Northern Sierra Madre forest monitor

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Northern Sierra Madre forest monitor
File:Varanus bitatawa (KU 322188) from Barangay Dibuluan, San Mariano - ZooKeys-266-001-g069.jpg
Varanus bitatawa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Reptilia
Order:
Squamata
Suborder:
Scleroglossa
Infraorder:
Anguimorpha
Superfamily:
Varanoidea
Family:
Varanidae
Genus:
Varanus
Subgenus:
V. (Philippinosaurus)
Species:
V. bitatawa
Binomial name
Varanus bitatawa
Welton, Siler, Bennett, Diesmos, Duya, Dugay, Rico, Van Weerd, & Brown, 2010

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The Northern Sierra Madre forest monitor (Varanus bitatawa), also known by the local names bitatawa, baritatawa, and butikaw, is a large, arboreal, frugivorous lizard of the genus Varanus.[1][2] The lizard is a staple food of the Aeta and Ilongot indigenous people of the Philippines.[3]

Description

File:Varanus bitatawa.jpg
Dorsal view of Varanus bitatawa with inset showing a lateral view of the head

The forest monitor lizard can grow to more than 2 m (6.6 ft) in length, but weighs only about 10 kg (22 lb). "Its scaly body and legs are a blue-black mottled with pale yellow-green dots, while its tail is marked in alternating segments of black and green."[4] Dorsal ground coloration is black, "accentuated with bright golden yellow in life, while the dorsum is golden yellow spots and flecks.[1]

News reports emphasized that males have hemipenes, paired penis-like organs.[4][5] However, all male lizards and snakes have hemipenes.[6]

Behavior

V. batawaka is one of only three frugivorous lizards in the Varanidae family Along with V. olivaceus One of only three frugivorous monitor lizards in the world,.[1]

forest monitor specializes in eating the fruit of Pandan palm trees.[7] They spend most of their time in trees, more than 20 meters above the ground; similar species spend less than 20 minutes on the ground per week.[8]

Taxonomy and distribution

V. bitatawa is closely related to the Komodo dragon of Indonesia. It was confirmed as a new species in April 2010 by biologists from the University of Kansas. DNA analysis has revealed a deep genetic divergence between this species and its closest relative, Gray's Monitor (Varanus olivaceus), which is also a fruit-eater, but lives on the southern end of Luzon, rather than the northern end where the forest monitor lizard lives.[1]

The lizard's known range is currently limited to the Sierra Madre Forest, in the northeastern coast of the island of Luzon, Philippines.

References

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External links

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