Toothless- Melanistic Asian Water Monitor

Toothless- Melanistic Asian Water Monitor

Sex: Male

Latin name:  Varanus salvator

Native Home: The Asian Water Monitor, also called common water monitor, is a large varanid lizard native to South and Southeast Asia.

Size: The Asian Water Monitor is reported to grow to 3 meters in length, but most adults are 1.5 meters long at most.

Diet: The Asian Water Monitors eat insects, crabs, mollusks, snakes, eggs, fish, birds, rodents, and other lizards. They enjoy to chase their prey rather than to stalk and ambush, and their forked tongue is used to smell their prey.

Reproduction:  Asian Water Monitors breed rapidly while the female lays around 40 eggs per year in two different clutches. The gestation period is about 4 to 6 weeks after breeding. The baby water monitors hatch out after 56-64 days of incubation.

Lifespan: Asian Water Monitors live for 10 -15 years in the wild, while captive specimens can live up to 20.