THE REPTILES OF AUSTRALIA - MONITORS

AUSTRALIAN REPTILE PHOTOS AND INFORMATION
Covering Australian Snakes and Lizards, Crocodiles and Turtles

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COLUBRID SNAKES - Colubridae Homalopsidae Mud Snakes

PYTHON SNAKES - Pythonidae

ELAPID SNAKES - Elapidae Cobras Coral Snakes

SEA SNAKES - Hydrophiinae Laticaudidae Sea Kraits

FILE SNAKES - Acrochordidae

BLIND SNAKES - Worm Snakes - Typhlopidae Ramphotyphlops

Selection of Australian Frogs

TURTLES Tortoises Chelonii Testudines

DRAGON LIZARDS Agamas Agamidae

GECKO LIZARDS Gekkonidae

LEGLESS LIZARDS Pygopodidae Pygopods

MONITOR LIZARDS Goannas Varanids Varanidae

Skinks of Australia

CROCODILES Crocodylia Crocodilia Saltwater freshwater estuarine

REPTILES OF THE WORLD SPECIES LISTS

A LISTING OF AUSTRALIAN MONITOR LIZARDS
Distribution Key
ORDER: SQUAMATA (LIZARDS AND SNAKES)
SUBORDER: SAURIA (LIZARDS)
Family: Varanidae (Monitors)

MONITOR LIZARDS Goannas Varanids Varanidae

* Indicates a new or recently updated page.

COMMON NAME
(INTERNAL LINK)

SCIENTIFIC NAME
(EXTERNAL LINK)

DISTRIBUTION

Ridge-tailed Monitor

Varanus acanthurus

AUSTRALIA
(WA, NT, Qld )

Black Spotted Ridge-tailed Monitor or Lemon-throated Monitor

(Varanus insulanicus)
was Varanus baritji

NT

Short-Tailed Pygmy Monitor

Varanus brevicauda

NT, Qld, SA, WA

Pilbara Pygmy Monitor

Varanus bushi

WA

Line-Tailed Pygmy Monitor

Varanus caudolineatus

WA

*Australasian Mangrove Monitor

Varanus chlorostigma (previously called Varanus indicus)

Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland)
Indonesia (Irian Jaya, Wardo, Srui, Waigeo), Papua New Guinea, New Britain, D’Entrecasteaux Archipelago

Gulf Ridge-tailed Monitor

Varanus citrinus

NT - Found only in the basins of the McArthur River and Calvert Rivers (Gulf of Carpentaria)

*Blue Tailed Monitor

Varanus doreanus

Qld (North-western Cape York), New Guinea, and the Aru, Biak, Salawati, Waigeo and Karkar Islands.

Rusty Desert Monitor

Varanus eremius

NT, Qld, SA, WA

Perentie

Varanus giganteus

NT, Qld, SA, WA

Pygmy Mulga Monitor

Varanus gilleni

NT, Qld, SA, WA

Kimberley Rock Monitor

Varanus glauerti

NT, WA

Black-palmed (or Long-Tailed) Rock Monitor

Varanus glebopalma

NT, Qld, WA

Sand Monitor

Varanus gouldii gouldii

WA, SA, NT, Qld, NSW, Vic

Centralian Sand Monitor

Varanus gouldii flavirufus

WA. SA, NT,Qld (arid interior)

Southern Pilbara Rock Monitor

Varanus hamersleyensis (was Varanus pilbarensis)

WA (Hamersley Range)

Black-spotted Ridge-tailed Monitor

Varanus insulanicus (includes Monitors previously called Varanus acanthurus insulanicus and Varanus baritji

NT (Top end)

Canopy Goanna

Varanus keithhornei

Qld

Pygmy Rock Monitor
or Long-tailed Rock Monitor

Varanus kingorum

NT, WA

Mertens' Water Monitor

Varanus mertensi

NT, Qld, WA

Mitchell's Water Monitor

Varanus mitchelli

NT, WA

Western Storr's Monitor

Varanus ocreatus (previously known as Varanus storri ocreatus)

NT, Qld, WA

Desert Spotted Monitor

Varanus panoptes rubidus

WA

Northern Yellow-Spotted Monitor or Floodplain Goanna

Varanus panoptes panoptes

NT, Qld, WA

*Northern Pilbara Rock Monitor

Varanus pilbarensis

WA (Northern Pilbara)

