Philippinosaurus

Varanus mabitang GAULKE & CURIO 2001
Panay Monitor
  This new described monitor species V. mabitang from the Philippine Islands belongs to the subgenera Philippinosaurus. It can reach a total length of 175 cm. The coloration on the back is black with the skin between the scales in some parts of the neck sometimes yellowish. Extremities mainly black with a a tiny yellow spot at the posterior end of the scales. Ventral side of head, neck, body, tail, and extremities anthrazite. The tongue is pink. The nostril is like a slit and is situated slightly closer to the tip of the snout than to the eye. 212 scale rows are around midbody. The tail is pressed together at the side and shows a low double keel on top. The length is approximately 1.4 times the SVL.
As food these animals prefer not only fruits of the screw palms and other different forest tree fruit. No snails and other carnivorous food were taken (GAULKE & CURIO 2001).
Distribution, habitat and behavior

mabitang

Varanus mabitang is found on the island of Panay in the Philippines. There it lives on the trees in the forests from the north-western Panay Peninsula to the Western Panay Mountain Ranges, where is lives upt to an elevation of about 450 m, just like its relative V. olivacaeus.
This species lives highly arboreal. The major food items are fruits from several forest fruit trees, e.g. screw palms (Pandanus) and fig trees (Ficus). It also feed on leaves of these trees. There were no carnivorous food items found in the stomach of two captured specimen.

Keeping and breeding

No data are published on the captive husbandry of this monitor species yet.
   
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