Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey there everyone. I am looking for some guidance on choosing a Varanus species for a 2-3 year long research project. It is for my Ecology degree and I am looking for a species with a very inquisitive and active nature. My research will be trying to find how the specific species uses problem solving to obtain food and I have a few other people helping me come up with more ways to show the brilliant side of this Genus. I would love anyones input who has real experience with any of the following species.

Varanus ornatus
Varanus indicus
Varanus timorensis
Varanus panoptes
Varanus exanthematicus
Varanus salvator

I have plenty of experience with both V. panoptes and V. exanthematicus when it comes to husbandry. I spent close to a year in West Africa studying V. niloticus but want to try and stay away from purchasing one of these as a "pet" since I have read close to nothing good about this species disposition in captivity. Housing is not an issue as this will be my only captive animal at the time and if necessary I can dedicate an entire room to this animal. My question is which species do you think would be best to work with?

If anyone has any other species besides the ones listed that they would recommend I would like to hear those as well.

In nature they are all active and inquisitive. So your question is off the mark. Being a generalist, allows monitors to be forced to use behavior to overcome natural selection. All species.

If this is about a ecology degree, then I think you may want make some attempt at a method that's meaningful.

for instance, anything in captivity is worthless unless it relates to nature. What you thinking about doing is working with ethology and that is a much different field then biology. In ethology, naturalistic observation is utilized, that is, observation in both nature and in captivity can be used to understand a problem.

The subject you picked is without question a great subject if done properly. That is, how do monitors prosper in nature with uncertain and changing prey sources. Which is related to uncertain and changing conditions within their habitat.

Its not that one area of study is wrong, or the other right. Its just that they are different. In biology, they tend to think in terms of long periods of time. That is, this species consumes that prey source or this . Or primarily this with several others supporting the diet. With Ethology, its more about changing trends in short periods of time. For instance, if a primary prey source is not available for a year, how does a individual monitor exist to the next year, or for many years or the next time that prey is available. And the reality is, prey sources are rarely consistent. Great subject, and I hope you get off to a great start.

oh what species, V.panopties is about as good as it gets. Both indo and Ozzie types. Best wishes

Yes, my idea is more in the field of Ethology. I should have been more professional in the original post and been more delicate with my wording to avoid confusion.

I want to use new techniques that show the problem solving capabilities that monitors have evolved in order to be such a dominant species. This envelope has already been opened by many others but I really believe we haven't even begun to come close to understanding how brilliant they truly are.

Which takes me back to my original question. Before we start anything we have to choose a species to work with. V. ornatus, V. indicus, and V. salvator have already been ruled out since my original post. Why would you choose V. panoptes over V. timorensis and V. exanthematicus?

My reasons would be that V. timorensis is possibly to shy to study using our methods in captivity. I have never personally worked with them though. That is just what I have read from several different sources. If the few V. exanthematicus I have kept compared to the wild ones I worked with in Ghana then I would have no problem choosing this species. I realize they were wild and so of course they are going to be different but they were completely different lizards. It was beyond cool to work with them in the field and dig them up from termite mounds. The only beneficial side I see to using either of these species is there size. If we were able to work with 2 or 3 our results would be backed by multiple individuals. I would also love to see if monitors can learn from one another by imitation which of course would require at least two.

There is nothing more that I love than to watch a V. panoptes tripod and would love for this to be the monitor we work with. Is it though the best option? I would love to hear more of your thoughts FR and from anyone else who has some input.

You’ve got to look at what you want out of the project & what your prepared to put in to achieve it! Even the shy species can be watched if you wait long enough & provide the right conditions so they feel safe.

Argus are good to watch & fairly bomb proof, I’ve watched the argus I have rake out a cricket that was in a deep grove on cork bark, tried with all his talons then carefully used one talon to achieve his objective! Have fun.