Varanus glauerti (Kimberley Rock Monitor, Glauert's Goanna)

This strikingly beautiful monitor with its highly contrasting pattern and exceptional colouration is one of the most sought after goannas by reptile enthusiasts. Native to Australia, it inhabits the extreme north of Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Kimberley rock monitors are the masters of many terrains, appearing at home in rock piles or in the trees. This species has a slender, elegant appearance and can attain an adult length of 70 cm, two thirds of which is tail. Kimberley rock monitors have proven to be more challenging to keep and breed than other popular Australian monitor species.

In the wild, kimberley rock monitors feed primarily on other lizards and insects, but are known to eat both reptile and bird eggs. In captivity they do well on a varied diet of insects and rodents. Although at times shy, kimberley rock monitors are, in my opinion, the most beautiful varanids available in herpetoculture. They are extremely intelligent and show a dazzling array of colour and pattern, which makes this species a sight to behold.