| Peacock monitor | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Lacertilia |
| Family: | Varanidae |
| Genus: | Varanus |
| Subgenus: | V. (Odatria) |
| Species: | V. auffenbergi |
| Binomial name | |
| Varanus auffenbergi Sprackland, 1999[1] |
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The peacock monitor (Varanus auffenbergi), also known as Auffenberg's monitor, is a species of small monitor lizard native to the island of Roti, Indonesia.[2] It belongs to the subgenus Odatria[2] along with the Pilbara monitor and King's goanna.
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The generic name Varanus is derived from the Arabic word waral ورل, (alternative spelling 'waran'= "lizard"). The name comes from a common semitic root ouran, waran, or waral meaning "lizard".[3] It has been suggested that the occasional habit of varanids to stand on their two hind legs and to appear to "monitor" their surroundings led to this name, as it was Latinized into Varanus. Its specific name auffenbergi is a Latinization of US herpetologist Walter Auffenberg's last name.
The peacock monitor is one of the smaller monitor lizards, usually reaching a length of 60 cm (23.5 inches.)[2]. It is similar to the Timor monitor (Varanus timorensis), with some differentiaton in the underside coloring and patterns. The coloring patterns will fade as these lizards reach adulthood. They have blue-grey ocelli, whereas the Timor monitor has cream-colored ocelli.[4]
In the wild, peacock monitors have been seen climbing the trunks of palms and then basking on the crowns of these trees.[5] They are mild and shy compared to other monitor lizards. Peacock monitors remain shy even in captivity.[2]
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