Monitor lizard

The generic name Varanus is derived from the Arabic word {{lang|ar|ورل}} waral [Standard Arabic] / {{lang|ar|ورر}} warar [colloquially] / {{lang|ar|ورن}} waran [colloquially], from a common Semitic root ouran, waran, warar or waral, meaning "lizard beast".{{cite book |author=Robert George Sprackland |title=Giant lizards |publisher=T.F.H. Publications |location=Neptune, NJ |year=1992 |pages= 61 |isbn=0-86622-634-6}}

In English, they are known as "monitors" or "monitor lizards". The earlier term "monitory lizard" became rare by about 1920.[https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=monitory+lizard%2F%28monitory+lizard%2Bmonitor+lizard%29&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2C%28monitory%20lizard%20/%20%28monitory%20lizard%20%2B%20monitor%20lizard%29%29%3B%2Cc0 Google ngrams] The name may have been suggested by the occasional habit of varanids to stand on their two hind legs and to appear to "monitor", or perhaps from their supposed habit of "warning people of the approach of venomous animals".Horatio Nelson, Matthew Henry Barker, The Life of Nelson Revised and Illustrated. With Original Anecdotes, Notes, Etc. By the Old Sailor, 1836 [https://books.google.com/books?id=PapWAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA35 p. 35] But all of these explanations for the name "monitor" postdate Linnaeus giving the scientific name Lacerta monitor to the Nile monitor in 1758, which may have been based on a mistaken idea by Linnaeus that the German word Waran (borrowed from Arabic) was connected to warnen (to warn), leading him to incorrectly Latinize it as monitor ('warner', 'adviser').{{cite book |author=Heinrich Zimmern |title=Akkadische Fremdwörter als Beweis für babylonischen Kultureinfluss |language=German |type=Thesis |publisher=Universität Leipzig |year=1915 |pages=52 |oclc=697605207}}

Austronesian languages spoken across Southeast Asia, where varanids are common, have a large number of slightly related local names for them. They are usually known as biawak (Malay, including Indonesian standard variety), bayawak (Filipino), binjawak or minjawak or nyambik (Javanese), or variations thereof.{{cite web|url=https://acd.clld.org/cognatesets/25202#4/4.56/109.28|title=*bayawak: monitor lizard, Varanus spp. (esp. V. salvator)|last1=Blust|first1=Robert|last2=Trussel|first2=Stephen|website=Austronesian Comparative Dictionary|date=2010|publisher=Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology|access-date=January 30, 2022}} Other names include hokai (Solomon Islands); bwo, puo, or soa (Maluku); halo (Cebu); galuf or kaluf (Micronesia and the Caroline Islands); batua or butaan (Luzon); alu (Bali); hora or ghora (Komodo group of islands); phut (Burmese); and guibang (Manobo).{{cite journal|author=Mark K. Bayless|year=2004|title=The local names of Pacific monitor lizards (Sauria: Varanidae) of Oceania & Indo-Malaysia, excluding Australia|journal=Micronesia|volume=37|issue=1|pages=49–55|url=http://www.uog.edu/up/micronesica/dynamicdata/assetmanager/images/vol37/49-55%20bayless%2037%281%29.pdf}}{{cite journal|author=Maren Gaulke|year=1992|title=Taxonomy and biology of Philippine water monitors (Varanus salvator)|journal=The Philippine Journal of Science|volume=121|issue=4|pages=345–381|url=http://scinet.dost.gov.ph/union/UploadFiles/download.php?b=Pages%20from%20PJS%20vol%20121(4)_66870.pdf&f=../Downloads/Pages%20from%20PJS%20vol%20121(4)_66870.pdf&t=application/pdf|archive-date=2021-08-01|access-date=2013-11-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801134103/http://scinet.dost.gov.ph/union/UploadFiles/download.php?b=Pages%20from%20PJS%20vol%20121(4)_66870.pdf&f=../Downloads/Pages%20from%20PJS%20vol%20121(4)_66870.pdf&t=application/pdf|url-status=dead}}

In South Asia, they are known as {{transliteration|mni|hangkok}} in Meitei, mwpou in Boro, {{transliteration|mr|ghorpad}} घोरपड in Marathi, {{transliteration|ta|uḍumbu}} உடும்பு in Tamil and udumbu ഉടുമ്പ് in Malayalam, {{transliteration|bho|bilgoh}} in Bhojpuri, gohi (गोहि) in Maithili, in Sinhala as තලගොයා / කබරගොයා ({{transliteration|si|talagoya [land monitor] / kabaragoya [water monitor where kabara means vitiligo] }}), in Telugu as uḍumu (ఉడుము), in Kannada as {{transliteration|mni|uḍa}} (ಉಡ), in Punjabi and Magahi as गोह (goh), in Assamese as gui xaap, in Odia as ଗୋଧି (godhi), and in Bengali as গোসাপ ({{transliteration|bn|goshaap}}) or গুইসাপ ({{transliteration|bn|guishaap}}), and गोह (goh) in Hindi and गोधा (godhā) in Sanskrit.{{Cite book |last1=Turner |first1=Ralph Lilley |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/app/soas_query.py?qs=g%C5%8Ddh%C4%81%CC%81&searchhws=yes&matchtype=exact |title=A comparative dictionary of the Indo-Aryan languages |last2=Turner |first2=Dorothy Rivers |date=1966 |publisher=Oxford university press |isbn=978-0-19-713550-1 |location=London |chapter=#4286}}

