Hi jody,
the pet shop names are just arbitrary names for the most part - what they call them today would change tomorrow if they can get
1$ more for them...today: black throats; tomorrow: white throats; next day: Ionides cape monitors...etc...

You can look at any regional V. albigularis you wish (as I have): Cape (V.a. albigularis) ; Transvaal types (V.a. albigularis); Port Lucie, V.a. albigularis ; Gaberone, V.a. albigularis ; Port Harald, V.a. albigularis ; Dar-es-salaam, V.a. albigularis/V.a. microstictus ; Windhoek, V.a. albigularis ; Dondo, V.a. angolensis, ; Tsavo National Park, V.a. microstictus, ; Lake Rudolf, V.a. microstictus, ;
Ethiopian, V.a. microstictus; Djibouti, V.a. microstictus/V. yemenesis; Mersa Matruh, V.a. albigularis, and their skull structures = ALL of them are Identical in every way in adults....what does this tell you? It tells me they are all the same species and ecological vicariances dictates phenotype morphology, but osteologically, they are monotypic = 1 species across the Continent (Bayless & Sprackland, 2000a-b. Reptiles Magazine, June-July).

So reptile keepers can use all the names they want, when 1 has looked at so many live/dead/dying/way deceased/museum specimens going back to 1860's (as Regenia occellata), and looked at skulls from all of the aforementioned localities and many others (Bayless, 2002, J. of Biogeography 29:1643-1701) one begins to see that what looking at an albigularis is just more than looking at skin type, color/pattern, teeth types (= 2), hemipenes/hemiclitorii, banding, spotting, shere bulk, tongue colors, you see a vast variety of types - and types virtually unknown that defy almost anyones imagination of types I have seen live that come from a 20 sq. km range 'somewhere' in Africa (I know where), the variety is tremendous, and for good reason: their primary predator is the Martial Eagle, which makes upto 50% of its dietary intake Varanus albigularis, and lesser so V. niloticus. These animals need to be well camouflaged against such another enormous predator (Martial's may reach 11 foot wingspan!), not to mention hyena, jackals, lions, leopards, man, rock pythons, and goshawks.... variety of design helps them, or some of them to be better fitted for their local environments than others, hence the populations survive. As Man has over 400 local names for all African Varanus across Africa, they have shared the Continent for a long time....and reports of 8-9 foot V. albigularis are reported, and I believe them to be true if it were not for poaching and bushmeat practices - we would see such animals; I have seen 6'11 V.a. iondesi and it is impressive.

Pet shops see phenotypes and call them different; Scientists can them a few other things: both see the same animals if they look hard enough, but one can deeper than the dirty dusty skin and jaws of these animals, and that is where the difference lies.... If V. albigularis were all different across Africa, then their skull morphologies would also be differentm just as their exterior morphologies are, right? - The skull structures are the same, hence the animals are really the same animal, just wearing different coats depending on where they live across Africa, and that can be answered by looking at my articles/papers (Bayless, 1997. J. African Ecology, 35:354-357; Bayless, 2000a-b; 2002).

Cheers Jody,
markb

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