than that of any other crocodylian, following the same process the tail : Once the motor that propelled it underwater, is now becoming something similar to a whip that allows it to maintain balance on the branches, losing the characteristic single and double caudal crest whorls, to the point of almost disappearing.

The dorsal osteoderms are shrinking, but are still visible and play an important role in the ecology of the animal, helping it to thermoregulate. 

The limbs have been considerably widened and strengthened, an adaptation very visible in the metatarsals of the hind legs, which, together with the sharp, curved claws they have developed, help the animal to cling effectively to trees. 

The skull is the most distinctive part of all, as it has not only become shorter and more robust as a whole (Males have even developed an anteorbital crest similar to that of some members of the genus Crocodylus such as C. acutus or the extinct C. checchiai ; very likely some kind of sexual dimorphism), but it is developing unique characteristics such as binocular vision, zyphodont dentition and laterodorsally positioned nostrils, all of these attributes usually associated with terrestrial hunters (although there is not a necessary relationship in all cases), thus moving away from the semi-aquatic lifestyle.

Despite this, these crocodiles are still dependent on water to a certain extent, always inhabiting the forests near the rivers and being able to swim perfectly well if necessary, just like the extant iguanas and monitor lizards.

If I had to add some kind of worldbuilding that allows the existence of this animal, it would probably be located millions of years in the future : After a cataclysmic event related to climate change, South America has suffered a process of desertification in which large bodies of water have dried up, forcing the very abundant babas (Caiman crocodilus) to move into the remaining forests and jungles, adapting to a more terrestrial lifestyle. As an isolated population of these caimans chose the birds and monkeys as their preferred prey, they would gradually follow them to the treetops.

After a few more million years, the land has recovered, and large rivers and lakes are once again flooding South America, favoring the emergence of large tropical jungles again, opening a new world for these tree-dwelling caimans. Will they manage to adapt to the new climatic conditions or will they become extinct as a consequence of this and other factors such as the emergence of new species of placental predators that threaten to occupy their niche?  Well, that is uncertain.

The illustration was made in gouache and watercolors during September 2022 . I scupted a small-basic figure made in clay to in order to facilitate the understanding of the lights and shadows.

Here are some pictures of the process:

#animals #crocodiles #reptiles #zoology #crocodilians #paleoart #art #nature #speculative biology #speculative evolution #speculative zoology

[embraceyourfandom]

[DISCLAIMER: this post contains strong language and cannot be recommended for anyone]

On the  journey to a new language it helps to have themes one works with. Because I’m a biologist, one theme when trying to expand my vocabulary is of course nature and especially animal names. Oh my, what fun things I learned on the side.

Interestingly, the word animal (สัตว์, saht /sat̚˨˩/) itself is an insult. As such, when directed at a person, it translates to something like asshole, shithead or bastard, but especially when combined with a super rude pronoun อี / ไอ้  (ee / âi  = you for woman and for man respectively, please never use these), it really conveys contempt.   

Porsche calls Kinn สัตว์ already in the first episode, (not with badterrible pronouns at least, but the pronouns he uses are lacking common decency, even if they are not in-your-face offensive)

(I have to say that the more I learn Thai, the more I am rolling my eyes at these two being total jerks to each other in the beginning. I mean… I was told about this, but still… Seriously guys, where are your manners? Your mums would be so ashamed of you!)

Anyhow, back to animals.

Animal names are fun to learn because living things are a good conversational topic (that also happens to interest me a great deal), but also because many Thai people are named after animals.

Thai nicknames (ชื่อเล่น chuu len, literally name play) are unofficial, but they are the names people use the most and it is normal that for example at school or workplace this is the only name people know of a person. Usually the nickname is given by parents and it can be short for the official first name (Kinn, Khun), but way more often it is a descriptive word or food or animal or (especially for girls) a plant, flower or fruit, but it can be anything. And I mean anything. It is very popular to give a child an English nickname that just sounds nice. So we get Barcode, Bible,  Job and so on… 

Self evident amongst animal names are the fluffycute or big and strong, like: cat แมว (maew - yes it's meow-sound), deer กวาง (kwaang), bird นก (nók), baby chicken เจี๊ยบ (jíap), tiger เสือ (sĕua) etc

[sidenote: เสือ is also a common name for the whole genus Panthera - “big cats”, so name for most of them in Thai starts with เสือ - for example leopard is เสือดาว (sĕua dow - star tiger), animals in Thai in general have a lot of names like this: bird this, bird that, fish this, fish that, which is familiar to English speakers, but somewhat special to my Finnish ear.]

More interesting animals people are named after:

pig หมู (mŏo) — pigs are considered very nice and valuable animals in Thailand, so this is not at all a bad name, but a cute one given to a much loved boy. To be fair, หมู  can be used to call someone chubby, or gently scolding them for eating too much, but it isn’t offensive, really, unless combined with expletives.

Mouse/rat หนู (nŏo), frog กบ (gòp), tadpole อ๊อด (ót), shrimp กุ้ง (gûng), ant มด (mót)... all of these being obviously suitable names for a tiny, adorable child.

----

I decided to save you (for now) from my terribly rambly, long ethnozoological ponderings I've had while digging into the creepy crawly nomenclature. It is pretty fascinating, though. No wonder - Thailand is a tropical country and consequently the invertebrate diversity there is breathtaking. I’m so jealous.

----

In my opinion a very misunderstood animal is Asian water monitor Varanus salvator. Its name is เหี้ย (hîia /hia̯˥˩/), which is also one of the most vulgar, profane, insulting thing you can say to anybody in Thai. DO NOT USE. 

