Desert monitor

The Kyzylkum's little 'dinosaur'

The monitor is the biggest lizard in Central Asia — up to a metre and a half long! It looks like a dinosaur: long neck, strong tail, sharp claws. It lives in the Kyzylkum, hunting lizards, snakes and mice. When threatened it lashes its tail and hisses loudly. In winter it sleeps in a burrow for 6 months.

The desert monitor (Varanus griseus) ranges from the Sahara to Central Asia; in Uzbekistan it lives in the Kyzylkum, Ustyurt and Surkhandarya deserts. Up to 1.5 m long and 3 kg. Predator and scavenger: rodents, lizards, snakes (it resists venom), bird eggs. Fast (120 m/min), sharp-eyed, and it 'smells' with its tongue like a snake. Active April–October; above +40 °C it stays in its burrow. Threats: farmland expansion, road deaths, hunting for skin. In Uzbekistan's Red Book; protected in Kyzylkum reserves.

Fun facts

• The monitor eats venomous snakes — their venom does not affect it.
• In the hottest hours of summer it takes a 'siesta' in its burrow.
• A monitor sleeps 6 months a year — from October to April.