Etymology

The specific name exanthematicus is derived from the Greek word (ɛkˈsænθɪm) : exanthem meaning an eruption or blister of the skin. French botanist and Zoologist Louis Augustin Guillaume Bosc originally described this lizard as Lacerta exanthematica in reference to the large oval scales on the back of the neck.

Description

Bosc's or Savannah Monitor lizards are a stoutly built species with relatively short limbs and toes, and a skull and dentition adapted to feed on hard shelled prey. Maximum size is rarely more than 4.5 feet in length, females are considerably smaller. The pattern and coloration of the skin vary according to the local habitat substrate. The body scales are large, usually less than 100 scales around midbody, a partly laterally compressed tail with a double dorsal ridge and a nostril situation equidistant from the eye and the tip of the snout.^[3]

Defense

The main predators of Savannah Monitors are snakes, birds and people.^[4] It protects itself through camouflage and is much less conspicuous than the sympatric Varanus niloticus.^[5] It prefers to flee or play dead when in danger, but if cornered, defends itself with tail lashes and if need be, a powerful, vise-like bite. When confronted by a predator, the monitor sometimes rolls onto its back and grasps a hind leg in its mouth, forming a ring with its body and making itself harder for the animal to swallow whole while playing dead.^[6] Other common defenses for Savannah Monitors are hissing, tail whipping, "puffing up", and biting.

Diet

Information about the diet of Varanus exanthematicus in the wild has been recorded in Senegal ^[7] and Ghana.^[8][9] V. exanthematicus feeds almost exclusively on arthropods and molluscs. In Senegal Iulus millipedes were the most common prey of adults, in Ghana small crickets formed the bulk of the diet of animals less than two months old, orthopterans (especially Brachytrupes), scorpions and amphibians were the most common prey of animals 6–7 months old .

Range

Its range extends throughout sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal east to Sudan and south almost to the Congo River and Rift Valley, where they are replaced by Varanus albigularis. V. exanthematicus is primarily a ground-dwelling species that shelters in burrows, although they are sometimes found in bushes or low trees. In the coastal plain of Ghana, V. exanthematicus juveniles are often associated with the burrows of the giant cricket Brachytupes.

Threats

Varanus exanthematicus is listed as Least Concern by IUCN. The species is hunted for its leather and meat and for the international pet trade. An average of 30,574 live V.exanthematicus were imported into the US each year between 2000 and 2009, total imports of live specimens into the US between 2000 and 2010 was 325,480 animals. During the same period 1,037 skins, shoes and products of the species were imported into the U.S. Trade in live animals come mainly from Ghana (235,903 animals exported between 2000 and 2010), Togo (188,110 animals exported between 2000 and 2010) and Benin (72,964 animals exported between 2000 and 2010). During the same period total worldwide declared exports of skins and products of the species totalled 37,506. However there is substantial undeclared trade in the species from Sudan, Nigeria and elsewhere