Monitor Lizard of Bharatpur

From the archive record

Monitor lizards are generally large lizards, although some can be as small as 20 cm (7.9 in) in length. They have long necks, powerful tails and claws, and well-developed limbs. Most species are terrestrial, but arboreal and semiaquatic monitors are also known. While most monitor lizards are carnivorous, three arboreal species, Varanus bitatawa, Varanus mabitang, and Varanus olivaceus, are primarily frugivores. They are oviparous, laying from seven to 37 eggs, which they often cover with soil or protect in a hollow tree stump. The various species of Varanus cover a vast area, occurring through Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, to China, down Southeast Asia to Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea, Australia and islands of the Indian Ocean, and the South China Sea. A large concentration of