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A popular Reddit post of a video posted in mid-August 2022 claimed to show two monitor lizards hugging. Though we want to believe these two lizards found comfort in each other’s arms, our job is to tell the truth. The video, which appears to be authentic, shows the two reptiles wrestling — not hugging. Monitor lizards are beasts known to wrestle one another in competition over food, territory, and potential mates. Similar videos have surfaced on the internet, like the one below that shows a lizard duo standing on two feet, wrapped with the other’s forearms: National Geographic has dubbed such interactions as the lizard version of ‘Clash of the Titans,’ noting that the lizards can wrestle for up to 45 minutes. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission calls monitor lizards fierce wrestling competitions with other males for mating opportunities. Scientific name Varanus, monitor lizards measure from less than a foot long to over 8 feet. The Komodo dragon, which is a type of monitor lizard, is the largest living lizard and can grow to over 300 pounds. Mostly terrestrial, some of these tropical lizards are capable of swimming, according to the Honolulu Zoo. Wrestling can also occur where they will stand on their hind legs and thrash their bodies, sometimes biting and clawing at each other, notes University College London. With long sharp claws and strong jaws, monitor lizards use their tails to intimidate their combatants and are known to wrestle on two feet while hissing loudly, inflating their bodies, and often raising their hind legs just before attacking. Monitor lizards are carnivorous reptiles that live in forests and mangrove swamps, according to the National Parks Board of Singapore. The lizards hunt insects and smaller fish, as well as scavenge food sources. They possess glands that secrete venom used to kill prey, that has a relatively mild effect on humans. The biological database Animal Diversity Web adds:
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