Monitor

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

The various species of Varanus cover a vast area, occurring through Africa, the Asian subcontinent from India and Sri Lanka to China, down Southeast Asia to Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea, Australia and islands of the Indian Ocean and South China Sea.

Monitor lizards have become a staple in the reptile pet trade. The most commonly kept monitors are the savannah monitor, nile monitor, white throated monitor, and Acklin’s monitor, due to their relatively small size and ease of domestication. Nile monitors, water monitors, mangrove monitors, and papau monitors have also been kept in captivity. Like all reptiles that are kept as pets, monitors need hiding places, and an appropriate substrate (bedding). Monitors also need a large water dish in which they can soak their entire body. In the wild, monitors will eat anything they can overpower, but crickets, superworms, and the occasional rodent make up most of the captive monitors’ diet. Boiled eggs, silkworms, earthworms, and feeder goldfish can also be fed to monitors. Monitor lizards have been compared to reptilian cats – independent animals with different personalities. However, due to their predatory nature and large size some monitors can be dangerous to keep as pets.