The West African Nile monitor is known by several names in Yoruba, including {{transliteration|yo|awọ́nríwọ́n}}, {{transliteration|yo|awọ̀n}}, and {{transliteration|yo|àlégbà}}. In SererKesteloot, Lilyan, Dieux d'eau du Sahel: Voyage à travers les mythes de Seth à Tyamaba. Editions L'Harmattan, 2007, p. 11, {{ISBN|9782296185067}} [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=WLqP6YqEVZoC&pg=PA11#v=onepage&q&f=false] (accessed 27 March 2025) and amongst the Wolofized-Serers of Kaolack, it is known as mbossé (or mboose in Serer) or bar in Wolof (pronounced barrr with a long "R"). Mbossé is the tutelary and traditional totem of the city of Kaolack, (formerly part of the Serer precolionial Kingdom of Saloum, now part of modern-day Senegal).{{cite book| last1 = Kesteloot| first1 = Lilyan | last2 = Veirman| first2 = Anja| author-link = | date = 1999| title = Histoire d'Afrique : les enjeux de mémoire|chapter = Un lieu de mémoire sans stèle et sans visite guidée : le culte du Mboose à Kaolack (Sénégal)| chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/histoiredafrique0000unse/page/83/mode/1up| location = Paris| publisher = Karthala| page = 83-91| isbn = 9782865379040 |language = French}} The mbossé is also one of the totems of the noble Joof family born of Guelwar matrilineage,Diop, Cheikh Anta, The Cultural Unity of Black Africa: The Domains of Patriarchy and of Matriarchy in Classical Antiquity. Third World Press, 1978, p. 190, {{ISBN|9780883780497}} which is one of the many Serer maternal clans. The mbossé or mbosseh (in Gambian English) is one of the Serer religious festivals,{{in lang|fr}} Niang, Mor Sadio, [in] Ethiopiques numéro 31" - révue socialiste de culture négro-africaine 3e trimestre, IFAN, (1982) [http://ethiopiques.refer.sn/spip.php?article905] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224154807/http://ethiopiques.refer.sn/spip.php?article905|date=24 December 2013}}. and should not be confused with the mythical and sacred tree mbos―enshrined in Serer religion and Serer cosmogony―where the mbossé (the lizard) takes its name.

Due to confusion with the large New World lizards of the family Iguanidae, the lizards became known as "goannas" in Australia. Similarly, in South African English, they are referred to as leguaans, or likkewaans, from the Dutch term for the Iguanidae, leguanen.

The various species cover a vast area, occurring through Africa, the Indian subcontinent, to China, the Ryukyu Islands in southern Japan, south to Southeast Asia to Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea, Australia, and islands of the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. They have also been introduced outside of their natural range, for instance, the West African Nile monitor is now found in South Florida.{{cite magazine |last=Yong |first= Ed |date= 20 April 2016 |title= Florida's Dragon Problem |url= https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/04/the-past-and-future-of-floridas-dragon-problem/478905/ |magazine= The Atlantic |access-date=}} Monitor lizards also occurred widely in Europe in the Neogene, with the last known remains in the region dating to the Middle Pleistocene.{{Cite journal|last1=L|first1=Georgalis Georgios|last2=Andrea|first2=Villa|last3=Massimo|first3=Delfino|date=4 March 2017|title=The last European varanid: demise and extinction of monitor lizards (Squamata, Varanidae) from Europe|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2017.1301946|journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology|volume=37|issue=2|pages=e1301946|doi=10.1080/02724634.2017.1301946|bibcode=2017JVPal..37E1946G |issn=0272-4634|hdl=2318/1635702|s2cid=90865661|hdl-access=free}}

Most monitor lizards are almost entirely carnivorous,{{cite book|last1=Pianka|first1=Eric R.|last2=King|first2=Dennis R|last3=King|first3=Ruth Allen|title=Varanoid Lizards of the World|date=2004|publisher=Indiana University Press|location=Bloomington, Indiana}} consuming prey as varied as insects, crustaceans, arachnids, myriapods, molluscs, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Most species feed on invertebrates as juveniles and shift to feeding on vertebrates as adults. Deer make up about 50% of the diet of adult Komodo dragons, the largest monitor species.{{cite book|last1=Auffenberg|first1=Walter|title=The Behavioral Ecology of the Komodo Monitor|date=1981|publisher=University Press of Florida}} In contrast, three arboreal species from the Philippines, Varanus bitatawa, mabitang, and olivaceus, are primarily fruit eaters.{{cite book | last = Greene | first = Harry W. | title = Diet and Arboreality in the Emerald Monitor, Varanus Prasinus, with Comments on the Study of Adaptation | publisher = Field Museum of Natural History | location=Chicago | date = 1986 | oclc = 14915452 | ol = 7155983M }}{{cite journal |last1=Welton |first1=L. J. |last2=Siler |first2=C. D. |last3=Bennett |first3=D. |last4=Diesmos |first4=A. |last5=Duya |first5=M. R. |last6=Dugay|first6=R.|last7=Rico|first7=E. L. B. |last8=Van Weerd |first8=M. |last9=Brown|first9=R. M.|title=A spectacular new Philippine monitor lizard reveals a hidden biogeographic boundary and a novel flagship species for conservation |journal=Biology Letters |volume=6 |issue=5 |year=2010 |pages=654–658 |doi=10.1098/rsbl.2010.0119 |pmid=20375042 |pmc=2936141}}{{cite journal|last1=Struck|first1=U|last2=Altenbach|first2=AV|last3=Gaulke|first3=M|last4=F|first4=Glaw|title=Tracing the diet of the monitor lizard Varanus mabitang by stable isotope analyses (d15N, d13C)|journal=Naturwissenschaften|date=2002|volume=89|issue=10|pages=470–473|doi=10.1007/s00114-002-0361-8|pmid=12384723|s2cid=12091969}}

Monitor lizards are considered unique among animals in that its members are relatively morphologically conservative, yet show a very large size range.{{cite journal|author=Pianka, E.R. |title= Evolution of Body Size: Varanid Lizards as a Model System|journal= The American Naturalist|volume= 146|issue= 3|pages= 398–414|doi=10.1086/285806|url=http://www.zo.utexas.edu/courses/THOC/BodySize.pdf|year= 1995|bibcode= 1995ANat..146..398P|s2cid= 85237692}} However, finer morphological features such as the shape of the skull and limbs do vary, and are strongly related to the ecology of each species.{{cite journal|doi= 10.1371/journal.pone.0130625

|pmid= 26106889

|title= The Relationship between Cranial Structure, Biomechanical Performance and Ecological Diversity in Varanoid Lizards

|journal= PLOS ONE

|volume= 10

|issue= 6

|pages= e0130625

|year= 2015

|last1= McCurry

|first1= Matthew R.