Green Tree Monitor, Emerald monitor or Wyniss

Varanus prasinus

Torres Strait Islands Qld. Australia (Also found in New Guinea)

Northern Blunt-Spined Monitor

Varanus primordius

NT

Rosenberg's Heath Monitor

Varanus rosenbergi

NSW, ACT, SA, Vic, WA

Spotted Tree Monitor

Varanus scalaris

NT, Qld, WA

*Ocellated Rainforest Monitor

Varanus similis? ("V. kuranda") ? (was Varanus scalaris similis)
(status uncertain)

New Guinea, AUSTRALIA ( NT, Qld )

*Red Blotched Monitor

Varanus scalaris (V. pellewensis) (invalid subspecies)

Qld

Rusty Monitor

Varanus semiremex

Qld

Spencer's Monitor

Varanus spenceri

NT, Qld

* Dampier Peninsula Goanna

Varanus sparnus

AUSTRALIA WA (Kimberley area)

Eastern Storr's Monitor

Varanus storri
(was Varanus storri storri)

Qld

Black-headed Monitor

Varanus tristis tristis

NSW, NT, Qld, WA, SA

Freckled Monitor

Varanus tristis orientalis

NSW, NT, Qld, WA

Lace Monitor & Bell's Monitor

Varanus varius

NSW, ACT, Qld, SA, Vic


DISTRIBUTION KEY
Click on the abbreviation below to see a map of the area

CI = Christmas Island

CKI = Cocos (Keeling) Island

NSW = New South Wales

NT = Northern Territory

Qld = Queensland

SA = South Australia

Tas = Tasmania

Vic = Victoria

WA = Western Australia

NI = Norfolk Island

LHI = Lord Howe Island

ACT = Australian Capital Territory
(Canberra region only - excludes Jervis Bay Territory)



LINKS OF INTEREST

Click here for more Information about Australian Monitors

RECOMMENDED AMAZON BOOKS
(Affiliate commission earned)

Varanoid Lizards of the World A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia 5th edition Edition

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases


OTHER LINKS OF INTEREST

Find a Random species of Australian Reptile

Visit the Australian Herpetology Website

Monitors of The World

Monitors of Australia

Monitors
of
The World

Monitors
of
Australia


AUSTRALIAN MONITOR SPECIES LISTS BY STATE OR TERRITORY

Monitors of South Australia

MONITOR LIZARDS Goannas Varanids Varanidae NSW

Queensland MONITOR LIZARDS Goannas Varanids Varanidae

NORTHERN TERRITORY MONITOR LIZARDS Goannas Varanids Varanidae

WESTERN AUSTRALIA MONITOR LIZARDS Goannas Varanids Varanidae

Monitors of Victoria - Goannas Varanids Varanidae

ACT MONITOR LIZARDS Goannas Varanids Varanidae

Monitors
of South
Australia

Monitors
of
NSW

Monitors
of
Qld

Monitors
of
NT

Monitors
of
WA

Monitors
of
Victoria

Monitors
of the
ACT



AUSTRALIAN REPTILE SPECIES LISTS BY STATE OR TERRITORY

Reptiles of South Australia
REPTILES OF VICTORIA
 REPTILES OF NSW REPTILES OF QUEENSLAND REPTILES OF NORTHERN TERRITORY REPTILES OF Western Australia Reptiles of the ACT(Canberra)

Reptiles of South Australia

Reptiles
of
Victoria

Reptiles
of
NSW

Reptiles
of
Qld

Reptiles
of
NT

Reptiles
of
WA

Reptiles
of the
ACT

Reptiles of Tasmania

MORE REPTILE SPECIES LISTS

Reptiles of Lord Howe Island

Reptiles of Christmas Island

Reptiles
of Cocos Keeling Islands

Reptiles of Norfolk Island

Reptiles of Australia

Selection of Australian Frogs

Reptiles of the World

Amphibians of the World

Reptiles
of
Australia

Frogs
of
Australia

Reptiles
of
The World

Amphibians of the
World


About John Fowler | John Hollister (deceased 2023) | Report Faulty Link | Report an Error

Contact John Fowler Author of the Australian Herpetology Website

John Hollister (deceased 2023) Author of the Sweetwater, Texas Rattlesnake Roundup

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Updated June 4, 2024


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