Pilbara rock monitor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pilbara rock monitor |
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|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Varanus
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| Species: |
pilbarensis
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The Pilbara rock monitor (Varanus pilbarensis) is a small lizard. It belongs to the Varanidae family. You can only find it in the Chichester Range in North West Australia.
Contents
About the Pilbara Rock Monitor
Scientists give every animal a special name. This helps everyone know exactly which animal they are talking about.
How it Got its Name
A scientist named Glenn Storr first described this lizard in 1980. He studied a lizard collected in 1971. This lizard became the main example for the new species.
Later, in 2014, scientists found a very similar lizard. They named it Varanus hamersleyensis. It lives a bit further south. Scientists looked closely at both lizards. They found small differences to tell them apart.
What Does it Look Like?
The Pilbara rock monitor is a type of monitor lizard. These lizards are meat-eaters. This monitor is mostly reddish-brown. It likes to live in rocky places.
Size and Features
It is a fairly small lizard. It grows up to about 47 centimeters (18.5 inches) long. Its tail can be twice as long as its body. The tail is round and has strong dark bands. Near the end, it has black and cream stripes.
This lizard has special spiky scales near its tail. Its nostrils are high up on its nose. These features help tell it apart from other similar lizards. Its legs have patches of black and cream. Its feet have short, thick, and very curved claws.
The skin on its back, neck, and upper legs is loose. It has patterns that look like light grey eyes with black rings.
Where it Lives and Its Home
The Pilbara rock monitor only lives in the Pilbara region. This area is in the northwest of Australia.
Its Home Range
Another similar lizard, Varanus kingorum, lives further north. It is found in the Kimberley region. Their living areas do not overlap.
The Pilbara rock monitor lives in the Chichester Range. The other species, Varanus hamersleyensis, lives south of the Fortescue River basin. That lizard is darker and its markings are not as clear.
The Pilbara region is a special place for reptiles. Many types of monitor lizards live there. These lizards have become separated over time. This means they have changed and become unique species.
