Essential PHP Security

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The animal on the cover of Essential PHP Security is a monitor lizard (Varanus). It is a reptile found in the tropical and arid settings of Africa, Australia, Southern Asia, and the Malay Archipelago. There are approximately 50 species of monitor lizards, which are believed to have evolved from a common ancestor 45 million years ago. Depending on the species, monitors vary in coloring, markings, size, and weight. The largest monitor lizard is the Komodo dragon, which can weigh as much as 364 pounds and be up to 9 feet long. The smallest, the short-tailed monitor, is only around 3 inches long. Monitors are characterized by a flat head with a bony skull, which protects their brains from damage when they swallow their prey whole. Other characteristics include long, sharp claws and knife-like teeth that are curved inward.

Their diet consists of such fare as snails, beetles, grasshoppers, scorpions, crabs, fish, crocodile and bird eggs, and small rodents. Larger monitors will dine on carrion.

The monitor lizard holds its head up, giving it the appearance of being alert. When threatened, it intimidates its predators by inflating its throat and hissing loudly, while contracting its rib cage to make its body appear larger. Typically, a monitor’s ...