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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
white-throated
monitor, white-throated savanna monitor, cape monitor |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Reptilia |
| ORDER: |
Squamata |
| SUBORDER: |
Sauria |
| FAMILY: |
Varanidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Varanus
(monitor lizard) exanthematicus albigularis
(white throated) |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Large,
exceptionally long, sleek lizard colored predominantly
dark brown with white throat and light colored belly;
long head and neck; elongated sturdy tail; strong,
sharp claws |
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| SIZE: |
150-200 cm (60-80 in.); maximum 270 cm (9 ft) |
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| WEIGHT: |
Up
to 11 kg (25 lbs.) |
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| DIET: |
Carrion,
small reptiles and mammals, bird eggs, insects |
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| INCUBATION: |
20 days |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
20-50
eggs |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
3-5 years |
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| RANGE: |
South Africa to northern Ethiopia; Zimbabwe, south
to Naibia |
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| HABITAT: |
Dry areas especially steppes and deserts around
rock outcrops |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
No
data |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
No
data |
| CITES |
Appendix
II |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
Monitors
have forked tongues, making them the only reptiles
other than snakes to possess this characteristic.
Like snakes, this tongue shape allows for better
accuracy in locating a prey's scent. |
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| 2. |
Monitors practice 'open pursuit' hunting instead
of stalking and ambushing. They are very fast despite
their massive size because of their powerful leg
muscles. Monitors swallow their food whole or in
large pieces; they are able to dislocate their thyroid
bone in order to enlarge their throat. |
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| 3. |
Males are extremely territorial. Upon encountering
another male they will first take a threatening
posture then begin fighting viciously, often leaving
severe bite wounds. |
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| 4. |
When
defending itself against predators, a monitor will
inflate its body while making hissing sounds and
use lash its tail like a whip. If cornered, a monitor
may grab with its jaws and claw with its feet. |
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| 5. |
Though
they will usually use their long, sharp claws to
dig their own holes, monitors are known to use termite
mounds and rodent dens to lay their eggs. |
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| 6. |
Monitors
are known to use their tail (which may be twice
as long as its body) as a rudder (used to steer
when swimming), for grasping, and as a weapon. |
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Monitors fill an important niche in their respective
habitats. In many of their ranges, they are one
of the only large land carnivores. Of the 31 species
of monitors found throughout the world, 24 of
them occur in areas without terrestrial, carnivorous
mammals.
These
reptiles are being negatively affected by destruction
of their natural habitat, as well as the demand
for their skin in the animal product trade. Monitors
are hunted for their meat and some of their parts
are known to be used in traditional medicines.
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|
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Halliday, Tim R., and Adler, Kraig. The Encyclopedia
of Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: Equinox
Books, 1986. |
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Mattison, Chris. Lizards of the World. New
York: Facts on File, Inc., 1989. |
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Rogner, Manfred. Lizards. Vol. 2. Malabar,
Florida: Krieger Publishing Co., 1994
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| www.honoluluzoo.org/ |
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| www.oaklandzoo.org/ |
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