Reptile & Amphibian Forums

is there any visible features on a savanna monitor that will distinguish it as male or female?

thanks

Hi,
Well the short and sweet of it is if you have two animals to place next to one another it will be easier than to examine one at a time.

Older animals are easily distinguished by two factors, heads of males are very boxy like and have a large bump or so at the nose tip. Females have a very slender head that slopes forward and may seem very pointy from top view. At the vent base a male will be twice as wide as a female with large bulges under the vent area a very strong muscle in large males, the hemipienes are easy to see. A females tale base is much rounder and not much large than the tale at its midway point.

I'm learning that in younger animals older than hatchling its very hard to tell till these sexual characteristics emerge but when newly hatched, I could roughly guess as to sexes when they are next to each other. Young females seemingly have a pointy long head and no dent in the vent area. Baby males have a very smushed nose and boxy face and there is a small little indent at that vent area. It's not a guarantee but with so many babies next to one another you can group them like that and it's probably a fair bet.
Good luck,
JC