| Monitor Lizard | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific Name | Varanus panoptes (yellow-spotted monitor) |
| Diet | |
| Predators | Snakes Large birds Fish Big cats |
Monitor Lizards are lizards that appear in The Lion King franchise.
Information[]
Monitor lizard is the common name of several large lizard species, comprising the genus Varanus. They are native to Africa, Asia and Oceania, but are now found also in the Americas as an invasive species.
The Nile monitor is one of the biggest lizards in the world, as well as being the longest species. They have sharp, strong jaws, bulky legs, and sharp claws which they use to dig, defend themselves, or eat prey. As with all monitor lizards, they have a forked tongue. Skin colors vary; they are mostly gray-brown with green-yellow bars on the tail and rosettes of the same color on the back, with each rosette having a black dot in the middle. The throat and undersides are an ochre or creamy-yellow and have faint barring.
Nile monitors feed on small reptiles, birds, rodents, mammals, and eggs. They will also eat human wastes, carrion, and feces. They are native to Sub-Saharan Africa, and as their name suggests, are also found near to the Nile River, though they are not found in arid areas like deserts. Prior to their extinction in the country, Nile monitors were also located in Israel. They are considered to be an invasive species in Florida and have negatively harmed populations of American alligators and crocodiles by raiding their nests and eating their young and eggs. They are also sold in the pet trade despite their resistance to taming.
The yellow-spotted monitor has large, dark spots along its back, mixed in with smaller spots, and its tail is banded. Color, varying depending on origin, ranges from brown, red, and yellow in shade. The species possesses a hefty amount of sexual dimorphism: females are three feet while males are four to five feet in length, and both can weigh up to seven pounds. It is not bulky, unlike other monitor lizards.
Located in Oceania, yellow-spotted monitors lay up to six to thirteen eggs and interbreed with Gould's monitors. They are versatile and ground-dwellers, able to inhabit many different environments, and live in burrows which they dig themselves. They will forage around trees and water and can run up to one hundred meters away when chased, though they are more famous for standing up on their hind legs, a position known as the "tripod" stance. This behavior is used to spot enemies or prey and is not commonly seen in other monitors. Yellow-spotted monitors will consume crabs, fish, rodents, insects, or even other monitors, such as spiny-tailed goannas and Kimberley rock monitors. However, their population is increasingly threatened by the presence of cane toads, a toxic and invasive species of toad responsible for decimating their numbers in certain areas by ninety percent.
Appearances in Fanfiction[]
Here are all the fanfictions that this animal makes an appearance in that are on this wiki. If your fanfiction includes monitor lizards, add it to this list.
- The Lion Guard: Defeating Kenge
- The Lion Guard: Confrontation with Kenge
- Like Water and Rain
- A Prince's Fury
- The Lion Guard: Bleeding Scars
- Legends of the Lion Guard: Protectors of the Pride Lands
- A Hyena's Tale
Monitor Lizards on this Wikia[]
All monitor lizards on the wiki can be found here.
Gallery[]
The Lion King Fanon Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Monitor Lizard. |