Description
The Water monitor is a large species of monitor lizard. Breeding maturity is attained for males when they are a relatively modest 40 cm (16 in) and weigh 1 kg (2.2 lb) and for females at 50 cm (20 in). However, they grow much larger throughout life, with males being larger than females. Most adult specimens will not exceed 1.5–2 m (4.9–6.6 ft) in length. However, the species can attain a maximum size of 3 m (9.8 ft). The largest specimen on record was an animal measuring 321cm from Ceylon (Sri Lanka). A common mature weight of Varanus salvator can be 19.5 kg (43 lb). The maximum weight of the species is over 50 kg (110 lb). In exceptional cases, the species has been reported to attain 75 to 90 kg (170 to 200 lb), though few such giants are verified and may be unreliable. They are the world's second heaviest lizard, after the Komodo dragon. Their body is muscular with a long, powerful, laterally compressed tail.
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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