Yolk coelomitis in a white-throated monitor lizard (Varanus albigularis).

Monitors cross the Red Sea: the biogeographic history of Varanus yemenensis.

The Red Sea has had a profound biogeographic effect on organisms with Afro-Asian distributions, resulting in complex patterns of admixture on the Arabian Peninsula. We investigate the phylogenetic affinities of a monitor lizard (Varanus yemenensis) restricted to the southwestern Arabian Peninsula by sequencing all African monitor species and several Asian monitor species for the mitochondrial g...

Earliest Example of a Giant Monitor Lizard (Varanus, Varanidae, Squamata)

BACKGROUND Varanidae is a clade of tiny (<20 mm pre-caudal length [PCL]) to giant (>600 mm PCL) lizards first appearing in the Cretaceous. True monitor lizards (Varanus) are known from diagnostic remains beginning in the early Miocene (Varanus rusingensis), although extremely fragmentary remains have been suggested as indicating earlier Varanus. The paleobiogeographic history of Varanus and tim...

Ventilation, Gas Exchange, and Aerobic Scope in a Small Monitor Lizard, Varanus gilleni

The Arboreal Foraging Behavior of the Frugivorous Monitor Lizard Varanus olivaceus on Polillo Island

Conjecture exists over the degree that arboreal frugivorous foraging is used by Varanus olivaceus. Here I present evidence from still camera traps, video camera traps, direct observations and spool and line tracking that indicate these monitor lizards take fruit directly from trees, rather than feeding exclusively on fallen fruit as suggested previously.

Amino acid sequence of a myoglobin from lace monitor lizard, Varanus varius, and its evolutionary implications.

Myoglobin was purified from a muscle extract of lace monitor lizard, Varanus varius, by Sephadex G-75, followed by DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. The apomyoglobin was cleaved with cyanogen bromide. The largest fragment was further digested with pepsin, trypsin, and alpha-chymotrypsin. From the amino acid sequence of the cyanogen bromide fragments, together with those of tryptic peptides ...