Sulawesi Water Monitor

The Sulawesi water monitor listed here is Varanus togianus, a melanistic member of the Asian water-monitor complex from the Togian Islands. It is black in life, without dorsal spots or eye-like markings, and has a uniformly dark tail without pale crossbands. Yellowish rectangles mark the chin and throat, while more than ten faint pale bands cross the belly (Reptile Database diagnosis; Koch and colleagues 2007).

The species lays eggs. Its long head averages about twice its width, and its ventral scales are relatively large compared with other members of the complex. The name togianus refers to the type locality. A published note records an unusual instance of coconut eating, but one observation does not establish a generally fruit-based diet. The opened sources supplied no dependable clutch, incubation or adult-length values (Reptile Database).