REPTILIA: SQUAMATA: VARANIDAE: Varanus

Varanus semiremex Peters, 1869

Rusty monitor

Photos & text by Dr. Robert Sprackland, with data provided by Kelsey Engel. Photographed at Australia Zoo, Beerwah, QLD.

Range: Restricted to coastal mangroves along northeastern Queensland and parts of the western coast of the Cape York Peninsula. Rare in much of its range.

Diagnosis: A moderate-sized gray monitor with a laterally compressed tail and a rusty-orange coloring on the head and face.

Description:

Natural History: Rusty monitors were once widely collected for the Australian pet markets, but have been protected for many years. Despite this familiarity, very little is known about this species in the wild and few specimens are held in captivity. They possess facial glands that excrete salt from their blood, an important function in salty mangrove swamps.

Reproduction: Egg layers.

Taxonomy & Relationships:

Variation:

Additional Comments:

Type Specimen: ZMB 5776 "Cap York, Dämel."

 Literature:  

Cogger, Harold. 1999. Reptiles and amphibians of Australia. 6th edition. Ralph Curtis Books. ISBN: 0-88359-048-4.