|last2= Mahony

|first2= Michael

|last3= Clausen

|first3= Phillip D.

|last4= Quayle

|first4= Michelle R.

|last5= Walmsley

|first5= Christopher W.

|last6= Jessop

|first6= Tim S.

|last7= Wroe

|first7= Stephen

|last8= Richards

|first8= Heather

|last9= McHenry

|first9= Colin R.

|pmc=4479569

|bibcode= 2015PLoSO..1030625M

|doi-access= free

}}{{cite journal|doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2009.00559.x|title=Evolutionary relationships of sprint speed in Australian varanid lizards|journal=Journal of Zoology|volume=278|issue=4|pages=270–280|year=2009|last1=Clemente|first1=C. J.|last2=Thompson|first2=G. G.|last3=Withers|first3=P. C.|doi-access=free}}

Monitor lizards maintain large territories and employ active-pursuit hunting techniques that are reminiscent of similar-sized mammals.King, D., Green, B., Knight, F. (1999). Monitors: The Biology of Varanid Lizards. Florida. Krieger Publishing Company. The active nature of monitor lizards has led to numerous studies on the metabolic capacities of these lizards. The general consensus is that monitor lizards have the highest standard metabolic rates of all extant reptiles.Pianka, E.R., Vitt, L.J. (2003). Lizards: Windows to the Evolution of Diversity. California. University of California Press.

Like snakes, monitor lizards have highly forked tongues that act as part of the "smell" sense, where the tips of the tongue carry molecules from the environment to sensory organs in the skull. The forked apparatus allows for these lizards to sense boundaries in the molecules they collect, almost smelling in "stereo".{{Cite journal |last=Sack |first=Jeffrey D. |date=2022-08-01 |title=True Facts: Snake and Lizard Tongues |url=https://online.ucpress.edu/abt/article/84/6/378/189894/True-Facts-Snake-and-Lizard-Tongues |journal=The American Biology Teacher |language=en |volume=84 |issue=6 |pages=378 |doi=10.1525/abt.2022.84.6.378 |s2cid=251407423 |issn=0002-7685|doi-access=free }}

Monitor lizards have a high aerobic scope{{cite journal|vauthors=Wood SC, Johansen K, Glass ML, ((Maloiy GMO)) |title= Aerobic Metabolism of the Lizard Varanus exanthematicus: Effects of Activity, Temperature, and Size|journal= Journal of Comparative Physiology B|volume= 127|issue= 4|pages= 331–336|doi=10.1007/BF00738417|year= 1978|s2cid= 19320799}} that is afforded, in part, by their heart anatomy. Whereas most reptiles are considered to have three-chambered hearts, the hearts of monitor lizards – as with those of boas and pythons – have a well developed ventricular septum that completely separates the pulmonary and systemic sides of the circulatory system during systole.{{cite journal|vauthors=Wang T, Altimiras J, Klein W, Axelsson M |title= Ventricular Haemodynamics in Python molurus: Separation of Pulmonary and Systemic Pressures|journal= The Journal of Experimental Biology|volume= 206|issue= Pt 23|pages= 4241–5|pmid=14581594|year= 2003|doi=10.1242/jeb.00681 |doi-access= free|bibcode= 2003JExpB.206.4241W}} This allows monitor lizards to create mammalian-equivalent pressure differentials between the pulmonary and systemic circuits, which in turn ensure that oxygenated blood is quickly distributed to the body without also flooding the lungs with high-pressure blood.

Monitor lizards are oviparous, laying from seven to 38 eggs,https://indonesiaindonesia.com/f/37477-sejarah-pulau-komodo/ (in Indonesian) which they often cover with soil or protect in a hollow tree stump. Some species, including the Komodo dragon, are capable of parthenogenesis.{{cite journal |last=Smith |first=Kerri |year=2006 |title=Dragon virgin births startle zoo keepers |url=http://www.nature.com/news/2006/061218/full/061218-7.html |journal=Nature |doi=10.1038/news061218-7 |s2cid=191590714 |access-date=2006-12-20 |doi-access=free}}

Anatomical and molecular studies indicate that most if not all varanids are venomous.

{{cite journal |vauthors=Fry BG, Wroe S, Teeuwisse W, van Osch JP, Moreno K, Ingle J, McHenry C, Ferrara T, Clausen P, Scheib H, Winter KL, Greisman L, Roelants K, van der Weerd L, Clemente CJ, Giannakis E, Hodgson WC, Luz S, Martelli P, Krishnasamy K, Kochva E, Kwok HF, Scanlon D, Karas J, Citron DM, Goldstein EJ, Mcnaughtan JE, Norman JA |date=June 2009 |title= A central role for venom in predation by Varanus komodoensis (Komodo dragon) and the extinct giant Varanus (Megalania) priscus. |journal= PNAS |volume= 106 |pages= 8969–8974 |doi = 10.1073/pnas.0810883106 |pmid = 19451641 |issue = 22 |pmc = 2690028|bibcode=2009PNAS..106.8969F |doi-access=free }}

