﻿314 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  anaconda. 
  Its 
  coils 
  possess 
  great 
  constricting 
  power, 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  

   python 
  has 
  no 
  trouble 
  in 
  crushing 
  a 
  pig 
  or 
  goat, 
  which 
  it 
  then 
  pro- 
  

   ceeds 
  to 
  swallow 
  whole. 
  The 
  tales 
  of 
  pythons 
  being 
  able 
  to 
  swallow 
  

   an 
  ox 
  are 
  utterly 
  false, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  apparently 
  authentic 
  story 
  of 
  

   a 
  14-year-old 
  boy 
  being 
  eaten 
  by 
  a 
  python 
  in 
  the 
  East 
  Indies. 
  

   Leather 
  made 
  from 
  python 
  hide 
  is 
  very 
  beautiful 
  and 
  is 
  much 
  desired 
  

   by 
  the 
  trade, 
  and 
  before 
  the 
  war 
  a 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  skins 
  were 
  ex- 
  

   ported 
  each 
  year 
  from 
  Asiatic 
  ports. 
  

  

  The 
  Indian 
  Python 
  

  

  Snakes 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  are 
  welcomed 
  by 
  snake 
  charmers 
  because 
  of 
  

   their 
  sluggish 
  and 
  "gentle" 
  dispositions. 
  Even 
  in 
  a 
  wild 
  state, 
  the 
  

   Indian 
  python 
  {Python 
  molurus, 
  pi. 
  22, 
  fig. 
  2) 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  make 
  little 
  

   effort 
  to 
  escape, 
  and 
  when 
  attacked 
  often 
  makes 
  no 
  attempt 
  to 
  avenge 
  

   offense 
  or 
  injury. 
  It 
  is 
  fond 
  of 
  lying 
  partially 
  submerged 
  near 
  the 
  bank 
  

   of 
  a 
  river 
  and 
  can 
  remain 
  under 
  water 
  entirely 
  for 
  several 
  minutes. 
  It 
  

   possesses 
  great 
  muscular 
  strength 
  and, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  its 
  lack 
  of 
  aggres- 
  

   siveness, 
  can 
  overpower 
  a 
  leopard 
  with 
  ease. 
  It 
  is 
  active 
  by 
  day 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  by 
  night, 
  feeding 
  on 
  mammals, 
  birds, 
  and 
  reptiles. 
  Two 
  

   color 
  phases 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  are 
  known, 
  the 
  individuals 
  of 
  one 
  phase 
  

   being 
  light 
  in 
  color, 
  the 
  others 
  dark. 
  The 
  extreme 
  length 
  is 
  about 
  25 
  

   feet. 
  

  

  The 
  Komodo 
  Dragon 
  Lizard 
  

  

  The 
  Komodo 
  dragon 
  lizard 
  (Vararms 
  komodoensis, 
  pi. 
  21, 
  fig. 
  2) 
  , 
  the 
  

   largest 
  existing 
  lizard, 
  was 
  unknown 
  to 
  science 
  until 
  1912. 
  It 
  occurs 
  on 
  

   Komodo, 
  Flores, 
  Rind 
  j 
  a, 
  and 
  Padar 
  Islands, 
  all 
  lying 
  close 
  together 
  

   east 
  of 
  Java 
  and 
  south 
  of 
  Celebes. 
  Small 
  deer 
  and 
  wild 
  pigs 
  form 
  

   its 
  staple 
  diet, 
  with 
  turtle 
  eggs 
  which 
  it 
  digs 
  up 
  on 
  the 
  shore 
  where 
  

   other 
  food 
  is 
  scare. 
  It 
  is 
  extremely 
  voracious, 
  falling 
  savagely 
  upon 
  

   a 
  wounded 
  member 
  of 
  its 
  own 
  species 
  if 
  it 
  has 
  the 
  opportunity. 
  It 
  

   is 
  naturally 
  wary 
  toward 
  man, 
  but 
  fights 
  desperately 
  when 
  cornered, 
  

   using 
  the 
  tail 
  as 
  a 
  means 
  of 
  defense, 
  as 
  the 
  crocodilians 
  do. 
  Its 
  maxi- 
  

   mum 
  size 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  about 
  10 
  feet, 
  and 
  such 
  an 
  individual 
  may 
  

   weigh 
  250 
  pounds 
  if 
  in 
  good 
  condition. 
  In 
  walking, 
  it 
  swings 
  its 
  

   head 
  from 
  side 
  to 
  side 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  ground, 
  usually 
  dragging 
  the 
  tip 
  

   of 
  the 
  tail. 
  The 
  young 
  lizards 
  before 
  they 
  are 
  strong 
  enough 
  to 
  pull 
  

   down 
  larger 
  game 
  climb 
  trees 
  to 
  hunt 
  for 
  birds' 
  eggs. 
  The 
  old 
  ones 
  

   make 
  burrows 
  between 
  tree 
  roots 
  and 
  sometimes 
  under 
  rocks. 
  

  

  Other 
  Monitor 
  Lizards 
  

  

  Nearly 
  20 
  species 
  of 
  monitors 
  (genus 
  Varanus) 
  live 
  in 
  southern 
  

   Asia 
  and 
  Malaya. 
  After 
  the 
  dragon 
  lizard, 
  the 
  largest 
  of 
  these, 
  

   measuring 
  8 
  feet 
  in 
  total 
  length, 
  is 
  the 
  kabara 
  goya 
  {Varanus 
  sal- 
  

   vator), 
  also 
  called 
  water 
  monitor 
  by 
  the 
  English 
  because 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  

  

  