V. similis Corroboree Bilabong, NT

Varanus similis is a member of the V. timorensis complex and is part of thesubgenera Odatria.
The nomenclature in this monitor species has changed repeatedly within the last few years, MERTENS (1958) still described it as a subspecies of V. timorensis. STORR (1980) noticed, that this taxon is identical with the taxon V. timorensis scalaris. He summarized both subspecies for Western Australia under V. timorensis scalaris. STORR et al. (1983b) raised this subspecies into species status. WILSON & KNOWLES (1988) take the species name scalaris for the complete population of the Australian continent. BRANCH (1982) realized in his work at the examination of the hemipene morphology major differences. He reastablished the taxon V. similis for the population of the Northern Territory, Queensland, the islands of the Torres Strait, and southern New Guinea. BÖHME (1997) picks up this work and keeps the name.
I would like to follow this explanation of BÖHME (1997), in which he keeps Varanus similis for the population of the Timor Monitor on New Guinea and North-Eastern Australia.
With a total length of 65 cm this species is part of the smaller monitor species. There are no great variations recognizably in the phenotype; animals from the northern parts of the Northern Territory have small bright occelli on a grey underground. A dark central spot can occasionally be recognized. Animals from Queensland have very big occelli, which always have a dark central spot on the back. These occelli are mostly ordered in several (6 -9) cross rows. To these rows single bright scales which form a narrow ribbon alternately are arranged. Animals from the Sir Edward Pellew islands show a different coloration and pattern. However, the name (V. pellewensis), which might be established in the last few years, still cannot be used officially, because there is no scientific, taxonomic research done o theses animals of the complete timorensis complex yet.
All animals show a black temporal stripe, which is limited by a bright ribbon below. The head scales are small and smooth. The nostril is situated at the side of the head and is located almost in the middle between the tip of the snout and the eye. The tail is more or less round in the diameter and his length is approximately 1.5 times as long as the SVL.
Animals of the Atherton Tableland in Queensland show a distinctive band pattern on the tail.

The distribution of Varanus similis is restricted on the tropical north of Australia from Treachery Bay in the Northern Territory, across Central Queensland, through Cape York Peninsula in the north of Queensland, the Torres Strait Islands to southern New Guinea.
V. similis is seen mostly living on trees. This species lives in the rain forests of the Cape York Peninsula, and within the Sklerophyll dry forests in the rest of its distribution area. Occasionally you can spot V. similis on the ground, searching for food. Within the leaves these animals are looking for food in the form of insects, spiders and possible small skinks (SCHMIDA 1971). The monitors occasionally sleep under the loose bark of the trees or in tree hollows.

As a tree dweller V. similis feels comfortable into a higher enclosure. Several branches and cork bark on the side walls work as climbing possibilities. As ground cover you can offer the monitors either sand, for animals from the sklerophyll forest, or bark chips, for animals from the rain forest. A water basin could be used for bathing and may also increases the atmospheric humidity in the enclosure. Also spraying water occasionally into the enclosure will keep the animals healthy.
The captive husbandry of V. similis in is already described (RÜEGG 1973, 1974, BERGHOF 2001). The animals are described as V. t. similis or V. similis in these articles but the report of Berghof especially shows animals which one can classify as V. similis.
V. similis puts the shyness down in the enclosure after some time. Keeping in pairs is possible. The female drops several clutches, the first clutch had 9, the second clutch had 12 eggs, which were laid in a nesting box. The eggs were dug out and transferred into another box, containing a mixture of Seramis and charcoal. The young animals hatched after 127-139 days at incubation temperatures between 26.8 and 30°C and a relative humidity between 80 and 95%. The total length of the small monitors was 130 mm in average. The rearing did not cause any problems (BERGHOF 2001).