Black-headed Monitor

About the Black-headed Monitor

The black-headed monitor or black-tailed monitor (Varanus tristis) is a relatively small species of monitor lizards native to Australia. It is occasionally also called the mournful monitor, freckled monitor (Varanus tristis orientalis) or the racehorse monitor, a name it shares with the Gould's monitor due to their exceptional speed. It is placed in the subgenus Odatria.

Its specific name, tristis, means "sad", in reference to the completely black colouration of V. t. tristis populations around Perth. This is the most widespread monitor species in Australia, occurring throughout the mainland and even on some northern islands such as Magnetic Island. It is only absent in the southernmost and south-easternmost regions of Australia. V. t. tristis is found mainly to the west of Australia, while V. t. orientalis is confined mainly to eastern Australia. The two subspecies are sympatric in some areas such as the east coast of Queensland. This arboreal monitor lizard is usually found near rivers in forests, scrublands, woodlands, but also inhabits deserts. It takes shelter in tight spaces such as loose bark, tree hollows, and rocky crevices. Wikipedia →