Varanus ornatus

Polydaedalus	Varanus ornatus DAUDIN 1803 Ornate Monitor
	The Ornate Monitor is a member of the subgenera Polydaedalus. Formerly recognized as a subspecies of the Nile Monitor Varanus niloticus, BÖHME (2003) raised it to full species status. Dorsal coloration is an olive green to black color, with yellowish markings on the neck. Yellow occelli form four to five cross bands across the back. Ventral surface is yellowish with gray cross bands. The tongue is pink. One major difference that separates this species from V. niloticus is a much broader head. The nostrils are round and are situated nearer to eye than to tip of snout. Scales on the head are of moderate size. The tail is strongly laterally compressed, with a low dorsal crest. They may reach a total length of up to 2m (MERTENS 1942d).
Distribution, habitat and behavior	V. ornatus occurs in lowland tropical forest close to permanent water in western and central Africa. In the wild the Ornate Monitor feeds on crabs, insects, centipedes, and small rodents. YEBOAH (1993) collected data, which showed, that a large part of the diet is made up of crickets (35%).
Keeping and breeding	This species is commonly kept in captivity, but in the past has been described as V. niloticus. As a consequence it is not clear, which reports refer to V. niloticus or V. ornatus. Because these two species are closely related and occur in similar habitats in the wild you may refer to V. niloticus for enclosure design etc. V. ornatus however are able to tolerate much higher humidity levels. To date there is no specific data published on the captive husbandry of this species.

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