Pilbara rock monitor

Pilbara rock monitor
Systematics
without rank:	Toxicofera
without rank:	Sneaky (Anguimorpha)
Family :	Varanidae
Genre :	Monitor lizards ( varanus )
Subgenus :	Odatria
Type :	Pilbara rock monitor
Scientific name
	Varanus pilbarensis
	Storr , 1980

The Pilbara rock monitor ( Varanus pilbarensis ) is a species of monitor lizard that is endemic to Australia . The Pilbara rock monitor belongs to the subgenus Odatria . This species was first described in 1980 by the Australian herpetologist Glenn Storr .

Appearance and build

The slightly larger males reach a total length of 50 cm when fully grown, whereas the adult females only grow up to 45 cm long. Measured specimens had a head-trunk length of 17.2 cm in the male and 12.8 cm in the female. The color of the upper side is pale to moderately reddish brown. The head and neck are decorated with visible dark red-brown spots that occasionally form irregularly arranged transverse bands on the neck . Their back is covered with dark brown spots arranged as transverse bands. All of these spots have a pale central spot. The four limbs are dotted on their tops. The tail of V. pilbarensis is irregularly coated with thin, dark red-brown and pale bands. In some animals an indistinct dark temporal stripe can be seen. The whitish ventral side is marked with pale gray spots, which are arranged in irregular bands. The scales of the head are smooth and small. The nostrils are directed laterally upwards, roughly in the middle between the tip of the snout and the eyes. Around the middle of the body there are 110 to 135 rows of scales. In cross-section, the tail is more or less round and no keel is visible on top. The scales on the sides and on top of the tail are slightly keeled. After about six months, based on behavior and growth, the first gender tendencies can be recognized. On average, the males often grow faster and stronger than the females. However, this does not yet allow 100% gender determinations. In adult animals, the roots of the tail of the males are clearly more pronounced and more pear-shaped in cross-section, whereas in females the cross-section is more egg-shaped. After about a year, the males form postanal scales at the base of the tail.

distribution and habitat

They only live in a very limited area in northern Western Australia , as the name suggests, in the Pilbara region. There they live in the northern part of the region, where gorges and rock massifs typical of the region exist. These mountains are called the Hamersley Range . They live in the deep gorges and steep mountain slopes, which are mostly planted with spinifex and other types of vegetation . They are most commonly found in the gorges near the watercourses . The rock-dwelling monitor lizard can even climb smooth vertical rock faces . However, they rarely dare to undertake these extraordinary climbing maneuvers. In winter (June – August), when temperatures close to freezing are reached on the high plateaus , they all flee into the warm gorges. The area is a very arid region due to its low rainfall averages. Most of the sightings of the Pilbara rock monitor come from the northern parts of the Fortescue River .

behavior

The very shy animals can hardly be seen on the red rocks of their biotope . In stressful situations or when defending themselves, they can inflate their bodies with air as a deterrent . Their diet consists mainly of insects and arachnids , which the monitor lizards prey on in the crevices .

literature

Eidenmüller, B. & C. Langner: Comments on the keeping and breeding of the Pilbara rock monitor (Varanus pilbarensis Storr 1980). herpetofauna, 20 (117): 5-10, Weinstadt 1998.
Hörenberg, Thomas & André Koch (2013): The dwarf monitor of the subgenus Odatria Gray, 1838. Draco 13 (53): 6-19
MARYAN, BRAD; PAUL M. OLIVER, ALISON J. FITCH & MORGAN O'CONNELL (2014): Molecular and morphological assessment of Varanus pilbarensis (Squamata: Varanidae), with a description of a new species from the southern Pilbara, Western Australia. Zootaxa 3768 (2): 139-158
Storr GM (1980): The monitor lizards (genus Varanus Merrem, 1820) of Western Australia. Rec. West. Aust. Mus. 8 (2): 237-293
Harold G. Cogger: Reptiles & Amphibians of Australia. 6th edition. Ralph Curtis Books, Sanibel, Florida 2000, ISBN 0-88359-048-4 , p. 808.

Individual evidence

↑ The physique and appearance of the Pilbara rock monitor described on monster-reptiles.com

↑ Image on which you can see the deterrent tactics of the Pilbara rock monitor on breeders-expo.de.

[1] The physique and appearance of the Pilbara rock monitor described on monster-reptiles.com