{{cite journal |vauthors=Fry BG, Vidal N, Norman JA, Vonk FJ, Scheib H, Ramjan SF, Kuruppu S, Fung K, Hedges B, Richardson MK, Hodgson WC, Ignjatovic V, Summerhays R, Kochva E |date=February 2006 |title= Early evolution of the venom system in lizards and snakes |journal= Nature |volume= 439 |pages= 584–588 |doi = 10.1038/nature04328 |pmid = 16292255 |issue = 7076|bibcode=2006Natur.439..584F |s2cid=4386245 }} Unlike snakes, monitor lizard venom glands are situated in their lower jaw.{{Cite journal |last1=Fry |first1=Bryan G. |last2=Wroe |first2=Stephen |last3=Teeuwisse |first3=Wouter |last4=van Osch |first4=Matthias J. P. |last5=Moreno |first5=Karen |last6=Ingle |first6=Janette |last7=McHenry |first7=Colin |last8=Ferrara |first8=Toni |last9=Clausen |first9=Phillip |last10=Scheib |first10=Holger |last11=Winter |first11=Kelly L. |last12=Greisman |first12=Laura |last13=Roelants |first13=Kim |last14=van der Weerd |first14=Louise |last15=Clemente |first15=Christofer J. |date=2009-06-02 |title=A central role for venom in predation by Varanus komodoensis (Komodo Dragon) and the extinct giant Varanus ( Megalania ) priscus |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |language=en |volume=106 |issue=22 |pages=8969–8974 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0810883106 |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=2690028 |pmid=19451641 |bibcode=2009PNAS..106.8969F |doi-access=free }} The venom of monitor lizards is diverse and complex, as a result of the diverse ecological niches monitor lizards occupy.{{Cite journal|last1=Dobson|first1=James S.|last2=Zdenek|first2=Christina N.|last3=Hay|first3=Chris|last4=Violette|first4=Aude|last5=Fourmy|first5=Rudy|last6=Cochran|first6=Chip|last7=Fry|first7=Bryan G.|date=May 2019|title=Varanid Lizard Venoms Disrupt the Clotting Ability of Human Fibrinogen through Destructive Cleavage|journal=Toxins|language=en|volume=11|issue=5|pages=255|doi=10.3390/toxins11050255|pmid=31067768|pmc=6563220|doi-access=free}}

For example, many species have anticoagulant venom, disrupting clotting through a combination of fibrinogenolysis and blocking platelet aggregation. Amongst them, arboreal species, such as the tree monitors and the banded monitor, have by far the strongest fibrinogenolytic venom. As a result, wounds from monitor lizard bites often bleed more than they would if they were simply lacerations. Venom may also cause hypotension.{{Cite journal |last1=Dobson |first1=James S. |last2=Zdenek |first2=Christina N. |last3=Hay |first3=Chris |last4=Violette |first4=Aude |last5=Fourmy |first5=Rudy |last6=Cochran |first6=Chip |last7=Fry |first7=Bryan G. |date=2019-05-07 |title=Varanid Lizard Venoms Disrupt the Clotting Ability of Human Fibrinogen through Destructive Cleavage |journal=Toxins |language=en |volume=11 |issue=5 |pages=255 |doi=10.3390/toxins11050255 |issn=2072-6651 |pmc=6563220 |pmid=31067768 |doi-access=free }}

In some species such as the Komodo dragon and the desert monitor, venom also induces a powerful neurotoxic effect. In the latter species for instance, envenomation causes immediate paralysis in rodents (but not birds) and lesser effects of the same nature in humans.{{Cite journal |last=Zima |first=Yuliya |date=December 2019 |title=On the Toxicity of the Bite of the Caspian Gray Monitor Lizard (Varanus griseus caspius) |journal=Biawak |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=115–118 |via=ResearchGate}}

{{See also|Animal cognition}}

File:Monitor lizard at Kaziranga National Park.jpg

At least some species of monitors are known to be able to count; studies feeding rock monitors varying numbers of snails showed that they can distinguish numbers up to six.King, Dennis & Green, Brian. 1999. Goannas: The Biology of Varanid Lizards. University of New South Wales Press. {{ISBN|0-86840-456-X}}, p. 43.Pianka, E.R.; King, D.R. and King, R.A. (2004). Varanoid Lizards of the World. Indiana University Press. Nile monitors have been observed to cooperate when foraging; one animal 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. Komodo dragons at the National Zoo in Washington, DC, recognize their keepers and seem to have distinct personalities. Blue and green tree monitors in British zoos have been observed shredding leaves, apparently as a form of play.{{ cite journal | title=Play behaviour by captive tree monitors, Varanus macraei and Varanus prasinus | last1=Kane | first1=D | last2=Davis | first2=AC | last3=Michaels |first3=C | journal=Herpetological Bulletin | issue=149 | pages=28–31 | year=2019 |doi=10.33256/hb149.2831| doi-access=free }}

Komodo Dragon mothers have been known to dig small mazes underground to protect their eggs.

File:Dada Panchal with monitor lizard 6 x 4.JPG being nursed at the Lok Biradari Prakalp in India]]

Monitor lizards have become a staple in the reptile pet trade. The most commonly kept monitors are the savannah monitor and Ackie dwarf monitor, due to their relatively small size, low cost, and relatively calm dispositions with regular handling. Among others, black-throated, Timor, Asian water, Nile, mangrove, emerald tree, black tree, roughneck, Dumeril's, peach-throated, crocodile, and Argus monitors have been kept in captivity.

Monitor lizards are poached in some South- and Southeast Asian countries, as their organs and fat are used in some traditional medicines, although there is no scientific evidence as to their effectiveness.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/wildlife-watch-india-monitor-lizard-poaching-plant-root-hatha-jodi|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303205156/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/wildlife-watch-india-monitor-lizard-poaching-plant-root-hatha-jodi|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 3, 2021|title=How Lizard Genitalia Became a Black Market Craze|website=National Geographic Society |date=7 July 2017}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/lifestyle/pets-and-environment/040717/visakhapatnam-monsoon-activates-monitor-lizard-poaching.html|title = Visakhapatnam: Monsoon activates monitor lizard poaching|date = 4 July 2017}}

Monitor lizard meat, particularly the tongue and liver, is eaten in parts of India and Malaysia and is supposed to be an aphrodisiac.{{ cite journal | title=Case series of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis from South India | last1=Parameswaran | first1=K | journal=Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology | volume=9 | issue=4 | pages=217–222 | year=2006 |doi=10.4103/0972-2327.29203| doi-access=free }}[http://themalaysianlife.blogspot.com/2009/04/eating-biawak.html Eating Biawak]. The Malaysian Life (April 2009)

In parts of Pakistan, southern India, and northeastern India (particularly Assam), the different parts of monitor lizards are traditionally used for treating rheumatic pain, skin infections, and hemorrhoids. Oil processed from monitors is used as an aphrodisiac lubricant called sande ka tel.{{ cite journal | last1=Hashmi | first1=M. Usman Ali | last2=Khan | first2=M. Zaheer | last3=Amtyaz | last4=Huda | first4=Nawaz Ul | title=Current Status, Distribution and Threats of Varanus Species (Varanus bengalensis & Varanus griseus) in Karachi & Thatta of Sindh | journal=International Journal of Fauna and Biological Studies | volume=1 | issue=1 | pages=34–38 | issn=2347-2677 | publisher=AkiNik Publications | url=http://www.faunajournal.com/vol1Issue1/Issue_oct_2013/8.1.pdf | access-date=12 December 2013 }}

Consuming raw blood and flesh of monitor lizards has been reported to cause eosinophilic meningoencephalitis, as some monitors are hosts for the parasitic nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis.

