varanusaurus wrote:

"I am telling you that is not conclusive evidence of anything, and until those photos include someone tearing it open and pulling out lacie eggs, it will remain evidence of nothing."

I believe he did provide photos which clearly showed a female lace monitor nesting within a termite mound (eggs are clearly visible); perhaps you missed it (scroll down the page where he compares the nesting behaviors of wild females to his captive female):

forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=1965756,1965867

But if you are still skeptical, despite the supporting photographic evidence provided by Dave, you can check out the following study on lace monitor nests in the wild:

Carter, D.B. 1999. Nesting and evidence of parental care by the lace monitor Varanus varius. Pp. 137-147. In Horn, H.-G & W. Boehme (eds.), Advances in Monitor Research II, Mertensiella 11. DGHT, Rheinbach.

Should you not have direct access to the study, the abstract (summary) of the article reads:

"The nesting habits of lace monitors was investigated in southeastern Australia. Lace monitors lay their eggs in mid summer in the centre of termite mounds. The eggs incubate within the mound for about 290 days and hatch in mid spring. At hatching time, adults (probably the mother) dig burrows into the termite mounds to release the young. The advantages of this reproductive strategy are discussed".

To further summarize this study, since the abstract does not provide specific details about its results - a total of 28 lace monitor nests were discovered over the course of field work inside mounds of the termite species Nasutitermes exitiosus. And yes, there are even pretty photographs of "torn open" nests and the eggs within which accompany the article, as well as extensive clutch and egg measurements, as well as measurements of the resulting offspring.

I highly recommend checking out the article; you might learn a thing or two that you didn't know beforehand.

Best,
-----
Robert W. Mendyk

"The less you read, the more you impede"

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