VIDEO:Acanthurus monitor hunting!

[ecoreef]

Here's my 3 month old acanthurus monitor hunting down some crickets. In the video he's chasing them down, pulling them out of holes in logs, and bringing them to hard surfaces to bash them after he catches them. For us that own chameleons watching monitors hunt is really exciting as it's very different from watching chameleons eat. Monitors are extremely smart and actively search out their prey using their sense of smell/taste. Watching them try and get a bug out of a log or digging it up from under ground you can really see the intellligence in them and when you look them in the eye you can almost see them thinking. It's kinda like what I would imagie it to be like if you looked a velociraptor in the eye. Monitors are amazing creatures. Enjoy!

 

[ataraxia]

Monitors are pretty smart.

Hows the temperament of that species?

 

[ecoreef]

Hasn't bit me yet. I'm working on calming him down for handeling. He's not mean he just constantly tries to run up my arms and stuff when I handle him.

 

[ataraxia]

Double post

 

[ataraxia]

He looks pretty neat. A true hunting machine right there

 

[coldbloodedAL]

Very cool man. Id really like to get myself a green/blue/or black tree monitor one day. They are truly smart reptiles and really fun to watch

 

[ecoreef]

Yeah, I'd also like to get into tree monitors as they are just starting to routinely breed in captivity.

 

[DavidBuchan]

Cool vid, he's a really active little fellow

Watching them try and get a bug out of a log or digging it up from under ground you can really see the intellligence in them and when you look them in the eye you can almost see them thinking. It's kinda like what I would imagie it to be like if you looked a velociraptor in the eye. Monitors are amazing creatures. Enjoy!

Oh yes, very smart animals and I agree it is a whole new different kind of fun watching them hunt.
I spent a good 5 minutes laughing at my Sav recently because she was trying to eat a locust off her own back and couldn't quite reach it
The obvious intelligence just makes it so much funnier when she gets confused............