Reptiles Guide

Monitor lizards
An Australian lace monitor (Varanus varius) on a tree.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia   Phylum: Chordata   Class: Sauropsida   Order: Squamata   Suborder: Sauria   Family: Varanidae   Genus: Varanus Merrem, 1820
Species
Many, see text.

Monitor lizards are the family Varanidae, a group of lizards which includes the largest living lizard, the Komodo Dragon. Varanidae contains only a single genus: Varanus.

In Australia monitor lizards are known as goannas (See main article).

Contents 1 Evolutionary overview 2 Origin of Name 3 Classification 4 Trivia 5 References

Evolutionary overview

Monitor lizards are considered to be the most highly developed lizards, possessing a relatively rapid metabolism for reptiles, several sensory adaptations that benefit the hunting of live prey, and a lower jaw that may be unhinged to facilitate eating large prey animals. Recent work indicates that the Varanid lizards, including the Komodo dragon, are indeed venomous and do not produce strains of deadly bacteria as previously thought. However, instead of injecting the venom into prey from fangs like most of their snake cousins do, the venom stays around the base of the teeth.

Origin of Name

It has been said that the name of monitor lizards is derived from a superstition that the creatures would give a warning about the presence of crocodiles. However, this explanation may be apocryphal. According to Wildwatch, the name actually resulted from a mishearing of the Arabic word oaran (lizard) as the German warnen (to warn), which was subsequently Latinized into monitor.

Classification

Genus Varanus

• Varanus acanthurus: Spiny-tailed goanna or Ridge-tailed monitor
  • Varanus acanthurus acanthurus interestus or ???
  • Varanus acanthurus brachyurus or ???
  • Varanus acanthurus insulanicus or ???
• Varanus albigularis or White-throated monitor
  • Varanus albigularis albigularis
    Varanus albigularis angolensis
    Varanus albigularis ionidesi or Black-throated Monitor
• Varanus auffenbergi Peacock monitor
  Varanus baritji Northern ridge-tailed goanna
  Varanus beccarii Black tree monitor
  Varanus bengalensis Bengal monitor
  Varanus bogerti Louisiade tree monitor
  Varanus brevicauda Short-tailed monitor
  Varanus bushi
  Varanus caerulivirens Blue pin-spot monitor
  Varanus caudolineatus Stripe-tailed goanna
  Varanus cerambonensis Ceram mangrove monitor
  Varanus doreanus Blue-tailed monitor
  Varanus dumerilii Dumeril monitor aka Brown Rough Neck Monitor
  Varanus eremius Desert pygmy monitor
  Varanus exanthematicus: Savannah monitor
  Varanus finschi Finsch's monitor
  Varanus flavescens: Yellow mangrove monitor
  Varanus giganteus: the Perentie
  Varanus gilleni Pygmy mulga goanna
  Varanus glauerti Kimberley rock monitor
  Varanus glebopalma Black-palmed rock monitor
  Varanus gouldii Sand goanna (also Gould's goanna, or Ground goanna)
  Varanus griseus Desert monitor
  Varanus indicus Mangrove monitor
  Varanus jobiensis Peach-throat monitor
  Varanus juxtindicus Hakoi
  Varanus keithhornei Canopy goanna
  Varanus kingorum King's goanna
  Varanus komodoensis: Komodo dragon
  Varanus mabitang Panay monitor
  Varanus macraei Blue tree monitor
  Varanus melinus Quince monitor
  Varanus mertensi: Mertens' water monitor
  Varanus mitchelli Mitchell's water monitor
  Varanus nebulosus Clouded monitor
  Varanus niloticus: Nile monitor
  Varanus olivaceus Gray's monitor, Butaan
  Varanus ornatus Ornate monitor
  Varanus panoptes Argus monitor, Yellow-spotted goanna, Floodplain goanna
  Varanus pilbarensis Pilbara rock monitor
  Varanus prasinus: Emerald tree monitor
• 

  Emerald tree monitor (also called Green tree monitor) lizard Varanus prasinus
• Varanus primordius Blunt-spined goanna
  Varanus prisca: Megalania (extinct)
  Varanus rosenbergi Rosenberg's goanna
  Varanus rudicollis: Black Roughneck monitor
  Varanus salvadorii: Crocodile monitor, Artrelia
  Varanus salvator: Water monitor
  Varanus scalaris Spotted tree goanna
  Varanus semiremex Mangrove pygmy goanna
  Varanus spenceri Spencer's goanna
  Varanus spinulosus St. Isabel mangrove monitor
  Varanus storri Storr's goanna
  Varanus telenesetes Lia (Biri), Rossel Island tree monitor
  Varanus timorensis: Timor tree monitor or Timor monitor
  Varanus tristis Black-headed tree goanna
  Varanus varius: Lace monitor
  Varanus yemenensis Yemen monitor
  Varanus yuwonoi Tricolor monitor

Trivia

The movie monster Varan takes its name from this genus.

In a season 4 episode of Hey Arnold, the character Helga owned a monitor lizard.