Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, I purchased this monitor at the Columbus reptile expo today. It was advertised as a Nile, however I am not quite sure this is accurate. I question it because A.) It seems to have a more docile attitude, it hissed and of course tried the old tail swipe, but never offered to strike and yes, it was warm, not cold and sluggish. And B.) This monitor does not have typical Nile (or water) striping/spotting along its side. As you can see in the pic it stops half way down. Also, the pic doesnt show it, but the pale areas of it's side, feet and throat have a blue hue. You can somewhat see this on it's left front foot, again, pics aren't picking it up. Any ideas of what species? No idea on age, it is about 30 inches nose to tail tip. (Missing tip of tail). Any help appreciated. Thanks! Please note, i can not figure out how to post a picture. Text me at 330-429-1735, i will send back photos, or can someone point me the way to posting pics?

I'd never identify a species by behaviour alone, especially an animal that you've just purchased from a show earlier today. The monitor is in a state of shock from being moved around through several different unfamiliar environments from the wild, via the show, to your home, so how it behaves now is no reflection of how it will behave once settled in, no matter what species it is. Almost everyone that has ever bought a baby monitor from me has emailed or rang me shortly afterwards telling me that their monitor was different from all others in that it wasn't as frightened or nervous as I'd said it would be, but was boldly walking around its enclosure and didn't seem to mind being handled. A few days later those same people would contact me again asking why they haven't seen their monitor emerge from its hide for several days.

As for identification from appearance, the things to look for are:
The nostrils on Niles and ornates are 1/3 to 1/2 way between the tip of the snout and the eye, rather than closer to the tip of the snout as in most other monitors (there are a few that have nostrils further up, but I'm guessing yours is either a Nile or an ornate).
Niles have a bluish tongue, ornates have a pinkish tongue.

Thanks croc. I realize the show can mask the real disposition, it just seemed less defensive there than other monitors I have seen, and yes, he has been in his hid ever sinceI put him in his setup. You seem to be correct on the ornate species. I also had a post on herpcenter, and that was the immediate consensus. I was just unsure with the high yellow coloration, plus the blue hughes on the sides, belly, snout and extremities. I have never seem blue on other varnids with the exception of blue tails, although this critter has banding consistent with the ornates. Thanks for oyur post though, one more vote on the ornate! Below is my flickr link of 'him'. The blue did not come out in the flash, and the flash also leaves his tongue looking lighter than it really is, which is a solid blue/grey all the way to the tip.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/91162579@N06/8278495372/in/photostream/

Nice looking ornate. My guess is it's a boy.

A fair number of monitors have blue in them, but usually those small variations in pattern or colour don't amount to much, especially in species with big distributions, so it's always best to look at more reliable features.

Lace monitors often have blue on the sides of the neck and on the lips:

Komodo dragons from Rinca and Flores also usually have blue on the lips and snout.

Hi. You have a Nile Monitor, V. niloticus, just that it's probably a different locality type than the majority that come in. Cheers.