Crocodile Monitor

Varanus salvadorii

Reptile

Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’ll be talking about crocodile monitors. To stay up to date on new animal content please be sure to subscribe to the channel! Crocodile monitors were suggested by Common Sense. Thank you for this awesome suggestion!

The scientific name of crocodile monitors is Varanus salvadorii. They are sometimes confused with Asian water monitors because they have similar sounding scientific names (V. salvator), but they are separate species’. In fact, crocodile monitors are the only species belonging to the Papusaurus subgenus. Crocodile monitors are found on the island of New Guinea though the extent of their range is unknown due to lack of study. While komodo dragons are widely accepted as the largest lizards in the world, crocodile monitors are generally believed to be the longest. They have reached documented lengths of over 11 feet (3.35m) but there are claims that they’ve measured more than 14 feet (4.27m). Either way, that’s still almost as long as a car. Of course, most of their length can be attributed to their tails which are more than double the length of their bodies. They use their tails as a whip to help with defense as well as a grip while climbing in the rainforest and mangrove trees in which they live. That’s right - crocodile monitors are largely arboreal meaning they spend a lot of time above the ground. It might seem like an odd place for the longest lizard in the world, but to them it’s home with some people going so far as to call them tree crocodiles. Though, their similarities to crocodiles stop pretty much at the name.

Typically, crocodile monitors don’t weigh any more than 200 pounds (90.72kg) and they have a distinctly blunt snout. Their teeth are straight which is atypical for monitor lizards who usually have curved teeth meant for holding prey. The crocodile monitor’s straight teeth help for tearing into meals, and they eat birds, eggs, rodents, reptiles, and any dead animals they happen to come across. In color they appear almost black but also sport bright spots of white, green, or yellow. Their necks are flabby with lots of folds and they have forked tongues. Monitor lizards are actually one of only two groups of reptiles that have forked tongues, and I’m guessing you probably already know the other group.

Since crocodile monitors are basically the top predators both literally and figuratively, their largest threats are humans. Habitat loss as well as the pet trade could be impacting their numbers in the wild though this isn’t confirmed as they have not been extensively observed in the wild. However, they are listed as an Appendix II species on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora which basically means that any buying or selling of crocodile monitors is closely regulated to make sure that this trading is in no way hurting the survival of the species. That might sounds like a lot of jargon but we thought it was pretty cool. If you haven’t checked out the CITES website, we would recommend taking a peek. we’ll add a link in the description! (#notsponsered)

When it comes to mating, very little is known about wild crocodile monitor rituals. In captivity they have been bred successfully though this is relatively rare. Like most monitor lizards the males will likely compete for female affections, and once they have won they will mate if the female allows it. This process can be pretty brutal and actually leave the female with bite wounds on her neck. The female will lay a clutch of roughly ten eggs after about three to four months, and larger females may produce larger clutches. In captivity it has been observed that the eggs will hatch after about a month of incubation. The babies will mature until they reach two years of age at which point they are ready to mate, as well. Crocodile monitors can live upwards of twenty years in captivity, but we don’t know their lifespan in the wild.

Crocodile monitors are hunted by people indigenous to where these lizards live. They are considered by these people to be evil tree spirits who walk upright and breath fire. Almost sounds like a dragon, don’t you think?

For more facts on crocodile monitors check out the links in the description. Did you know this was the longest species of lizard? Let us know in the comments! Be sure to give a thumbs up for more animal facts and we’ll see you next time on Animal Fact Files.