The Kimberley rock monitor (''Varanus glauerti'') is a medium-sized
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
monitor lizard
Monitor lizards are lizards in the genus ''Varanus,'' the only extant genus in the family Varanidae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and one species is also found in the Americas as an invasive species. About 80 species are recogn ...
["''Varanus glauerti'' " at Monitor-lizards.net](_blank)
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Varanidae. The species is native to
Northern Australia. Also known as Glauert's monitor or the Kakadu sand goanna,
[ it belongs to the ]subgenus
In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.
In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...
''Odatria''.Kingsnake.com
/ref>
Etymology
The specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
, ''glauerti'', is in honor of English-born Australian herpetologist Ludwig Glauert
Ludwig Glauert MBE (5 May 1879 – 1 February 1963) was a British-born Australian paleontologist, herpetologist and museum curator. He is known for work on Pleistocene mammal fossils, and as a museum curator who played an important role in na ...
.[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ]
. (''Varanus glauerti'', p. 101).
Description
''Varanus glauerti'' grows up to long, and three-quarters of its length is the long tail.
Habitat and behaviour
''Varanus glauerti'' lives almost exclusively on rocky cliff faces, but is found in humid forests. It is rupicolous, and prefers humid conditions.
References
Further reading
* Mertens R (1957). "Two new goannas from Australia". ''Western Australian Naturalist'' 5: 183–185. (''Varanus timorensis glauerti'', new subspecies).
External links
Reptiliana.wordpress.com
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2713236
Varanus
Reptiles of Western Australia
Reptiles described in 1957
Reptiles of the Northern Territory
Monitor lizards of Australia
Taxa named by Robert Mertens