Ridge-tailed Monitor
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Varanus acanthurus or Ridge tailed Monitor
The Ridge tailed monitor is one of Australia's smaller Monitor species, growing to only 78 cm long, most of which is tail. They are found in the desert areas in Queensland, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia. Their diet includes grasshoppers, cockroaches and beetles. The scales on the tail of the Ridge Tailed monitor are raised and pointed, hence its common name. This helps the monitor anchor itself in the rock crevices it calls home. This anchoring makes it impossible for hungry predators to extract and eat the lizards.
As with all Monitors the females lay eggs. Ridge tailed Monitor usually lay 4 to 8 eggs per clutch. The female lays her eggs in a nest chamber at the end of a tunnel she's dug into sandy soil. Monitors are more active than most other reptiles, and as such they like to have a higher body temperature. You'll often see monitors basking in the sun on the side of roads, which can unfortunately lead to their untimely demise.
Did you know...
- The ridge tailed monitor is one of Australia's smaller monitor species, growing to only 78 cm long, most of which is tail.
- The female ridge tailed monitor lays her eggs in a nest chamber at the end of a tunnel she's dug into sandy soil.
- The scales on the tail of this goanna are raised and pointed, hence its common name. This helps the ridge tailed monitor anchor itself in the rock crevices it calls home. This anchoring makes it impossible for hungry predators to extract and eat the lizards.
Where in Australia Ridge tailed Monitors can be found:
Monitors, especially the ridge tailed monitor like to have a higher body temperature
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