Ornate monitor
Rainforest Nile Monitor ( Varanus ornatus )
The Rainforest Nile Monitor ( Varanus ornatus ) is a species of Squamata ( Squamata ) from the family of monitor lizards. Formerly classified as a subspecies of Nilwarans ( Varanus niloticus ), Nile monitor the rainforest now is considered a unique kind He is about 2 m long, is similar to the Nile monitor closely tied to the water and feeds mainly on crustaceans.
System
The first description was in 1803 by François -Marie Daudin. For a long time recognized as a distinct species, it was 1942 in Mertens classical monograph of monitor lizards as a subspecies of Nilwarans ( Varanus niloticus ) classified. Zieger & Böhme (1997) raised the Varanus niloticus ornatus as designated taxon again in the Artstand because the Nile monitor and its putative subspecies sympatric occur without a transition from one to the other subspecies can be recognized. In addition, the morphology of the different Paryphasmen Hemipenes the two species. Therefore, the two taxa should be regarded as different, albeit very closely related species.
Features
The longest measured reliably copy of the Rainforest Nilwarans reached a total length of 1.9 m, the skulls of two very large specimens can however close to a length of more than 2.5 m. The tail is times as long as the head -body length at about 1.6-1.7. The Rainforest Nile Monitor is built very sturdy and has a large head.
The body top is blackish, with a bright yellow line pattern of markings on the head. On the back there are 5, rarely fewer transverse bands of yellow- black eye patch; This feature can be used to distinguish it from the otherwise very similar Nilwaran because it usually has 6 or more of these bands. Between the bands, the dark color is marked with yellowish Tüpfelungen. The tail is 12 wide, yellow transverse bands. The body bottom is covered with a yellow and black wide-meshed network drawing. The tongue is whitish to pink.
Distribution and habitat
At the country level, its range in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Benin covers. In Nigeria, it is by locals " Dgyou - Dgyou " and " Gedee ", called in Benin " Guana " and in Nigeria and Tanzania " Ju - Ju".
In many parts of its range it lives sympatric with the Nile monitor. The Rainforest Nilwaran inhabited large parts of the Central African tropical rainforests, especially the lowland rainforest, but also secondary forest, swamps, mangroves, savannah -like habitats at the edge of the forest, deforested areas and near human settlements. He usually lives near large bodies of water and occurs in up to 1200 m above sea level.
Way of life
The Rainforest Nilwaran is mainly ground -dwelling, but also a good climber and a very good swimmer. It is diurnal and places as opposed to a chemical also found in drier habitats Nilwaran no rest period in the dry season, but is like its close relative the rainy season more active. It actively scans for prey, especially crustaceans. According to studies by Angelici & Luiselli (1999), the Rainforest Nilwaran fed to 56 % of crustaceans, only 10% of the food make vertebrates, each 1.7 % of young stump crocodiles ( Osteolaemus tetraspis ) and younger cousins. While the pups still warantypische pointed teeth have accomplished in the course of individual development, a change to blunt molars, probably as an adaptation to the existing mainly of crustaceans diet. The food spectrum of young animals, however, with that said adults despite the ontogenetic variation of the teeth almost identical.
Little is known about the propagation of rainforest Nilwarans in nature. In Southeast Nigeria pregnant females between late March and the middle of April, found that first pups in early May In south-eastern Guinea and southern Cameroon, however, newly hatched juveniles were found in October. In captive females parthenogenesis was observed, the nest thus formed comprised 12 and 15 eggs. So far, no viable pups occurred during Rainforest Nilwaran by parthenogenesis.