Also known as Beccari’s monitor, these long slim reptiles are found only on the Aru Islands of Indonesia, preferring habitats of rainforests, mangrove swamps and cocoa plantations.
The life of a black tree monitor
Black tree monitors can grow up to three-and-a-half feet long from head to tail tip. Their tails make up half their body length. They weigh up to 10.5 ounces and have an average lifespan of 10 to 15 years.
Black tree monitors are carnivores, feasting mainly on insects but also crabs, frogs and rodents. They are skilled climbers with powerful legs and gripping claws that spend a lot of time in treetops. They use their tails to grab tree branches and aid in climbing. Like snakes, monitor lizards use long forked tongues to smell by flicking them in and out of their mouths.
Females lay three to seven eggs at a time either in tree holes, decaying logs or termite mounds. They take up to 165 days to hatch. Hatchlings are about 8 inches long. They are born with bright green or yellow spots that disappear within 12 weeks as they develop shiny black scales.
Black tree monitors have few natural predators.
