monitor lizard

Any of about 30 species of lizards (genus Varanus, family Varanidae), found in the Old World tropics and subtropics.

Most have an elongated head and neck, a heavy body, a long tail, and well-developed legs. The smallest monitor grows to 8 in. (20 cm), but several species (e.g., the Komodo dragon) are very large. The two-banded, or water, monitor (V. salvator), of South Asia, grows to 9 ft (2.7 m). The perenty (V. giganteus), of Australia, grows to 8 ft (2.4 m). The so-called earless monitor (Lanthanotus borneensis), a rare lizard of Borneo and the only species of the family Lanthanotidae, grows to 16 in. (40 cm) long.

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▪ lizard

 (Varanus), any lizard of the single genus of the family Varanidae. About thirty species are recognized. Most have an elongated head and neck, a relatively heavy body, a long tail, and well-developed legs. All occur in the Old World tropics and subtropics.

      The smallest monitor achieves a full length of 20 centimetres (8 inches); several species grow to great size and length. These include the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), the largest of all lizards, which grows to a length of 3 metres (10 feet); the two-banded, or water, monitor (V. salvator), which grows to 2.7 m and occurs in Southeast Asia; and the perenty (V. giganteus), which grows to 2.4 m and is found in central Australia.

      The so-called earless monitor (Lanthanotus borneensis), a rare and little-known lizard native to Borneo, is the only species of the family Lanthanotidae. It grows to a length of 40 cm (16 in.).

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