The rough-necked monitor is a timid reptile, but can be tamed over time. In addition, two or three other species of monitors reach 1.8 metres (5.9 feet). “Monitor lizards are great swimmers, and are known to swim quite long distances with ease, this is part of the reason they have been able to move from location to location.”. Savanna Monitor 3. This lizard is a brown color with yellow spots and a spiny tail. V. olivaceus eats fruits in addition to animal prey, whereas V. bitatawa appears to subsist primarily on fruit. The rough-necked monitor is found in Asia and Indonesia and spends most of its time living in trees. It grows to a length of 40 cm (16 inches). Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The white-throated monitor can be tamed, but is often an unruly lizard. It can be found in Australia, New Guinea, and various islands. Partial fossils of Megalania prisca, an extinct Australian monitor that lived during the Pleistocene Epoch, suggest that it exceeded 7 metres (23 feet) in length and likely weighed nearly 600 kg (about 1,300 pounds). Coauthor of. After the rapid initial growth cycle, monitor lizards typically keep growing at a slowed rate for the next six months, and then they still continue to grow over time, but at a much reduced rate. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. The ridge-tailed monitor can be found in the arid regions of Australia. Monitor lizards are thougth to have orginated in northern Asia, and were thought to have been around at the end of the dinasour*add term periods. The smallest monitor attains a full length of only 20 cm (8 inches); however, several species grow to great size and length. An average rock monitor is between 2 ft 9 and 4 ft 11 inches in length and weighs between 33 to 37 lb. In total there are thought to be over seventy species of monitor lizards which include varients like the Bengal Monitor, the Crocodile Monitor and the Water Monitor. This site uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. monitor lizards give birth like most reptiles through oviparity, which means the mother monitor lizard lays eggs with little development inside their parent. Announcing our NEW encyclopedia for Kids! A native of jungles, the monitor lizard varies widly in size depending on the type, but can grow extermely large and are versatile and adaptive reptiles. The savanna is one of the more common monitors available as a pet and can become quite tame. The Latin family name for the monitor lizard group of reptiles is Varanus genus which is the parent group, but the monitor lizard comes in a variety of styles breeds and classes below this parent classifier. With time, the mangrove monitor can become quite tame. Blue-Tailed Monitor Monitor, (family Varanidae), any lizard of the genera Varanus or Lanthanotus in the family Varanidae. The rock monitor is the largest lizard in Africa, it is found in South, East, and Central Africa. The HP OMEN 25-inch gaming monitor is a good example of a budget-level gaming monitor that is … This intruiging reptile comes in a variety of types and can live to ripe old ages and grow to a truly giant size. The Timor monitor can be found in Australia, New Guinea, and Indonesia. A large Asian water monitor was found at a size of five feet four inches long, making it among the bigger sizes found for this class. It often reaches a length of five feet and is usually a gray or dull yellow color. It’s quite common for the bigger monitor lizard classes to reach sizes of up to six feet. It can grow to be over six feet long and is usually a dark gray color with dark bands on the tail. Fossils from Cretaceous of North America. The monitor lizard is a strong and powerful reptile, with a long body, an elongated neck and a tail that makes up a large portion of their overall size.
A native of jungles, the monitor lizard varies widly in size depending on the type, but can grow extermely large and are versatile and adaptive reptiles. The fertilisation process as with most other land dwellers occurs before the eggs are layed, and typically the mother will lay anything from five to thirty eggs. The tail is laterally compressed and has a dorsal keel. The ornate monitor is from the forests of Africa. The water monitor (, Varanidae (monitor lizards) This lizard may spend its time in trees, on the ground, and in the water. You can currently find members of the monitor lizard family living in Australasian, Asia and Africa.