Mertens' water monitor

Mertens’ water monitor
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Conservation status
CITES Appendix II (CITES)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Lacertilia
Family:	Varanidae
Genus:	Varanus
Subgenus:	V. (Varanus)
Species:	V. mertensi
Binomial name
Varanus mertensi Glauert, 1951

Mertens’ or Mertens's water monitor (Varanus mertensi), often misspelled Merten’s water monitor, is a member of the monitor lizard family found in northern Australia, and is a wide-ranging, active foraging, opportunistic predator of aquatic and riparian habitats. It is named after German herpetologist Robert Mertens.

Description

The monitor grows to a length of about 1.0 m (3.3 ft). It is dark brown to black above, with many cream to yellow spots. The underparts are paler – white to yellowish – with grey mottling on the throat and blue-grey bars on the chest. The tail is strongly compressed laterally, with a high median dorsal keel, and is about 1.5 times the length of head and body.

Distribution and habitat

File:Varanus mertensi - Wyndham WA.jpg

Mertens' water monitor at the Grotto waterhole near Wyndham, Western Australia.

The monitor is found in coastal and inland waters across much of northern Australia, from the Kimberley region of Western Australia, across the Top End of the Northern Territory and the Gulf Country, to the western side of the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland.

Behaviour

The monitor is semiaquatic, a strong swimmer, and seldom far from water. It is often seen basking on midstream rocks and logs, and on branches overhanging swamps, lagoons, and waterways throughout its range. When disturbed, it drops into the water, where it can stay submerged for long periods.

Feeding

This monitor feeds both on land and in the water, mainly on fish, frogs, and carrion, also taking terrestrial vertebrates and insects when available. It has a good sense of smell and may dig up prey when foraging, including the eggs of freshwater turtles.

Breeding

The monitor lays eggs in a burrow, usually with egg-laying taking place early in the dry season and hatching in the following wet season. The eggs hatch within 200–300 days after laying, depending on temperature, with the hatchlings able to enter the water and swim immediately.

Conservation and status

Mertens’ water monitors are threatened by the spread of cane toads through their range, through poisoning after eating them. Because of this they are listed as Vulnerable under Northern Territory legislation.

External links

• Monitor Lizards: Varanus mertensi (includes notes on keeping and breeding in captivity)