"Large-scale exploitation" of monitor lizards is undertaken for their skins, which are described as being "of considerable utility" in the leather industry. In Papua New Guinea, monitor lizard leather is used for membranes in traditional drums (called kundu), and these lizards are referred to as kundu palai or "drum lizard" in Tok Pisin, the main Papuan trade language. Monitor lizard skins are prized in making the resonant part of serjas (Bodo folk sarangis) and dotaras (native strummed string instruments of Assam, Bengal and other eastern states). The leather is also used in making a Carnatic music percussion instrument called the kanjira.

The meat of monitor lizards is eaten by some tribes in India,{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/1170108/jsp/7days/story_129083.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812181533/https://www.telegraphindia.com/1170108/jsp/7days/story_129083.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 12, 2018 |title=Meats We Also Eat |newspaper=The Telegraph India |date=2017-01-08 |access-date=2018-08-12 |language=en }} Nepal,{{cite journal|vauthors=Ghimire HR, Phuyal S, Shah KB |title=Protected species outside the protected areas: People's attitude, threats and conservation of the Yellow Monitor (Varanus flavescens) in the Far-western Lowlands of Nepal|journal=Journal for Nature Conservation|volume=22|issue=6|pages=497–503|doi=10.1016/j.jnc.2014.08.003|year=2014|bibcode=2014JNatC..22..497G }} the Philippines, Australia, South Africa, and West Africa as a supplemental meat source.{{citation needed |date=December 2013}} Both meat and eggs are also eaten in Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Thailand as a delicacy.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOBq37xAsVc| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211107/XOBq37xAsVc| archive-date=2021-11-07 | url-status=live|title=Eating a DINOSAUR in Asia!!! RARE Mekong Delta Food you will only find here!|first=Sonny|last=Side|date=5 June 2019|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}

According to IUCN Red List of threatened species, most of the monitor lizards species fall in the categories of least concern, but the population is decreasing globally. All but five species of monitor lizards are classified by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora under Appendix II, which is loosely defined as species that are not necessarily threatened with extinction but may become so unless trade in such species is subject to strict regulation to avoid use incompatible with the survival of the species in the wild. The remaining five species – the Bengal, yellow, desert, and clouded monitors and the Komodo Dragon– are classified under CITES Appendix I, which outlaws international commercial trade in the species.{{Cite web

|url=http://www.asean-wen.org/index.php?option=com_docman&Itemid=80

|title=Identification Guides for Wildlife Traded in Southeast Asia

|publisher=ASEAN-WEN

|year=2008

|access-date=2011-09-28

|archive-date=2016-04-12

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412165446/http://www.asean-wen.org/index.php?option=com_docman&Itemid=80

|url-status=dead

}}

The yellow monitor is protected in all countries in its range except Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.{{cite journal|vauthors=Ghimire HR, Shah KB |year=2014|title= Status and habitat ecology of the Yellow Monitor, Varanus flavescens, in the Southeastern part of Kanchanpur District, Nepal|journal= Herpetological Conservation and Biology|volume= 9|issue=2|pages= 387–393|url=http://www.herpconbio.org/Volume_9/Issue_2/Ghimire_Shah_2014.pdf}}

In Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana and all other parts of South India, catching or killing of monitor lizards is banned under the Protected Species Act.

File:Varanus priscus Melbourne Museum.jpg (Varanus priscus)]]

Varanus is the only living genus of the family Varanidae. Varanids last shared a common ancestor with their closest living relatives, earless "monitors", during the Late Cretaceous. The oldest known varanids are from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia. During the Eocene, the varanid Saniwa occurred in North America. The closest known relative of Varanus is Archaeovaranus from the Eocene of China, suggesting that the genus Varanus is of Asian origin. The oldest fossils of Varanus date to the early Miocene.{{Cite journal |last1=Dong |first1=Liping |last2=Wang |first2=Yuan-Qing |last3=Zhao |first3=Qi |last4=Vasilyan |first4=Davit |last5=Wang |first5=Yuan |last6=Evans |first6=Susan E. |date=2022-03-28 |title=A new stem-varanid lizard (Reptilia, Squamata) from the early Eocene of China |journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=377 |issue=1847 |pages=20210041 |doi=10.1098/rstb.2021.0041 |pmc=8819366 |pmid=35125002 }}

Many of the species within the various subgenera also form species complexes with each other:

Euprepriosaurus

• V. indicus species complex (V. indicus, V. cerambonensis, V. caerulivirens, V. colei, V. obor, V. lirugensis, V. rainerguentheri, V. zugorum){{Cite web|url=http://www.cites.org/eng/notif/1997/964.shtml|title=Recommendations of the Nomenclature Committee|date=1997-03-07|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080518210428/http://www.cites.org/eng/notif/1997/964.shtml|archive-date=2008-05-18}}{{Cite journal|last=Böhme|first=Wolfgang|date=2019-11-23|title=The Kei Islands Monitor Lizard (Squamata: Varanidae: Varanus: Euprepiosaurus) as a Distinct Morphological, Taxonomic, and Conservation Unit|journal=Russian Journal of Herpetology|volume=26|issue=5|pages=272–280|doi=10.30906/1026-2296-2019-26-5-272-280|s2cid=213867767 }}

• V. doreanus species complex (V. doreanus, V. finschi, V. semotus, V. yuwonoi)
• V. jobiensis species complex (V. jobiensis)

