Comments on: The Crocodile Monitor Lizard – Reality and Legend

By: findiviglio

findiviglio — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 05:14:34 +0000

Hello Antonio, Frank Indiviglio here.

Thanks for the feedback. Please let me know if you turn up anything new; I’ll keep my eyes open as well.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

By: Antonio

Antonio — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 01:56:26 +0000

Just wanted to make one more comment about lizard i mentioned before that there are biologists that have claimed a length of 5.5 meters for crocodile monitors. While I don’t believe crocodile monitors get that large the fact that it is biologists reporting this makes me believe that there could be another lizard that is 15 or even 18 feet long and it may reach such a length of it follows the body plan of very slender monitor lizards such as perenties, crocs, and water monitors etc. So that is all I have left to say. Like I said before I do believe there are 15-18 foot lizards but I’m sure a good portion of that length is tail like the crocodile monitor.

By: findiviglio

findiviglio — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 03:58:57 +0000

Hello Antonio, Frank Indiviglio here.

Thanks for your interest. I can’t really add much to what we’ve already discussed; size needs to be authenticated and published in a peer reviewed journal or book in order to be accepted; as you know, the internet is not always reliable in this regard. Please see this entry (page 237) of Varanoid Lizards of the World, which gives a maximum size of 2.65 meters. This is, as far as I know, the best reference that is available via the internet.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

By: antonio

antonio — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 03:40:50 +0000

Just came to say that the record length is actually 10 feet although i do believe that new guinea harbors monitors 18 feet or even 20 feet but no greater

By: findiviglio

findiviglio — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 22:26:04 +0000

Hello Antonio, Frank Indiviglio here.

Thanks for the update; I’ll keep an eye out for articles and will pass along any new info.

Good luck and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

By: Antonio

Antonio — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 22:17:47 +0000

From what I have read 5 meters (15 feet) appears to be correct A biologist named Dr. Michael Pope had the chance to examine a dead monitor 475cm or 15 feet 5 inches long and numerous other biologists have even accepted a length of 15 feet including Honolulu Zoo authorities and the Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia and to add to the fact that Biologists from other zoos have claimed even having animals of such a length I would certainly place 15 feet as the record since it is coming from biologists themselves who usually don’t accept claims without some form of hard evidence so I won’t exclude 15 feet as a recorded size.

By: findiviglio

findiviglio — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 06:52:44 +0000

Hello Antonio, Frank Indiviglio here.

Thanks for your feedback. If you have seen animals of such size, or know of published records backed by appropriately-documented measurements, I would be most happy to receive more info. The nearly 5-meter-long animal supposedly taken in 1987, that is mentioned in every popular website on the subject seems, as of the last time I looked into this, not to be in the collection of any museum.

When I was writing the graphics for the Croc Monitor exhibit at the Staten Island Zoo a few years ago, I researched the matter in the 3 major US professional herp journals, as well as through my colleagues, and was unable to document the sizes so often credited to these animals. Of course I may have missed something, or one of which I am unaware may have surfaced since then, and I would be most pleased to learn any details you may have.

Thanks, good luck and please keep me posted.

Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

By: Antonio

Antonio — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 22:13:39 +0000

based from what I have seen and based on what I have heard from even reputable biologists the longest crocodile monitors currently grow to a length of 11.5-12 feet long not 9 feet.

By: findiviglio

findiviglio — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:55:14 +0000

Hello Antonio, Frank Indiviglio here.

Thanks for the feedback; let’s hope we get some confirmation as a holiday present…

Good luck and please keep me posted.

Happy Holidays, Frank Indiviglio.

By: Antonio

Antonio — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 23:40:49 +0000

unfortunatley the only somewhat reliable thing I can point out in the sightings of these animals is that the witnesses commonly report that these animals *fill up* the trees that they lay on which gives some accuracy to the sightings.