The Water Bengal’s body is bigger than other animal in the same family but smaller than Komodo Dragon. Its body is black with white-yellow strip across on base body. It has purple and jagged tongue, tail with black-light yellow internodes and its skin is quite rough.
It has been found in South East Asia including India and Sri Lanka. In Thailand, it is found almost in every part. Forest, Shrubland, Wetlands (inland), Artificial/Terrestrial This species is semi-aquatic and opportunistic and inhabits a variety of natural habitats, such as primary forests and mangrove swamps (Gaulke and Horn 2004, Weijola 2010). The presence of man does not deter these monitors from areas with human disturbance (Gaulke et al. 1999), as they have been reported to thrive in agricultural areas (e.g., rice, oil palm) and even cities with canal systems (e.g. in Sri Lanka, where they are not or hardly disturbed, hunted and prosecuted by man; M. Gaulke pers. comm.) and second-growth forest (S. Sweet pers. comm.). Furthermore, their aquatic habits provide them with a measure of safety (E. Pianka pers. comm.), and their generalist diet may provide added ecological plasticity to this species (Somaweera and Somaweera 2009). In Borneo and Sulawesi, the species in this complex seem to be less tolerant of human activities and do not generally thrive in agricultural regions where there is extensive loss of natural vegetation (S. Sweet pers. comm.). Although the species may inhabit all the habitats listed above in at least parts of its range, they cannot all be considered equally as important. The habitats considered most important to this species are mangrove vegetation, swamp and wetlands at altitudes of below 1,000 m (Gaulke and Horn 2004).
It can eat land, water animal and bird such as hen, fish, frog, mouse and additionally, it is capable to take both fresh and decayed food.
It is fierce because it uses a tail to attack enemies and tongue to tear into small pieces. It prefers to live near water and swim very well. It is able to climbs up the tree.
Leaet Concern Parts of this species' distribution range coincide with protected areas; however, the species is reported as absent from Yala National Park in Sri Lanka, possibly caused by the high density of crocodiles in the park (Somaweera and Somaweera 2009). Because of the recent changes of Varanus salvator taxonomy based on morphological analyses, DNA sequencing work is urgently needed to validate the genetic differences between subspecies, which is likely to alter the taxonomy of this species and hence the outcome of future conservation assessments.
CLASS : Reptilia
ORDER : Squamata
FAMILY : Varanidae
GENUS : Varanus
SPECIES : Common Water Monitor (Varanus salvator)
Conservation status : Least Concern
It will dig the hole and lays around 15-30 eggs each time but it doesn’t brood its eggs which are bred naturally. The junior water monitor will find food by themselves.
Update : 06 April 2017