Odatria

• V. acanthurus species complex (V. acanthurus, V. baritji, V. primordius, V. storri)
• V. timorensis species complex (V. timorensis, V. auffenbergi, V. scalaris, V. similis, V. tristis)

Varanus

• V. gouldii species complex (V. gouldii, V. rosenbergi, V. panoptes)

Polydaedalus

• V. exanthematicus species complex (V. exanthematicus, V. albigularis, V. yemenensis)
• V. niloticus species complex (V. niloticus, V. stellatus)

Empagusia

• V. bengalensis species complex (V. bengalensis, V. nebulosus)

Soterosaurus

• V. salvator species complex (V. salvator, V. cumingi, V. nuchalis, V. togianus, V. marmoratus){{Cite journal|last=BÖHME|first=WOLFGANG|date=2003|title=Checklist of the living lizards of the world (family Varanidae)|journal= Zool. Verh. Leiden |volume=341|url=http://www.repository.naturalis.nl/document/46740}}{{Cite journal|last=Koch|first=Andre|date=2010|title=Updated checklist of the living monitor lizards of the world (Squamata: Varanidae)|journal=Bonn Zoological Bulletin|volume=57|pages=127–136}}{{Cite journal|last=Koch|first=Andre|date=2010-05-06|title=Unravelling The Underestimated Diversity Of Philippine Water Monitor Lizards (Squamata: Varanus Salvator Complex), With The Description Of Two New Species And A New Subspecies|journal=Zootaxa|volume=2446|pages=1–54|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.2446.1.1}}{{Cite journal|last=Mendyk|first=Robert|date=2018|title=An Annotated Bibliography of Captive Reproduction in Monitor Lizards (Varanidae: Varanus). Part III. Soterosaurus|journal=Biawak|volume=12}}

The tree monitors of the V. prasinus species complex (V. prasinus, V. beccarii, V. boehmei, V. bogerti, V. keithhornei, V. kordensis, V. macraei, V. reisingeri, V. telenesetes) were once in the subgenus Euprepriosaurus, but as of 2016, form their own subgenus Hapturosaurus.{{Cite journal|last=Weijola|first=Valter|date=2019-03-14|title=A molecular phylogeny for the Pacific monitor lizards (Varanus subgenus Euprepiosaurus) reveals a recent and rapid radiation with high levels of cryptic diversity|journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society|volume=186|issue=4|pages=1053–1066|doi=10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz002}}

V. jobiensis was once considered to be a member of the V. indicus species complex, but is now considered to represent its own species complex.

File:Iguana and Indian monitor lizard.jpg (V. bengalensis) with green iguana (Iguana iguana)]]

File:Dumeril's Monitor Lizard (Varanus dumerilii) (Photo by Xavier MALLERET) (24237560651).jpg)]]

Genus Varanus

:Species marked with {{extinct}} are extinct

• {{extinct}}V. bolkayi{{Cite book |last=Molnar |first=Ralph E. |title=Varanoid Lizards of the World |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-253-34366-6 |editor-last=Pianka |editor-first=Eric R. |chapter=The Long and Honorable History of Monitors and their Kin |editor-last2=King |editor-first2=Dennis R. |editor-last3=King |editor-first3=Ruth Allen}}
• {{extinct}}V. darevskii{{Cite book |last1=Pianka |first1=Eric R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0e3OuHRRoIQC |title=Varanoid Lizards of the World |last2=King |first2=Dennis |last3=King |first3=Ruth Allen |date=2004 |publisher=Indiana University Press |isbn=978-0-253-34366-6 |pages=40, 106 |language=en}}{{Cite journal |last1=Villa |first1=Andrea |last2=Abella |first2=Juan |last3=Alba |first3=David M. |last4=Almécija |first4=Sergio |last5=Bolet |first5=Arnau |last6=Koufos |first6=George D. |last7=Knoll |first7=Fabien |last8=Luján |first8=Àngel H. |last9=Morales |first9=Jorge |last10=Robles |first10=Josep M. |last11=Sánchez |first11=Israel M. |date=2018-12-05 |title=Revision of Varanus marathonensis (Squamata, Varanidae) based on historical and new material: morphology, systematics, and paleobiogeography of the European monitor lizards |journal=PLOS ONE |language=en |volume=13 |issue=12 |pages=e0207719 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0207719 |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=6281198 |pmid=30517172|bibcode=2018PLoSO..1307719V |doi-access=free }}
• {{extinct}}V. emeritus (=V. salvadorii?)
• {{extinct}}V. hooijeri
• {{extinct}}V. hofmanni
• {{extinct}}V. lungui
• {{extinct}}V. marathonensis
• {{extinct}}V. mokrensis{{Cite journal |last1=Ivanov |first1=Martin |last2=Ruta |first2=Marcello |last3=Klembara |first3=Jozef |last4=Böhme |first4=Madelaine |date=2018-07-15 |title=A new species of Varanus (Anguimorpha: Varanidae) from the early Miocene of the Czech Republic, and its relationships and palaeoecology |url=http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/28635/4/28635%20Varanus_text_FINAL_MI_MR.pdf |journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology |volume=16 |issue=9 |pages=767–797 |doi=10.1080/14772019.2017.1355338 |bibcode=2018JSPal..16..767I |issn=1477-2019 |s2cid=73543240 |archive-date=2019-04-27 |access-date=2020-08-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427193129/http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/28635/4/28635%20Varanus_text_FINAL_MI_MR.pdf |url-status=dead }}
• {{extinct}}V. pronini
• {{extinct}}V. rusingensis
• {{extinct}}V. semjonovi
• {{extinct}}V. sivalensis
• {{extinct}}V. tyrasiensis (=V. hofmanni?)

Subgenus Empagusia:

File:Clouded monitor 2.1.jpg)]]

• V. bengalensis, Bengal monitor
• V. dumerilii, Dumeril's monitor, brown roughneck monitor
• V. flavescens, golden monitor, yellow monitor, short-toed monitor
• V. nebulosus, clouded monitor

File:Varanidae - Varanus doreanus.JPG)]]File:Varanus macraei - Reptilium Landau 01.jpg)]]

Subgenus Euprepiosaurus:Ziegler, Thomas; Schmitz, Andreas; Koch, Andre; Böhme, Wolfgang (2007). "A review of the subgenus Euprepiosaurus of Varanus (Squamata: Varanidae): morphological and molecular phylogeny, distribution and zoogeography, with an identification key for the members of the V. indicus and the V. prasimus species groups". Zootaxa 1472: 1-28.

