MONITOR 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.).