Monitor lizards are generally large reptiles, although some can be as small as 12 centimetres in length. They have long necks, powerful tails and claws, and well-developed limbs. Most species are terrestrial, but arboreal and semi-aquatic monitors are also known. Almost all monitor lizards are carnivorous, although Varanus prasinus and Varanus olivaceus are also known to eat fruit. They are oviparous, laying from 7 to 37 eggs, which they often cover with soil or protect in a hollow tree stump.
Distribution
The various species of Varanus cover a vast area, occurring through Africa, the neat subcontinent from India and Sri Lanka to China, down Southeast Asia to Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea, Australia and islands of the Indian Ocean and South China Sea.
Intelligence
Varanid lizards are very intelligent, and some species can even count. Careful studies feeding V. albigularis at the San Diego Zoo varying numbers of snails showed that they can distinguish numbers up to six. V. niloticus have been observed to cooperate when foraging. One varanid lures the female crocodile away from her nest while the other opens the nest to feed on the eggs. The decoy then returns to also feed on the eggs.[8][7] Komodo dragons, V. komodoensis, at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., recognize their keepers and seem to have distinct personalities.
In captivity
Monitor lizards have become a staple in the reptile pet trade. The most commonly kept monitors are the Savannah monitor and Acklin's monitor, due to their relatively small size, low cost, and relatively calm dispositions. Nile monitors, white throated monitors, water monitors, mangrove monitors, emerald tree monitors, black tree monitors, acanthurus monitors, quince monitors, crocodilemonitors and komodo dragons have also been kept in captivity. Like all reptiles that are kept as pets, monitors need hiding places and an appropriate substrate. Monitors also need a large water dish in which they can soak their entire body.
In the wild, monitors will eat anything they can overpower, but crickets, superworms, and the occasional rodent make up most of the captive monitors' diet. Boiled eggs, silkworms, earthworms, and feeder fish can also be fed to them. However, due to their predatory nature and large size some monitors can be dangerous to keep as pets; adult Nile monitors and water monitors, for example can reach seven feet in length.
Protected status
In Tamil Nadu and all other parts of South India, catching or killing of monitor lizards is banned.
