Black-palmed rock monitor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Black-palmed rock monitor |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Varanus
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| Species: |
glebopalma
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The black-palmed rock monitor (Varanus glebopalma) is a type of lizard that belongs to the Varanidae family. It lives in northern Australia, including the Northern Territory, Western Australia, and Queensland. People also call it the twilight monitor or the long-tailed rock monitor. It's known for living in rocky areas like cliffs and large rock formations. You can find many of them in small areas.
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Discovering the Black-Palmed Rock Monitor
This monitor lizard was first officially described in 1955. A scientist named Francis John Mitchell from South Australia named it. The first example he studied was found near Lake Hubert in the Northern Territory. It was found during a scientific trip in 1948.
The name glebopalma is special. It comes from the shiny black pads found on the bottom of their feet.
What Does It Look Like?
The black-palmed rock monitor can grow to be over 100 cm (about 3.3 feet) long. Its back is mostly black with some light brown scales. Overall, its skin can look reddish or gray-brown.
Its scales form a cool pattern. On its sides, they look like a net. On top, they form small eye-like spots with a black center. The first half of its tail is black. The rest of the tail turns a creamy-yellow color. Its head and legs are black with small, light brown or cream-colored spots. These spots seem to blend together. The spots on its legs are usually larger.
How Does It Behave?
This monitor lizard is quite shy. It's hard to spot in the wild. Varanus glebopalma is very timid and can move super fast. It usually hunts during the day. However, sometimes it might be active at dusk or night. This could be if people disturb it.
It hunts by waiting quietly for its prey. This is called being an ambush predator. In the wild, black-palmed rock monitors love to eat insects. They also eat other lizards and small animals with backbones. During Australia's dry season, they look for grasshoppers. In the wet season, they mostly eat skinks. They also sometimes eat frogs.
These monitors can roam over a large area, from 1.25 to more than 7 hectares. They ambush their prey or search in small hiding spots. Some reports suggest that male monitors avoid other males. This might mean they are territorial, which is unusual for monitor lizards.
Where Does It Live and What's Its Home Like?
The black-palmed rock monitor lives across northern Australia. Its range goes from the Kimberleys in the west. It extends through the Top End and into western Queensland, near Mount Isa. They live both near the coast and further inland. Some have even been seen on Adolphus Island offshore.
Their favorite homes are rocky areas. These places have lots of cracks, crevices, and boulders. They also like open woodlands nearby. Even though there are trees, these monitors don't usually climb them. In some areas, they especially like woodlands with Allosyncarpia ternata trees. Another long-tailed monitor, Varanus glauerti, lives in the same places. But each species uses different parts of the habitat.
Their homes include dry woodlands and monsoon forests. They always stay close to their safe spots. These are usually cracks and boulders at the edges of sandstone cliffs.
Scientists checked on this species in 2017. They found that it is a "least concern" species. This means its population is stable and not in danger. However, because they eat amphibians, they might be affected by the spread of the Cane toad. The cane toad is a poisonous animal that was brought to Australia.
