Varanus olivaceus (lat.) - large (body length 180 cm, weight more than 9 kg) monitor lizard . It lives only in the plain dipterocarp forests in the southern part of the islands of Luzon , Catanduanes and the island of Polillo ( Philippines ) [2] . It belongs to the genus Philippinosaurus [3] . It leads mainly a woody and very secretive lifestyle. The monitor lizard from the northern slope of Mount Sierra Madre (Luzon Island) was previously thought to belong to this species until a study was carried out in 2010 according to which the northern populations of Varanus olivaceus are a separate species , now known as Varanus bitatawa .
| Varanus olivaceus |
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| Scientific classification |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Infraclass : | Lepidosauromorphs |
| Infrastructure : | Platynota |
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| International scientific name |
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Varanus olivaceus Hallowell , 1857 [1] |
| Security status |
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Vulnerable speciesIUCN 3.1 Vulnerable : 22888 |
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He is famous for his diet , which consists primarily of ripe fruits , especially pandanus . However, he also eats animal foods, including snails , crabs , spiders , beetles , birds, and eggs . Monitor lizards are typically carnivores, making Varanus olivaceus one of the few exceptions in the monitor family. Such an unusual diet can be caused by competition for food with striped monitor lizard [4] .
Little is known about the reproduction of this species in nature because of its secrecy. It is known that the optimal laying time for this species can be between July and October , when they lay up to 11 eggs each. It is believed that they do not lay eggs in the soil , but in the hollow of trees , where they also prefer to rest. Cubs that have just hatched from eggs are often observed in May- July, and therefore the incubation time is estimated to be about 300 days. However, in captivity, it was recorded that incubation lasts for 219 days [4] .
In the IUCN Red Book, this taxon is assigned the “ Vulnerable Species ” conservation status, since most of its habitat has been destroyed by humans over the past 60 years, and it is now believed that its range covers an area of 20,000 km², of which only about 2,000 km² are actually inhabited these monitor lizards. It is believed that the destruction of the habitat is not the only reason for the decrease in the population; they are also hunted for meat and caught in order to be sold as terrarium animals [2] . This species is at greater risk than previously thought, because its northern population was isolated in 2010 as a separate species.