• V. bennetti, Bennett's long-tailed monitor{{Cite journal|last1=Weijola|first1=Valter|last2=Vahtera|first2=Varpu|last3=Koch|first3=André|last4=Schmitz|first4=Andreas|last5=Kraus|first5=Fred|title=Taxonomy of Micronesian monitors (Reptilia: Squamata: Varanus): endemic status of new species argues for caution in pursuing eradication plans|journal=Royal Society Open Science|year=2020|volume=7|issue=5|pages=200092|doi=10.1098/rsos.200092|pmid=32537217|pmc=7277287|bibcode=2020RSOS....700092W|doi-access=free}}
• V. caerulivirens, turquoise monitor
• V. cerambonensis, Ceram monitor
• V. colei Kei Islands monitor
• V. doreanus, blue-tailed monitor
• V. douarrha, New Ireland monitor
• V. finschi, Finsch's monitor
• V. indicus, mangrove monitor
• V. jobiensis, peach-throated monitor
• V. juxtindicus, Rennell Island monitor
• V. lirungensis, Talaud mangrove monitor
• V. louisiadensis, Louisiade monitor{{cite journal|doi=10.1080/00222933.2023.2218574|title=Two new species of monitor lizards (Squamata: Varanus) endemic to the Louisiade and Tanimbar archipelagos|journal=Journal of Natural History|volume=57|issue=13–16|pages=947–975|year=2023|last1=Weijola|first1=Valter|last2=Kraus|first2=Fred|doi-access=free}}
• V. melinus, quince monitor{{cite journal|url=http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2010/f/z02434p032f.pdf|title=A new melanistic species of monitor lizard (Reptilia: Squamata: Varanidae) from Sanana Island, Indonesia|journal=Zootaxa|volume= 2434|pages= 17–32|year=2010|author1=Weijola, Valter |author2=Sweet, Samuel |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.2434.1.2}}
• V. obor, sago monitor
• V. rainerguentheri Rainer Günther's monitor
• V. semotus, Mussau Island blue-tailed monitor{{cite journal|doi=10.3897/zookeys.568.6872|pmid=27103877|pmc=4829673|title=A new blue-tailed Monitor lizard (Reptilia, Squamata, Varanus) of the Varanus indicus group from Mussau Island, Papua New Guinea|journal=ZooKeys|issue=568|pages=129–54|year=2016|last1=Weijola|first1=Valter|last2=Donnellan|first2=Stephen|last3=Lindqvist|first3=Christer|bibcode=2016ZooK..568..129W |doi-access=free}}
• V. tanimbar, Tanimbar monitor
• V. tsukamotoi, Mariana monitor
• V. yuwonoi black-backed mangrove monitor, tricolor monitor
• V. zugorum, silver monitor, Zug's monitor

File:Varanus timorensis.jpg)]]

Subgenus Hapturosaurus:

• V. beccarii, black tree monitor
• V. boehmei, golden-spotted tree monitor
• V. bogerti, Bogert's monitor
• V. keithhornei, canopy goanna, blue-nosed tree monitor, Nesbit River monitor[http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Varanus&species=keithhornei&search_param=%28%28genus%3D%27Varanus%27%2Cexact%29%29 Varanus keithhornei], The Reptile Database
• V. kordensis, Biak tree monitor
• V. macraei, blue-spotted tree monitor
• V. prasinus, emerald tree monitor[http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Varanus&species=prasinus&search_param=%28%28genus%3D%27Varanus%27%2Cexact%29%29 Varanus prasinus], The Reptile Database
• V. reisingeriEidenmüller, Bernd; Wicker, Rudolf (2005). "Eine weitere neue Waranart aus dem Varanus prasinus-Komplex von den Insel Misol, Indonesian ". Sauria 27 (1): 3-8. (Varanus reisingeri, new species). (in German). yellow tree monitor
• V. telenesetes, mysterious tree monitor, Rossell tree monitor

File:Amneville varanus acanthurus 2708 2010.jpg)]]

File:Varanus Salvadorii Köln Zoo 31122014 2.jpg)]]File:Varanus bitatawa (KU 322188) from Barangay Dibuluan, San Mariano - ZooKeys-266-001-g069.jpg)]]

Subgenus Odatria:

• V. acanthurus, spiny-tailed monitor, ridge-tailed monitor, Ackie's dwarf monitor
• V. a. acanthurus, spiny-tailed monitor
• V. a. brachyurus, common spiny-tailed monitor
• V. auffenbergi, Auffenberg's monitor, peacock monitor
• V. brevicauda, short-tailed monitor
• V. bushi, Pilbara stripe-tailed monitor, Bush's monitor
• V. caudolineatus, stripe-tailed monitor
• V. citrinus, Gulf ridge-tailed monitor{{Cite journal |last1=Pavón-Vázquez |first1=Carlos J. |last2=Esquerré |first2=Damien |last3=Fitch |first3=Alison J. |last4=Maryan |first4=Brad |last5=Doughty |first5=Paul |last6=Donnellan |first6=Stephen C. |last7=Keogh |first7=J. Scott |date=2022-08-01 |title=Between a rock and a dry place: phylogenomics, biogeography, and systematics of ridge-tailed monitors (Squamata: Varanidae: Varanus acanthurus complex) |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1055790322001294 |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |language=en |volume=173 |pages=107516 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107516 |pmid=35577290 |bibcode=2022MolPE.17307516P |s2cid=248807709 |issn=1055-7903}}
• V. eremius, rusty desert monitor, pygmy desert monitor
• V. gilleni, pygmy mulga monitor
• V. glauerti, Kimberley rock monitor
• V. glebopalma, twilight monitor, black-palmed rock monitor
• V. hamersleyensis, Hamersley Range rock monitor
• V. insulanicus, Groote Eylandt monitor
• V. i. baritji, black-spotted ridge-tailed monitor
• V. kingorum, Kings' rock monitor
• V. mitchelli, Mitchell's water monitor
• V. ocreatus, Storr's monitor
• V. pilbarensis, Pilbara rock monitor
• V. primordius northern blunt-spined monitor
• V. scalaris, banded tree monitor
• V. semiremex rusty monitor
• V. similis, Similis monitor, spotted tree monitor
• V. sparnus, Dampier Peninsula monitor
• V. storri, eastern Storr's monitor
• V. timorensis, Timor monitor
• V. tristis
• V. t. tristis, black-headed monitor
• V. t. orientalis, freckled monitor

