Mertens' water monitor
A species of Monitor lizards Scientific name : Varanus mertensi Genus : Monitor lizards
Mertens' water monitor, A species of Monitor lizards
Scientific name: Varanus mertensi
Genus: Monitor lizards
Content
Description General Info
Description
Mertens' or Mertens's water monitor (Varanus mertensi ), often misspelled Merten's water monitor, is a member of the monitor lizard family found in northern Australia, and is a wide-ranging, actively foraging, opportunistic predator of aquatic and riparian habitats. It is named after German herpetologist Robert Mertens.
General Info
Lifespan
15-20 years
Diet
Mertens' water monitor is primarily a carnivorous species, feeding predominantly on fish, crustaceans, and small mammals. This species exhibits a particular preference for water-based prey, due to its semi-aquatic habitat.
Appearance
The mertens' water monitor is a robust monitor lizard with a long, tapering tail and powerful limbs adapted for swimming. Its skin is rough, featuring a predominant grey color sprinkled with uneven black crossbars occurring throughout the body. The reptile's tail is strikingly banded with yellow and black. Male specimens are typically larger than females, sporting more pronounced jowls.
Behavior
Mertens' water monitor is a semi-aquatic, primarily solitary species. It exhibits unique water-related behaviors such as hunting and escaping predators by diving underwater, and can swim subtly with only its nostrils visible. Mertens' water monitor sun-basks for thermoregulation, is a skilled tree-climber, and has a diet predominantly comprised of fish, supplemented by small mammals and birds. Territorial defense often involves a display of inflated body and open mouth. They have also exhibited tool use, a rare trait in reptiles.
Population
Decreasing
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Reptiles Order
Lizards and snakes Family
Monitor lizards Genus
Monitor lizards Species
Mertens' water monitor 
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