How did this poor animal end up being a terrible insult? Asian water monitor, like most members of Varanidae, is a generalist predator that eats whatever it can catch or find, including carcasses. But instead of being praised as a valuable, free cleaning aid, it is seen as a dirty animal because of this (fine, they also can predate on farm animals – a monitor in a chicken coop equals bloodbath). Them living in the murky, muddy places isn’t helping their public image. Historically, they are considered bad luck and that killing them definitely causes bad things to happen. Even saying the name is considered unlucky, so many people call them ตัวเงินตัวทอง - “silver and gold” instead.

Sure, water monitors are big, surprisingly fast and they can give nasty, easily infected bites, and claw and hit hard with their tails, but they are also important, interesting and kinda derpy animals. Asian water monitors are kept as pets even, although they require a lot of room as they can grow up to 3 metres long (in average 1,5 m). They can be tamed and they learn all kinds of things. I think they are cute and I would love to meet a pet monitor someday and give it belly scratches (wild animals I prefer to observe from a respectful distance away, but it would be supercool to see one).

Regardless, เหี้ย is a Profanity. Linguistically, it can be used pretty flexibly much like ‘fuсk’ as a noun, adjective, adverb, comma, full stop, exclamation mark… But do not use it - it really is much worse word than even 'сunt', especially combined with  อี / ไอ้ ( ee/âi). 

And that is exactly how Kinn uses it here, calling Vegas a water monitor.

He continues here. Now adverbial use, so not directed at person. Less offensive, still pretty mean tone.

(I cannot believe this man had the audacity to tell Porsche off for his language...)

There are my uncivilised musing for now.

#Lea learns stuff #thai language #kinnporsche #because I know some of you are definitely interested #TW: terrible terrible language #language #I can't believe I have to censor words for Tmblr to show this post - thanks big bro for treating us like we are five #Well with several keyboards ready at hand this is not a problem - lets just substitute some letters with cyrillics

[typhlonectes]

How big is the Asian water monitor (Varanus salvator)? 

While most adults reach lengths of around 5 feet (1.5 meters), some have been recorded to reach lengths of up to 10 feet (3 meters)! This large lizard has a wide range throughout southern Asia, including parts of India and the Philippines, where it inhabits riverbanks and swamps. Its range is credited to its ability to swim for long distances. This carnivore’s menu includes a wide variety of critters: rats, fish, lizards, snakes, and tortoises—it's even reported to eat carrion and scraps from garbage dumps. 

Photograph by Bernard DUPONT | Flickr CC

via:  American Museum of Natural History

#monitor lizard #lizard #reptile #herpetology #aquatic #animals #nature #asia

[wherethebirdsings]

bishan-ang mo kio park

12.09.23 - TUESDAY

woah...my last post was more than a year ago, and also on a tuesday! i'm back with a bunch of amazing sightings, fresh from a visit to bishan-amk park this morning :)

without a doubt, this landscape wouldn't be so full of life if not for the restoration of the kallang river that runs through it. this is but a slim swathe of river, one that flows so gently it is almost silent -- but it is a breathtaking force of nature.

that something so raw and wild can exist at the centre of our concrete jungle is almost unbelievable :')

here are some of the other wonderful things i saw:

a grey heron (Ardea cinerea)! grateful that it tolerated our proximity & lingered long enough for photos. i've never seen an Ardea heron so close-up before.

the river is teeming with fish (and some turtles.) unfortunately, most of these species are invasive.

a purple-leaved button weed (Spermacoce ocymoides) growing amongst the bioswale on the riverbank. striking symmetry & colour contrast between the white flowers and dark leaves make this little weed exceptionally beautiful :)

[ my favourite wildflower ID resource ]

a red dwarf honey bee (Apis florea) busy with the flower of a broadleaf arrowhead (Sagittaria lancifolia), a plant that thrives in waterlogged soils.

this is, unfortunately, not one of the wonderful things i saw >:( invasive golden apple snails (Pomacea canaliculata) and their notorious pink eggs have thoroughly infiltrated our freshwater ecosystems. their speedy growth, high fecundity & ferocious appetite threaten native populations of apple snails. P. canaliculata originates from the americas, and the aquarium trade is believed to have introduced it to singapore. (ref)

spotted quite a few of these purple herons (Ardea purpurea), likely because a breeding colony lives in the area ^^ i find it endlessly fascinating that these huge waterbirds with their ungainly long necks roost high up in trees...

in the lotus pond, white-breasted waterhens (Amaurornis phoenicurus) walk on water by treading on lotus leaves.

the beautiful Nelumbo nucifera c:

to round it all out, here's a look down the river from the eastern end of the park. it exists as both versions — pre- & post-restoration — of itself at once. at the centre of this picture, a malayan water monitor (Varanus salvator) makes its way along the canalised section, advancing slowly towards the verdant wetlands beyond.

#walks #bishan-amk park

[petnews2day]

One Man’s Bond With 15 Water Monitors

New Post has been published on https://petn.ws/dM7li

One Man’s Bond With 15 Water Monitors

An inconspicuous little culvert along the Minneriya-Polonnaruwa route has become an unusual tourist attraction. While usually seen alone or in a pair, this shaded waterhole — aptly named the ‘Kabara Bokkuwa’ (��බර බොක්කුව) — is home to a bank of some 15 kabaragoya, Asian water monitors (Varanus salvator salvator) that has formed a rather peculiar […]

See full article at https://petn.ws/dM7li #ReptileNews

#Reptile News

[sabbathercio]

A beleza inigualável de um varano-malaio (Varanus salvator) melânico. O melanismo é uma mutação gênica onde o indivíduo tem uma produção excessiva de melanina, pigmento responsável pela coloração negra, expressando ela coloração por todo corpo do animal. https://www.instagram.com/p/CoC7luXu5Fa/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=