Mertens' water monitor
| Mertens' water monitor | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Lacertilia |
| Family: | Varanidae |
| Genus: | Varanus |
| Subgenus: | V. (Varanus) |
| Species: | V. mertensi |
| Binomial name | |
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Varanus mertensi Glauert, 1951 |
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Mertens' or Mertens's water monitor (Varanus mertensi ), often misspelled Merten's water monitor, is a member of the monitor lizard family found in northern Australia, and is a wide-ranging, actively foraging, opportunistic predator of aquatic and riparian habitats. It is named after German herpetologist Robert Mertens.
V. mertensi grows to a length of about 1.0 m (3.3 ft). It is dark brown to black above, with many cream to yellow spots. The underparts are paler – white to yellowish – with grey mottling on the throat and blue-grey bars on the chest. The tail is strongly compressed laterally, with a high median dorsal keel, and is about 1.5 times the length of head and body.
Mertens' water monitor is found in coastal and inland waters across much of northern Australia, from the Kimberley region of Western Australia, across the Top End of the Northern Territory and the Gulf Country, to the western side of the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland.
V. mertensi is semiaquatic, a strong swimmer, and seldom far from water. It is often seen basking on midstream rocks and logs, and on branches overhanging swamps, lagoons, and waterways throughout its range. When disturbed, it drops into the water, where it can stay submerged for long periods.
Mertens' water monitor feeds both on land and in the water, mainly on fish, frogs, and carrion, also taking terrestrial vertebrates and insects when available. It has a good sense of smell and may dig up prey when foraging, including the eggs of freshwater turtles.
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Wikipedia