Learn About the Fat Tailed Savannah Monitor

by Lucas Abiy, age 7

The savannah monitor is a long and stocky lizard that lives in Central and West Africa, encompassing areas of Senegal to parts of Ethiopia. These lizards can live up to 30 years!

The savannah monitor has many unique physical features. A savannah monitor weighs four to ten pounds and can reach five feet in length. Their tails swell up with fat to help them during seasons when food is scarce. Their skin is thick and scaly to help with moisture retention and survival in arid environments. They also have razor-sharp teeth and claws for defense. Their strong hips and legs also allow for easy navigation on the ground.

The reptile's split tongue is used for smell, they constantly flick their tongues to pick up the scent of nearby prey. Upon catching prey, these creatures like to be left alone to feast. Their diet consists of frogs, smaller lizards, invertebrates, and other small animal.

The savannah monitor has an interesting way of finding and eating millipedes. Their tongue collects scent molecules from the air and imports them to a sensor called the Jacobson's organ. When a monitor lizard wants to eat millipedes, it buts its chin on them, causing the millipedes to release their foul-tasing fluid. After waiting a while, the monitor lizard then eats them. In Ghana and Nigeria, savannah monitors are usually caught and cooked into a meal called, “bush chicken.” Their thick and scaly skin is also sold and used to make bags and shoes.

The savannah monitor lives in a dry savannah, however, it can not survive long without water. Surprisingly, the monitor is a good swimmer for living in dry areas. Savannah monitor lizards are resilient and adaptable reptiles. Their unique characteristics and skills make them a captivating species in the wild.

[Source: Snakes and Reptiles]