Varanus timorensis
Encyclopedia
The Timor Monitor or Spotted Tree Monitor (Varanus timorensis) is a species
of small monitor lizard
native to the island of west and east Timor.
or almost black
in color, with bright gold-yellow
spotting all along its back and a lighter straw-yellow coloring on its underside. They have a pointed nose, excellent eyesight, very good hearing, sharp teeth, and a long tail
. They also have long, sharp claws well suited for climbing. The species grows to a length of 2-2/12ft (61-68cm).
lizards. Their diet
consists of a variety of things, including: insect
s, scorpion
s, small rodent
s, and other reptile
s, such as gecko
s and small snake
s. Breeding takes place from December to March, and clutches of up to 11 eggs
are laid and incubate for three to four months, depending on the average temperature. Hatchlings are approximately 5 inches long, but grow quickly.
, Savu
and Rote
, in East Timor
.
, but more largely imported and available in the exotic pet
trade. The species can be nervous, and difficult to handle, but its small size makes it an attracting choice for a Varanid lizard. They are easy to house in a vivarium
with plenty of climbing space, many small, tight hiding spaces, a basking spot of 120-140 degrees F, keep the ambient temperature at 75-80F at the cool end of the tank, and 85-90F at the warm side, and a medium sized bowl of clean fresh water as they occasionaly soak in the water and they readily feed on a diet of commercially available crickets
, roaches and rodent
s, with an occasional scrambled egg made without butter, but not as a stable part of the diet.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of small monitor lizard
Monitor lizard
Monitor lizards are usually large reptiles, although some can be as small as in length. They have long necks, powerful tails and claws, and well-developed limbs. Most species are terrestrial, but arboreal and semiaquatic monitors are also known...
native to the island of west and east Timor.
Description
The Timor Monitor is generally a dark greenGreen
Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
or almost black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
in color, with bright gold-yellow
Yellow
Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–590 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of red and green...
spotting all along its back and a lighter straw-yellow coloring on its underside. They have a pointed nose, excellent eyesight, very good hearing, sharp teeth, and a long tail
Tail
The tail is the section at the rear end of an animal's body; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, reptiles, and birds...
. They also have long, sharp claws well suited for climbing. The species grows to a length of 2-2/12ft (61-68cm).
Behavior
Timor monitors are arboreal, diurnalDiurnal animal
Diurnality is a plant or animal behavior characterized by activity during the day and sleeping at night.-In animals:Animals that are not diurnal might be nocturnal or crepuscular . Many animal species are diurnal, including many mammals, insects, reptiles and birds...
lizards. Their diet
Diet (nutrition)
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...
consists of a variety of things, including: insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, scorpion
Scorpion
Scorpions are predatory arthropod animals of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping claws and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger...
s, small rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s, and other reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s, such as gecko
Gecko
Geckos are lizards belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from 1.6 cm to 60 cm....
s and small snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s. Breeding takes place from December to March, and clutches of up to 11 eggs
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
are laid and incubate for three to four months, depending on the average temperature. Hatchlings are approximately 5 inches long, but grow quickly.
Geographic distribution
The Timor Monitor is found in Indonesia, specifically the islands of TimorTimor
Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, north of the Timor Sea. It is divided between the independent state of East Timor, and West Timor, belonging to the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. The island's surface is 30,777 square kilometres...
, Savu
Savu
Savu is the largest of a group of three islands, situated midway between Sumba and Rote, west of Timor, in Indonesia's eastern province, East Nusa Tenggara. Ferries connect the islands to Waingapu, on Sumba, and Kupang, in West Timor...
and Rote
Rote Island
right|thumb|300px|Satellite photo of RotiRote Island is an island of Indonesia, part of the East Nusa Tenggara province of the Lesser Sunda Islands. It has an area of . It lies northeast of the Australian coast and northeast of the Ashmore and Cartier Islands. The island is situated to the...
, in East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
.
In captivity
The Timor Monitor is frequently captive bredCaptive breeding
Captive breedingis the process of breeding animals in human controlled environments with restricted settings, such as wildlife reserves, zoos and other conservation facilities; sometimes the process is construed to include release of individual organisms to the wild, when there is sufficient...
, but more largely imported and available in the exotic pet
Pet
A pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person's enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful...
trade. The species can be nervous, and difficult to handle, but its small size makes it an attracting choice for a Varanid lizard. They are easy to house in a vivarium
Vivarium
A vivarium is a usually enclosed area for keeping and raising animals or plants for observation or research...
with plenty of climbing space, many small, tight hiding spaces, a basking spot of 120-140 degrees F, keep the ambient temperature at 75-80F at the cool end of the tank, and 85-90F at the warm side, and a medium sized bowl of clean fresh water as they occasionaly soak in the water and they readily feed on a diet of commercially available crickets
Cricket (insect)
Crickets, family Gryllidae , are insects somewhat related to grasshoppers, and more closely related to katydids or bush crickets . They have somewhat flattened bodies and long antennae. There are about 900 species of crickets...
, roaches and rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s, with an occasional scrambled egg made without butter, but not as a stable part of the diet.