Varanus eremius is a member of the subgenera Odatria. It it can reach a SVL of about 20 cm, and a total length of about 50 cm. The coloration on the upper side is light to dark reddish brown with numreous, irregularly distributed, deep brown to black spots, sometimes with smaller primrose or cream-colored spots. The tail shows alternating cream-colored and deep brown longitudinal stripes. These stripes are often broken up into scattered spots at the tail base. A conspicious black stripe goes from the snout to the eye. The temporal stripe is pale. A wider narrow cream-colored stripe goes from the corner of mouth along the lower jaw to the ear and further to the foreleg. The coloring of the underside is white apart from the gray spotted drawing on the throat. The head scales are small and keeled. 85-110 scale rows are around midbody. The nostril is situated at the side, and is much closer to the tip of the snout than to the eye. The tail is more or less round in the diameter, with an easy hint of a keel at the tail end. The length is approximately 1.5 times the SVL. The tail scales are strongly keeled but not thorny.

The distribution of V. eremius extends on the central and the western parts of Australia and is very strongly restricted to the appearance of Spinifex. The animals live there in burrows under this vegetation islands in the red sand. They are well protected, because other predators seldom will go into these Spinifex bushes (MERTENS 1942d, 1958, KEAST 1959, WORRELL 1966, BUSTARD, 1968, SWANSON 1976, STORR 1980, STORR et al. 1983b, WILSON & KNOWLES 1988, HOSER 1989, COGGER 1992, EHMANN 1992). Micro climates will develop within the Spinifex bushes, which were occupied by various animals. V. eremius chooses its food items from these animals. PIANKA (1968) reported after examination of several stomach contents, that only really large food items were found.

Unfortunately, there are no experiences on the captive husbandry of this shy desert monitor till now. You may build an enclosure for a ground dwelling moitor, with a lot of hiding places, made from cork bark or similar things. As substrate you can use sand. Some grass bushes, natural or plastic, are used as furnishing. Because these monitors live in the desert, it is essentiell, that they have a very bright illumination. A mercury preassure lamp will give both, light intensity as well as UV.
Till now no successfull breeding in cativity is reported.