📸 PhotoPhoto: Shizhao · CC BY 1.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Savannah Monitor
Varanus exanthematicus (Savannah Monitor · サバンナオオトカゲ)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 A length of 1.5 m is about adult shoulder height, and about 3/4 the length of a bed (about 2 m) (Comparison).
- 💡 It is a very common species in pet stores in the United States and is also used in lizard-skin leather products (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology ADW).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
The Savannah Monitor is a monitor lizard that favors African savannas and has a stocky build.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
It has a wide head and a short neck and tail, with a double-toothed crest along its tapering tail. Rows of dark-edged circular spots run across its grayish-brown body, and its blunt rear teeth crush snail shells.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It eats small mammals, birds, snakes, toads, lizards, eggs, and large quantities of snails as well as carrion, while juveniles mainly eat insects. Active by day and resting in burrows during hot hours, males fight over territory and hiss when cornered.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List LC (2021) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/178346/16967669
- • IUCN Red List category LC — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • catalogueoflife.org — 7FGDT
- • iucnredlist.org — 16967669
- • wikidata.org — Q135677
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Varanus exanthematicus at beijingzoo.jpg
- • animaldiversity.org — Varanus exanthematicus
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Christina Zdenek · CC BY 4.0 (Congeneric silhouette — Varanus storri storri)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.