Peach-Throated Monitor

ANIMAL:
Peach-Throated Monitor Varanus jobiensis

Type of Animal:
Monitor

Habitat:
Rainforests from sea level to 2,953 ft, riverbanks

Location(s):
New Guinea & surrounding islands

Appearance:
Dark patternless head, large round eyes, dark upper part of head slightly lighter than dorsal area, throat white-yellow to red to salmon, young/juveniles more intensely colored w/ pinkish temporal/gular regions & light broad tail markings, adults dark brownish-olive w/ pale yellow spots, faded dark striping on body, distal 3rd of long tail has broad black bands & light coloration (ranging from white to pale yellow to gray to light blue to turquoise), slender snout, light sleek build

Food/Diet:
Insects, insect larvae, worms, frogs, eggs, spiders, crayfish, shrimp, fish, small mammals, lizards

Status in Wild:
Stable

Conservation:
Breeding in zoos, wildlife centers, & herpetoculture

Lifestyle:
Solitary

Additional Info:

Called:
Male
Female
Young: Hatchling
Group: Solitary
 
Weight:
Male: 4 lbs
Female: 2 lbs
 
Gestation:
6 months 

Life Span:
10-20 years

Body Length:
Male: 4 ft
Female: 3 ft
Young: 2 ft

Tail Length:
Male: 2.1-2.7 ft
Female: 1.58-2.03 ft
Young: 1.05-1.35 ft

Main predators are Papuan/New Guinea Harpy Eagles, Crocodile Monitors, & crocodiles.
 
Also known as Sepik Monitor.
 
Sometimes hunted for meat in native range.
 
Equally at home on land & in trees.
 
These lizards very shy in wild.
 
Coloration aids in camouflage.
 
Females lay clutches of 2-12 eggs once or twice a year.
 
Claws come in handy for digging/climbing.
 
These are very active lizards.

Fun Fact(s):
Sometimes kept as pets.
 
These lizards can be very nervous in the wild & even in captivity.
 
Besides real eyes, they have so-called 3rd eye (parietal eye), most likely for orientation & differing light from dark.
 
When threatened, they’ll expand/display peach throat. They can also tail whip, scratch, bite, & poop on threat.
 
Specific name jobiensis, meaning “from Jobi” refers to type locality-Jobi (Yapen) island.
 
There’s possibility this species may be complex of different species.

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