Subgenus Papusaurus

• V. salvadorii, crocodile monitor

Subgenus Philippinosaurus:

• V. bitatawa, northern Sierra Madre forest monitor, butikaw, bitatawa
• V. mabitang, Panay monitor, mabitang
• V. olivaceus, Gray's monitor, butaan

File:Monitor lizard in Kalahari.JPG) on the Kalahari savannah]]

File:Varanus niloticus ornatus.jpg"]]

Subgenus Polydaedalus:

• V. albigularis, rock monitor, white-throated monitor
• V. a. albigularis, white-throated monitor
• V. a. angolensis, Angolan monitor
• V. a. microstictus, black-throated monitor
• V. exanthematicus, savannah monitor, Bosc's monitor
• V. niloticus, Nile monitor
• V. stellatus, West African Nile monitor
• V. ornatus, ornate monitor
• V. yemenensis, Yemen monitor

File:Varanus griseus caspius.jpg)]]

File:Monitor Lizard, Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve, Singapore (1669835154).jpg)]]

Subgenus Psammosaurus:

• V. griseus, desert monitor
• V. g. griseus, desert monitor, grey monitor
• V. g. caspius, Caspian monitor
• V. g. koniecznyi, Indian desert monitor, Thar desert monitor
• V. nesterovi, Nesterov's desert monitor

Subgenus Solomonsaurus:{{Cite journal|last=Bucklitsch|first=Yannick|date=2016-08-17|title=Scale Morphology and Micro-Structure of Monitor Lizards (Squamata: Varanidae: Varanus spp.) and their Allies: Implications for Systematics, Ecology, and Conservation|journal=Zootaxa|volume=4153|issue=1|pages=1–192|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4153.1.1|pmid=27615821}}

• V. spinulosus, spiny-necked mangrove monitor, Solomon Islands spiny monitor

File:Perentie Lizard Pair.jpg)]]

Subgenus Soterosaurus:

• V. bangonorum, Bangon monitor{{cite web|url=https://news.ku.edu/2015/01/12/undercover-researchers-expose-two-new-species-lizard-sale-philippine-black-market|title=Undercover researchers expose two new species of lizard for sale on Philippine black market|author=Brendan M. Lynch|date=2015-01-12|work=KU Today|publisher=KU {{!}} The University of Kansas}}
• V. cumingi, Cuming's water monitor, yellow-headed water monitor
• V. dalubhasa, Enteng's monitor
• V. marmoratus, marbled water monitor, Philippine water monitor
• V. nuchalis large-scaled water monitor
• V. palawanensis, Palawan water monitor
• V. rasmusseniKoch, André; Gaulke, Maren; Böhme, Wolfgang (2010). "Unravelling the underestimated diversity of Philippine water monitor Lizards (Squamata: Varanus salvator complex), with description of two new species and a new subspecies". Zootaxa 2446: 1-54. (Varanus rasmusseni, new species, p. 28).[http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Varanus&species=rasmusseni&search_param=%28%28genus%3D%27Varanus%27%29%28species%3D%27rasmusseni%27%29%29 Varanus rasmusseni], The Reptile Database Rasmussen's water monitor
• V. rudicollis, black roughneck monitor
• V. salvator, Asian water monitor
• V. s. salvator, Sri Lankan water monitor
• V. s. andamanensis, Andaman water monitor
• V. s. bivittatus, two-striped water monitor, Javan water monitor
• V. s. macromaculatus, Southeast Asian water monitor
• V. s. ziegleri, Ziegler's water monitor
• V. samarensis, Samar water monitor
• V. togianus, Togian water monitor

File:Komodo Dragon (15620549901).jpg)]]

Subgenus Varanus:

• V. giganteus, perentie
• V. gouldii, Gould's monitor, sand monitor, sand goanna
• V. komodoensis, Komodo dragon
• V. mertensi, Mertens' monitor
• V. panoptes
• V. p. panoptes, Argus monitor
• V. p. horni, Horn's monitor
• V. p. rubidus, yellow-spotted monitor
• {{extinct}}V. priscus, megalania
• V. rosenbergi, Rosenberg's monitor, heath monitor
• V. spenceri, Spencer's monitor
• V. varius, lace monitor

File:Lizard in Raja Ampat, Papua; December 2016.jpg|Unknown species lizard in Raja Ampat Papua, 2016

File:Varanidae- Varanus jobiensis (Peach-throated Monitor) - 25420447277.jpg|Varanus jobiensis in Raja Ampat Papua, 2017

File:Varanidae- Varanus jobiensis (Peach-throated Monitor).jpg|Varanus jobiensis in Raja Ampat Papua, 2017

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{clear}}

• Merrem B (1820). Versuchs eines Systems der Amphibien: Tentamen Systematis Amphibiorum. Marburg: J.C. Krieger. xv + 191 pp. + one plate. (Varanus, new genus, p. 58). (in German and Latin).

• {{Wikispecies-inline}}
• {{Commons category-inline}}
• [http://www.museum.wa.gov.au/faunabase/_asp_bin/ByFamilyCommonNamecx.asp?d=Reptiles&f=Varanidae Western Australian Museum photos]
• [http://www.komodonationalpark.org/downloads/ciofi%201999.pdf Scientific American article]

{{Varanoidea}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q81228}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monitor lizard}}

Category:Extant Miocene first appearances

Category:Taxa named by Blasius Merrem

Category:Venomous lizards