Wildlifeof Nepal
Yellow Monitor
Monitor Lizards
Photo: (c) Soumya Patra, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC-BY-SA
Varanus flavescens
Basic stats
Habitat
Flood plains of large rivers; thermoregulates by moving between sun and shade
Range
Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra flood plains of Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh
Size
45–95cm including the tail
Weight
Up to 1.45kg
The yellow monitor, or golden monitor, is a medium-sized monitor lizard native to South Asia, measuring 45 to 95cm including the tail and weighing up to 1.45kg. The snout is short and convex, the tail is feebly compressed and keeled above, and the head scales are small and subequal. Young animals are dark brown above with yellow spots that join into crossbars, and yellow below with dark brown cross bars (Wikipedia, general species account).
It occurs in the flood plains of the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. Like other diurnal lizards, it thermoregulates by moving between sunny and shady areas. The sources opened give nothing on diet or breeding, so none is stated.
Quick answers
- What habitat does the Yellow Monitor live in?
- Flood plains of large rivers; thermoregulates by moving between sun and shade
- Where is the Yellow Monitor found?
- Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra flood plains of Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh
- How big is the Yellow Monitor?
- 45–95cm including the tail
- How much does the Yellow Monitor weigh?
- Up to 1.45kg