Black Tree Monitor

Facts about Black tree monitors. The Black tree monitor belongs to the family of varanidae. It inhabits the Aru Islands in New Guinea. It is referred to as black tree monitor because it has a black skin.

The black tree monitor differs in color from the young ones to the parents. The hatch-lings and juveniles are normally dark grey with rows of bright yellow-green dots. The dots are visible especially on the back of the Black tree monitor. But as the Black tree monitor grow to adulthood the color turns to complete black and the dot disappears. The length of a mature black tree monitor is around 90 to 120 cm (35 to 50 inches) in length but the males are larger.

The tail of the Black tree monitor is long and believed to be 2/3 of the body length. It is normally used to hold objects and stabilize it in the branches. The feet have large claws and soles that are helpful when it comes to maintaining grip in the trees. The teeth are large and help the Black tree monitor to grab its prey.

Black tree monitor is normally preyed by bigger lizards, foxes and snakes. Generally it is a nervous animal but when threatened it inflates its neck spreading its ribs which in turn spreads making it look bigger and this scares the enemy. The Black tree monitor has another way of escaping the enemy by climbing trees. It is very fast when it comes to that and this leaves the enemy confuse. But when the escape may turn futile, it results to biting as a way of defending itself. Black tree monitor is active during the day and spends most of the day searching for food.

The Black tree monitor is a carnivorous. When in the wild it eats insects, snails, grasshoppers, beetles, small mammals, small lizards, scorpions and birds eggs. If kept in captivity the Black tree monitor feeds on mice and crickets. But a surprising observation showed that it gets a hard time digesting preys with hair especially the mice though no scientific prove has been done to support this argument.

The Black tree monitor is a cold blooded animal just like other reptiles. The skin is leathery and dry which means the body cannot produce heat to warm itself. So it spends time under the sun in order to keep warm.

The Black tree monitor has very strong and developed senses. It senses movements from 270 meters (885 feet) away making it alert in case it is approached by an enemy. The tongue is like that of a snake it provides the Black tree monitor with the sense of smell. This is by bringing scent particles in the mouth.

Black tree monitors can do well even when kept in captivity. All one needs to do is to ensure that the temperatures are around 85 F degrees (29 c) and the basking temperature is around 110 F (43 c) degrees. One can choose to use a heat lamp.

If you keep the Black tree monitor as a pet, it is good to consider the space. The cage should have a good length to allow them to climb. Since they are nervous animals, consider putting fake plants to make the cage look dense thus allowing them to hide. Ensure the house has enough water and good lighting with correct temperatures levels.