Argus Monitor
(Varanus panoptes)
37.978, -122.031
Field Notes
Description:
The size of an Argus Monitor differs greatly between the sexes, with the female reaching an average total length of three feet (90 cm), while the male reaches an average of 4–5 feet (120–140 cm), the larger sized animals being V. panoptes panoptes vs. V. panoptes horni. It is a reasonably lean monitor and does not put on the bulk that its African cousins often do. Most Argus Monitors are yellow in color, with a background of brown or dark tan. Their color often varies with place of origin or even the individual.
Habitat:
N. Australia
Notes:
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 lizards 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. Komodo dragons, V. komodoensis, at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., recognize their keepers and seem to have distinct personalities
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