Pygmy Mulga Monitor

About the Pygmy Mulga Monitor

The pygmy mulga monitor (Varanus gilleni), also known commonly as Gillen's monitor or just the mulga monitor, is a species of lizard in the family Varanidae. The species is endemic to Australia. The original description of the species V. gilleni was presented to the Royal Society of Victoria in 1895 by Arthur H. S. Lucas and Charles Frost.

The specific name, gilleni, is in honor of Australian anthropologist Francis James Gillen. V. gilleni is native to the spinifex sandplains of northwestern and central Australia. It can be found under the loose bark of desert she-oaks, and the hollows of eucalyptus, mulga, and myall trees. The pygmy mulga monitor is arboreal, with a prehensile tail. It grows to a total length (including tail) of around 40 cm (16 inches). The upper surface is brown, grading to grey at the sides. The nostrils are positioned on the sides of the muzzle, about halfway between the tip of the snout and the eye. V. gilleni weighs, on average, 60–80 grams (2.1–2.8 oz). Males and females can be distinguished by the presence of spines on the sides of the male's vent.

It is sometimes mistaken... Wikipedia →