Timor monitor
Timor Monitor Lizard
The Timor Monitor Lizard ( Varanus timorensis ) is a species of Squamata ( Squamata ) from the family of monitor lizards ( Varanidae ). The first description was in 1831 by John Edward Gray.
Features
The Timor Monitor Lizard usually reached a length of about 60 cm, the heaviest weighted specimen weighed 290 g The tail is 1.37 to 1.76 times as long as the head -body length and round in cross-section. The gray to black body top is white to yellowish white eye patch with a dark center, which are arranged differently depending on the specimen and formed only indistinct in some specimens. A weak longitudinal line demarcates the white ventral side. The limbs are mottled whitish.
Occurrence
The Timor Monitor Lizard lives on the Southeast Asian island of Timor and neighboring smaller islands Sawu and Semau. He originally lived in the forests of the islands that have been issued but cleared on Timor in many regions. Here, the monitor lizards now inhabit preferred stone walls, palms and other trees remaining. Most often they are up to 50 m above sea level, the highest proved reserves stood at 700 m above sea level.
Way of life
The species is diurnal and both tree - and ground -dwelling. During the hot midday the Timor monitor lizard looking at a shelter. Bask preferably stone walls and rock formations and look there or in remaining patches of forest and thickets of prey. The stomachs of museum specimens contained mainly insects, but also spiders, geckos, scorpions and a blind snake. In the terrarium animals kept the usual feeding insects as well as young mice, fish and eggs accept. The breeding season runs from May month of July; captive females laid two to twelve eggs, which hatch the hatchlings after 93-186 days. They are 14 to 17.4 cm long at hatching.
As a parasite of wild dragons Timor has so far only the tick Aponomma soambawensis known.
System
In the first description no holotype is specified.
Robert Mertens different mid-20th century, the three subspecies V. t. scalaris (1941 ), V. t. similis (1958) and the nominate V. t. timorensis. He did so on the assumption that the distribution area of the Timor- rich Warans of the Lesser Sunda Islands to Australia. After 1958, he looked alternately a subspecies in the species rank, while the other continued to regard as subspecies. Today ( Ast 2001) are both Varanus similis and Varanus scalaris considered a separate species based on comparing the squamation ( Pholidose ) and DNA analysis. 1999 described then Robert SPRACKLAND auffenbergi the supposed population of Varanus timorensis on Roti as Varanus. The validity of the species is in doubt, according to Wolfgang Böhme need specific differences between the species Varanus timorensis to be identified. The other island populations also show marked differences, but are referred to currently more uniform than in Varanus timorensis.
Timor- lizards as pets
The Timorwaran which due to its small size, the more popular lizards in the terrarium, but is considered to be relatively shy. The type should be kept in a spacious forest terrarium. The breeding in captivity is often achieved. Between 1975 and 2005, according to records of the CITES Authority 7937 live specimens were exported for the pet trade, so that the Timor Monitor Lizard is on the fifth place among the monitors. Illegal exported and unregistered exports are not included, so the actual number could be higher .. This is likely to significantly adversely affect the stock, there are, however, no inventory data, and the type has no entry in the Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN not Evaluated ).