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Rock monitor

Varanus albigularis

Photo by Jared Hersch
Published on Project Noah
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Field Notes

Description:

This is the heaviest-bodied lizard in Africa, as adult males average about 6 to 8 kg (13 to 18 lb) and females weigh from 3.2 to 5 kg (7.1 to 11.0 lb).[6][7][8] Large mature males can attain 15 to 17 kg (33 to 37 lb).[9] It is the second longest African lizard after the Nile monitor, Varanus albigularis reaches 2 meters (6 ft 7 in) in length, with its tail and body being of equal size.[10] Mature specimens more typically will measure 0.85 to 1.5 meters (2 ft 9 in to 4 ft 11 in).[7][9] The head and neck are the same length, and are distinct from each other.[11] Their bulbous, convex snouts give an angular, box-like appearance. Their forked tongues are pink or bluish,[11] and their scales are usually a mottled gray-brown with yellowish or white markings

Habitat:

This monitor ranges in these areas: Central Africa (Democratic Republic of the Congo/Zaire), Southern Africa (Namibia, Botswana, Republic of South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Angola), the African Great Lakes (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania), and the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Somalia).[11] It is found in a variety of dry habitats, including steppes, prairies, and savannahs, but is absent from desert interiors, rainforests, and thick scrub forests

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