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A white-throated monitor lizard crawling over dirt and low plants.
Photo: Bernard Dupont, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

White-Throated Monitor

Varanus albigularis

A large, fast African monitor lizard with a pale throat and a forked tongue like a snake's.

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About the White-Throated Monitor

White-throated monitors live in dry parts of Africa, from South Africa north to Ethiopia, especially steppes and deserts around rocky outcrops. They grow 5 to 6.5 feet long, sometimes up to 9 feet, and weigh up to 25 pounds. They are dark brown with a white throat and light belly, with strong, sharp claws. They eat carrion, small reptiles and mammals, bird eggs and insects.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Varanus albigularis[1]
Size
5 to 6.5 feet long; up to 9 feet.[1]
Weight
Up to 25 pounds.[1]
Lifespan
12 to 20 years.[1]
Diet
Carrion, small reptiles and mammals, bird eggs and insects.[1]
Habitat
Dry steppes and deserts around rock outcrops.[1]
Where it lives
South Africa north to Ethiopia.[1]
Babies
20 to 50 eggs.[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2019).[2]

Fun facts

  • Monitors are the only reptiles besides snakes with forked tongues.[1]
  • A monitor's tail can be twice as long as its body.[1]
  • Monitors sometimes lay their eggs in termite mounds.[1]

Vocabulary

monitor lizard
A large, long-necked lizard with a forked tongue.
forked tongue
A tongue split into two tips at the end.
carrion
The meat of an animal that is already dead.
steppe
A large, dry, treeless grassland.
least concern
A conservation label meaning a species is widespread and not at risk of dying out soon.

See it in person

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

  1. [1] SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. “White-Throated Monitor.” https://seaworld.org/animals/facts/reptiles/white-throated-monitor/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Varanus albigularis (White-throated Monitor).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22473612/22473630 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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