The Kimberley Rock Monitor is a medium sized species of Monitor lizard that can grow to around 3 feet in length. However, most of this length is made up of its tail.
They are native to parts of Australia and are also referred to as the Glauert’t Monitor or the Kakadu Sand Goanna.
Kimberley Rock Monitor Taxonomy
The Kimberley Rock Monitor belongs to the Varanidae family of lizards. This family contains only one genus of living lizards. There are two extinct genera associated with this family, Ovoo and Saniwa.
The remaining genus, and the genus that the Kimberley Rock Monitor belongs to is called Varanus. This is essentially the genus of Monitor Lizards, which are native to Africa, Asia and Oceania.
There are many species in the Varanus genus including the Argus Monitor, the Black Roughneck Monitor and the Timor Monitor.
The closest living relatives to the lizards in the Varanus genus are the species in the anguid and helodermatid genera.
The lizards in the anguid genus are native to the Northern Hemisphere and include the glass lizards and the alligator lizards.
There are only 5 species of lizards in the helodermatid genus and they are all venomous. This family includes the Gila Monster.
Monitors are a large genus of lizard that contains over 80 different species at the time of writing. However, many species and sub-species are constantly being disputed so the exact number will change from time to time.
The group of Monitor lizards include some of the largest species of lizards in the world such as the Crocodile Monitor and Nile Monitor.
The genus name, Varanus is derived from the Arabic word ‘waral’ which simply translates into Monitor.
The scientific name for the Kimberley Rock Monitor is Varanus glauerti. It was given the scientific name glauerti in honour of herpetologist Ludwig Glauert.
Kimberley Rock Monitor Description
The Kimberly Rock Monitor can grow to almost 3 feet in length although the majority of this is made up of their tail.
They typically have a light brown or greyish colored base color with darker brown or reddish crossbands running along their back.
The patterning along their back can sometimes have more of a geometric appearance as opposed to a basic crossband.
They have a long neck and narrow snout with their eyes positioned on the side of their head. Their throat is yellow or white in color.
They usually have a dark line running from the side of their snout towards the back of their head. This is typically jet black in color.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
The Kimberly Rock Monitor is native to parts of Northern Australia. They are primarily found in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
The Kimberley region is a remote part of Australia that is located in the Northern Regions of Western Australia.
However, this Monitor can also be found in parts of the Northern Territory where they can be found in places such as the Kakadu National Park.
As their name suggests, these lizards like to live in rocky areas such as around cliffs and other rocky terrain. They like humid environments and can sometimes be found around the edges of forests.
Kimberley Rock Monitor Diet
The Kimberley Rock Monitor will primarily feed on insects in the wild. They will eat a variety of different insects including spiders, katydids, cockroaches and caterpillars.
As well as this, they are even known to eat small lizards from other species that they encounter among the rocks such as geckos and small skinks.
