Common water monitor (Varanus salvator)

Common water monitor (Varanus salvator) is a species of animal in Varanidae, large lizards that live near freshwater and mangrove forests, semi-aquatic, good swimmers with paddle tails, strong jaws, sharp hoofed legs, adapt and thrive in local areas farms and cities with canal systems for elevations below 1000 meters.

V. salvator has a length of 1.5-2 meters and weighs up to 20 kg as the second heaviest lizard in the world after the Komodo dragon. A muscular body with a long, strong and paddle tail. The scales on the keel and on the head are larger than those on the back.





Commonly brown or blackish in color with a yellow spot on the underside and tends to disappear gradually with age. The band extends from each eye and back over each edge of the back, upper tail and upper legs.

Very long neck, elongated muzzle, powerful jaw, serrated teeth and fingertips ending with sharp claws that can be used to climb trees. Long tail, shaped like a paddle, black with yellow rings and pointed tip.

Common water monitors have a semi-aquatic lifestyle inhabiting various natural habitats in primary forests and mangrove swamps. Adapt and develop in vegetated rivers in agricultural areas and cities with canal systems.

These animals are accomplished swimmers, using their tail fins to propel themselves through the water. They defend themselves using their tails, claws, and jaws. They immobilize their prey with their jaws, then violently thrash their necks to crush the prey's internal organs and spine, either killing it or rendering it helpless. Afterward, they swallow their prey whole.

On the island of Flores, this species is sympatric with the Komodo dragon. They also frequently scavenge, feeding on carrion or decaying flesh. The species possesses a diverse diet and a high degree of ecological adaptability. If pursued by a predator, they use their strong legs and claws to climb trees, from which they can leap into a body of water.

Adult monitor lizards spend most of their time on the ground, while the young tend to be more arboreal. The largest individuals of this species can reach 1.8 meters in length and are characterized by a pattern of black and white spots. Females lay eggs approximately one month after mating, depositing them inside rotting logs or tree stumps. A single clutch can contain 10–40 eggs, which have an incubation period of 6–7 months.

In captivity, their lifespan ranges from 11 to 25 years, depending on environmental conditions, whereas in the wild, it is significantly shorter. As carnivores, they prey on a wide variety of animals, including fish, frogs, rodents, birds and their eggs, crabs, mollusks, insects, lizards, snakes, turtles, young crocodiles (and their eggs), monkeys, chickens, cats, dogs, and small deer. In Java, they have been observed entering caves at night to hunt bats that fall from the cave ceiling.

TAXON

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Sauria
Family: Varanidae
Genus: Varanus Merrem (1820)
Subgenus: Soterosaurus
Species: Varanus salvator Laurenti (1768)
Subspecies: Varanus salvator ssp. andamanensis, Varanus salvator ssp. bivittatus, Varanus salvator ssp. celebensis, Varanus salvator ssp. macromaculatus, Varanus salvator ssp. salvator, Varanus salvator ssp. ziegleri

SYNONYMS

Hydrosaurus salvator Laurenti (1768)
Monitor bivittatus celebensis Schlegel (1844)
Monitor bivittatus javanica Schlegel (1844)
Monitor exilis Gray In Griffith (1831)
Monitor nigricans Cuvier (1829)
Monitor salvator Laurenti (1768)
Stellio salvator Laurenti (1768)
Tupinambis bivittatus Kuhl (1820)
Varanus crocodilinus Owen (1845)
Varanus salvator kabaragoya Deraniyagala (1947)
Varanus salvator komaini Nutaphand (1987)
Varanus salvator nicobariensis Deraniyagala (1947)

VERNACULAR NAME

Arabic: ورل مائي أسيوي
Catalan: Varà Aquàtic
Cebuano: Varanus
Central Bikol: Gotô
Chinese (simplified): 圆鼻巨蜥 - 水巨蜥 - 泽巨蜥
Chinese (traditional): 圓鼻巨蜥 - 水巨蜥 - 澤巨蜥
Czech: Varan skvrnitý
Danish: Almindelig båndvaran
Dutch: Indische varaan, Watervaraan
English: Common water monitor, Asian water monitor, Biawak
Esperanto: Varano
Estonian: Varaan
French: Varan malais
German: Bindenwaran
Hindi: गोह
Hong Kong: 圓鼻巨蜥 - 水巨蜥
Hungarian: Szalagos varánusz
Indonesian: Biawak air tawar, Bajul, Biawak air Asia, Biawak air biasa, Biawak bergaris ganda, Bbiawak air
Irish: Laghairt mhonatóra
Italian: Varano d'acqua asiatico
Japanese: ミズオオトカゲ
Java: Mencawak, Biawak
Korean: 물왕도마뱀
Lithuanian: Vandeninis varanas
Macao: 圓鼻巨蜥 - 水巨蜥
Malayalam: ഉടുമ്പ്
Malaysia: Biawak Air
Norwegian: Båndvaran
Polish: Waran leśny
Portuguese: Monitor-de-Água
Russian: Азиатский водный варан - Полосатый варан
Sinhala: කබරගොයා
Spanish: Monitor de agua
Sunda: Bayawak
Tagalog: Bayawak
Taiwan: 澤巨蜥
Tamil: உடும்பு
Thai: เหี้ย
Ukrainian: Варан водяний - Варан смугастий
Vietnamese: Kỳ đà

Aryo Bandoro
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