Range: Pacific Islands extending from Japan to near Australia, one of the most widely distributed of all monitor lizards.

Habitat: Dense Tropical Forests, to coastal plains.  Habitat varies widely by island. 

Natural Diet: Carnivore, very opportunistic feeders will eat other lizards, fish, small snakes, rodents and insects.

Diet at Rain Forest: Rodents

Size: 3-4 feet in length, medium sized monitor with reasonably consistent male to female size ratio.

RainForest Facts: A highly variable lizard in coloration the Mangrove monitor is a medium sized lizard that produces a clutch of eggs that average 8-10.  Widely distributed due to intervention by people.  Natives moved the animal from island to island as a source of protein. 

Status in Wild: Numbers are rapidly declining due to over collection for skin trade as well as loss of habitat.  Some native populations of people still consume this lizard as part of a native diet.

The mangrove monitor has a beautiful skin and as a result it is hunted in many places for its leather, which is used for drum heads and other purposes.

It seems strange that international trade in this species is so small. Mertens (1942) referred to it as one of the most heavily exploited monitor lizards.

In 1980 trade in over 13,000 skins was declared but since then numbers seem to have been minimal (Luxmoore et al 1988). The species is said to be protected in Indonesia and so it seems likely that they are referred to as V.salvator in CITES documentation. In many places they are used as a food source but may also be persecuted because of their reputation for preying on domestic animals.