Behavior of Varanus Kowodoensis 
313 
Tactile and chemical signals, although they 
are important in certain behavioral patterns, 
such as mating, play no significant part in 
group behavior. 
Spacing and the Maintenance of Hierarchies 
Varanus komodoensis possesses a strong 
hierarchial system maintained by frequent 
aggression. Included in their aggresive, 
agonistic behavior are threats, attacks, and 
displacement in space or in rank (Table 6). 
Submissive behavior includes flight and ap- 
peasement reactions. Submissive monitors 
may also accede to homosexual mounting 
or courtship behavior, such as back scratch- 
ing. 
For purposes of analysis, an attack was 
considered any aggressive encounter involv- 
ing physical contact. Attacks were not com- 
mon and usually amounted to one individ- 
ual’s biting or attempting to bite another, 
I have no evidence that attacks wore ever 
redirected to smaller individuals lower in 
the hierarchical system. Most attacks were 
precipitated by the close approach of a sub- 
dominant individual to a dominant one, 
rarely the reverse, and then only in courtship. 
Displacements in space and rank at a 
carrion feeding site were the most common 
social interactions observed. Active displace- 
ment in which one monitor’s presenting a 
threat display caused another to move was 
uncommon compared with passive displace- 
ment in which no overt threat was involved. 
In general, smaller individuals simply avoided 
or moved out of the way of an approaching 
larger one (Table 7). There was no correla- 
tion between displacement behavior and sex 
(Table 8). Specimens of equal size and of 
either sex tended to ignore one another unless 
Table 6. Aggressive behavioral categories in Varanus komodoensis. 
Type 
Function 
Remarks 
Territorial 
or 
Dominance 
Repulse potential users of resources claimed 
by one individual. Most commonly the 
resource is carrion prey. 
It is not clear whether V. komodoensis 
exhibits aggressive behavior to repulse 
trespassers. Appeasement displays are 
used by largely females, subadults, 
juveniles, and most transients to 
transmute aggressive displays into 
conciliation. 
Sexual 
Males threaten and attack females for 
mating purposes. This includes scratching, 
biting, chasing, and mounting. 
Males sometimes engage in homosexual 
back scratching, neck biting, chasing, 
and mounting in connection with 
dominance aggression. 
Predator aggression 
Large specimens sometimes attack and kill 
smaller ones, apparently to feed on them. 
Table 7, 
Percent of spacial displacement per interacting size classes (in m) (n=167). 
Size Classes Displaced 
Size Classes Not Displaced 
1.1-1.5 
1.6-2.0 
2.1-2.5 
2.6-3.0 
1.1-1.5 
52(48) 
61(38) 
78(22) 
93(7) 
1.6-2.0 
1(38) 
54(46) 
65(21) 
73(24) 
2.1-2.5 
0(22) 
14(21) 
49(51) 
51(37) 
2.6-3.0 
0(7) 
3(24) 
12(37) 
46(54) 
* Percent of no displacement in either member of pair shown in parentheses. 
