#bengal monitor

[inatherps]

Bengal Monitor (Varanus bengalensis)

Observed by caesar, CC BY-NC

[thebeastsofindia]

Bengal Monitor (Varanus bengalensis), family Varanidae, order Squamata, Kerala, India

Photo by Ummer K

[ariesalpinesavi]

[thebeastsofindia]

Bengal Monitor (Varanus bengalensis), family Varanidae, order Squamata, Gujarat, India Photo by Jaysukh Parekh Suman

[thebeastsofindia]

Bengal Monitor (Varanus bengalensis), family Varanidae, order Squamata, Kerala, India

Photo by Faisal Nayakan

[subbalakshmisastry]

Indian Monitor / Bengal Monitor (Varanus bengalensis) HD

[subbalakshmisastry]

Tanaji Malusure Used This Animal To Climb The Sinhagad Fort HD

[cool-critters]

Bengal monitor (Varanus bengalensis)

The Bengal monitor is a monitor lizard found widely distributed over the Indian Subcontinent, as well as parts of Southeast Asia and West Asia. This large lizard is mainly terrestrial, and grows to about 175 cm from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail. Young monitors may be more arboreal, but adults mainly hunt on the ground, preying mainly on arthropods, but also taking small terrestrial vertebrates, ground birds, eggs and fish. Although large monitors have few predators apart from humans who hunt them for meat, younger individuals are hunted by many predators. They do not possess any venom glands or delivery mechanisms but folk myths around India hold these lizards as venomous.

photo credits: Carlos Delgado, ayendra Chiplunkar, Yogesh Khandke