Varanidae

Varanus tristis Schlegel, 1839

Varanus tristis is an Australian arboreal monitor lizard with two distinct subspecies differing in size and color.

Varanus togianus (Peters, 1872)

Varanus togianus, the Togian water monitor, is a monitor lizard endemic to Sulawesi's Togian Islands, living in forests and mangroves.

Varanus griseus (Daudin, 1803)

Varanus griseus, the desert monitor, is a large desert-dwelling lizard with a wide distribution across North Africa, West Asia and Central Asia.

Varanus panoptes Storr, 1980

Varanus panoptes (the Argus monitor) is Australia's third largest lizard, with distinct traits and key ecological roles.

Varanus gouldii (Gray, 1838)

Varanus gouldii is a species of monitor goanna lizard that previously included taxa later classified as separate species due to 20th-century taxonomic uncertainty.

Varanus bengalensis (Daudin, 1802)

This is a detailed species description of the Bengal monitor lizard covering physical traits, habitat, behavior, reproduction, and venom.

Varanus albigularis Daudin, 1802

Varanus albigularis is a large African lizard found across much of the continent in arid habitats.

Varanus acanthurus Boulenger, 1885

The spiny-tailed monitor is a small arid-adapted monitor lizard native to rocky habitats across northern and central Australia.

Varanus indicus (Daudin, 1802)

Varanus indicus, the mangrove monitor, is a small aquatic monitor lizard native to the Western Pacific that has salt-excreting nasal glands.

Varanus rudicollis (Gray, 1845)

Varanus rudicollis, the black roughneck monitor, is a calm, medium-large monitor lizard identifiable by large pointed neck scales.

Varanus rosenbergi Mertens, 1957

Varanus rosenbergi is a large Australian monitor lizard found across southern parts of the continent.

Varanus mertensi Glauert, 1951

Mertens' water monitor is an aquatic Australian monitor lizard with unique underwater foraging and feeding adaptations.

Varanus komodoensis Ouwens, 1912

This text covers the physical traits, behavior, ecology, and reproduction of the Komodo dragon, Varanus komodoensis.

Varanus giganteus (Gray, 1845)

Varanus giganteus, the perentie, is Australia's largest living lizard, found across arid inland Australian desert habitats.

Varanus exanthematicus (Bosc, 1792)

Varanus exanthematicus, the savannah monitor, is a small African monitor lizard that inhabits sub-Saharan savannas.

Varanus varius (Shaw, 1790)

Varanus varius, the lace monitor, is a large Australian monitor lizard currently ranked as least concern by IUCN.

Varanus niloticus (Linnaeus, 1766)

Varanus niloticus, the Nile monitor, is Africa's longest lizard native to Sub-Saharan Africa and the Nile, adapted to aquatic life.

Varanus palawanensis Koch, Gaulke & Böhme, 2010

Varanus palawanensis, the Palawan water monitor, is a large lizard endemic to the Greater Palawan region of the Philippines.

Varanus prasinus (Schlegel, 1839)

Varanus prasinus, the emerald tree monitor, is a social arboreal lizard found in New Guinea and nearby islands that lays eggs in termite nests.

Varanus salvator (Laurenti, 1768)

Varanus salvator, the Asian water monitor, is a large semiaquatic lizard native to South and Southeast Asia.

Varanus tsukamotoi (Kishida, 1929)

Varanus tsukamotoi, the Mariana monitor, is a varanid lizard endemic to Micronesian islands with an introduced population in Japan.

Varanus scalaris Mertens, 1941

Varanus scalaris is a small Australian and New Guinean monitor lizard that lives in savanna woodland trees and eats insects and small vertebrates.