Wildlifeof Sri Lanka
Common Water Monitor
Monitor Lizards
Photo: Jean-Paul Boerekamps · CC0 1.0
Varanus salvator
Basic stats
Diet
Fish, frogs, rodents, birds and eggs, crabs, molluscs, insects, other lizards and snakes
Habitat
Lowland freshwater and brackish wetlands, primary forest and mangrove, canals and cities; recorded to 1,800m
Range
India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, mainland Southeast Asia and southern China to the Sunda islands and Sulawesi
Clutch size
10–40 eggs
Incubation period
6–7 months
The Asian water monitor, or common water monitor, is widely considered the second-largest lizard after the Komodo dragon and is one of the most widespread monitors, from India and Sri Lanka through mainland Southeast Asia and southern China to Sumatra, Borneo, Java and Sulawesi. It is semiaquatic and opportunistic, living around lakes, rivers, swamps and mangroves, and also in city parks, sewers and urban waterways. It has been recorded up to 1,800 m. In Sri Lanka it thrives in cities with canal systems, where it is not hunted or persecuted (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is an excellent swimmer, steering with the raised fin of its tail, and climbs trees to escape predators such as the king cobra. It is carnivorous and eats a wide range of prey, from fish, frogs, rodents, birds and eggs to crabs, molluscs, other lizards and snakes. Breeding is from April to October, with 10 to 40 eggs laid in rotting logs or stumps about a month after mating and incubated for 6 to 7 months. Nationally Least Concern (Sri Lanka National Red List 2012).
Quick answers
- What does the Common Water Monitor eat?
- Fish, frogs, rodents, birds and eggs, crabs, molluscs, insects, other lizards and snakes
- What habitat does the Common Water Monitor live in?
- Lowland freshwater and brackish wetlands, primary forest and mangrove, canals and cities; recorded to 1,800m
- Where is the Common Water Monitor found?
- India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, mainland Southeast Asia and southern China to the Sunda islands and Sulawesi
- How many eggs does the Common Water Monitor lay?
- 10–40 eggs
- How long are the eggs of the Common Water Monitor incubated?
- 6–7 months