The rock monitor ( Varanus albigularis) is a species of monitor lizard in the family Varanidae. The species is Endemism to Sub-Saharan Africa, where, on average, it is the largest lizard found on the continent. It is called leguaan or likkewaan in some areas.
Taxonomy
First described by François Marie Daudin in 1802,
had been classified as a
subspecies of
Savannah monitor,
[.] but has since been declared a distinct species based on differences in
hemipenis morphology.
The
genus name
Varanus is derived from the Arabic word
waral ورل (English: "monitor"). The specific name
albigularis comes from a compound of two
Latin words,
albus (meaning "white") and
gula ("throat").
Subspecies of V. albigularis are:
-
White-throated monitor, V. a. albigularis
-
Angolan white-throated monitor, V. a. angolensis
-
Eastern white-throated monitor, V. a. microstictus
-
Black-throated monitor, V. a. ionidesi
[" Varanus albigularis ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org. [1]] (but may be synonymous with V. a. microstictus)
Description
Varanus albigularis is on average the most massive lizard in Africa, as adult males average about and females weigh from .
[Gardner BR, Barrows MG (2010). "Yolk coelomitis in a white-throated monitor lizard ( Varanus albigularis)". Journal of the South African Veterinary Association 81 (2): 121-122.] Large mature males can attain weights of , which would make it slightly smaller than the
Nile monitor by maximum size.
It is the second longest African lizard after the Nile monitor. Mature specimens typically measure .
[ The head and neck are the same length, and are distinct from each other. The bulbous, convex snout gives an angular, box-like appearance. The forked tongue is pink or bluish, and the body scales are usually a mottled gray-brown with yellowish or white markings.]
Geographic range and habitat
V. albigularis is found in Central Africa (Democratic Republic of the Congo/Zaire), Southern Africa (Namibia, Botswana, Republic of South Africa, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Angola), East Africa and the African Great Lakes region (Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania), and the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Somalia). V. albigularis is found in a variety of Aridity , including Steppe, Grassland and savanna, and may frequent rock Inselberg (inselbergs) formations that dot the landscape. They are generally absent from desert interiors, rainforests and thick scrub forests.
Diet
V. albigularis are generalists, feeding opportunistically on a broad variety of prey in the wild, such as other , , , , , and small .
Predator
Natural predators of adult rock monitors include and .
Intelligence
An intelligent lizard, several specimens of V. albigularis have demonstrated the ability to count as high as six in an experiment conducted by Dr. John Philips at the San Diego Zoo in 1999.King, Dennis (1999). 086840456X, University of New South Wales Press. 086840456X
[ The Weekend Australian. July 24–25, 1999, p. 12.]
Folklore
People living with the HIV/AIDS virus in Yumbe District of Uganda have been reported injecting themselves with the blood of rock monitors, which they believe to be a cure for the virus. Many are reportedly discontinuing anti-retroviral therapy to pursue this Cherry picking.
As a result, V. albigularis is reported to have become an expensive item in the Ugandan black market, selling for more than 175 US$ each.
External links
Further reading
-
Bayless, Mark K. (1992). "The Necropsy and internal Anatomy of a white-throated monitor lizard ( Varanus albigularis Daudin, 1802)". VaraNews 2 (1): 5-6.
