Description:
Scientific name: Varanus auffenbergi
Life span: 12-15 years
The peacock monitor lizard is one of the smallest monitor lizards, attaining a maximum length of 60 cm. It resembles the Timor monitor though there are notable differences in the coloration and patterning on the underside. As these lizards get older, the color patterns disappear. The ocelli on the peacock monitor are blue-gray, whereas those on the Timor monitor are cream in appearance. The tail seems to be quite fat. The pattern of light scales is irregular.
Native Region/Habitat
They are only found in the Rote island of Indonesia. Peacock monitors have been found in a variety of habitats, from degraded palm savanna near communities to evergreen swamps with Melaleuca predominating in the main tropical dry forest and tiny pockets of semi-evergreen forest. Different palms, including coconut palms, are present in each of these habitats.
Behavior:
Peacock monitors have been spotted sunbathing on the tops of trees in the wild after scaling the trunks of palm trees. Unlike other monitor lizards, the peacock monitor is quiet and timid, and it keeps that trait even when kept in captivity.
Care As a pet/In captivity:
They enjoy hiding, therefore you must give them access to hollow logs where they may do so. Give them a substrate of a combination of leaf litter, sand, and dirt that is about 18 inches deep. Large hollow cork logs that are filled with fallen leaves that can serve as nesting places can be kept. You may give them crickets and locusts every day, as well as mice or clipped chicks once a week.
Given its probable abundance and widespread range over the island, peacock monitors face the minimal immediate threat of extinction, but harvest for the global pet trade has to be closely controlled. For instance, between 2010 and 2017, just 26 live specimens were formally transported from Indonesia, according to the CITES trade database. It is logical to infer that the species is still traded under the name V. timorensis. Nine Peacock monitors were discovered being sold in 2017 in Tokyo, Japan, for up to $2,478 USD a piece. Undoubtedly, the high price would stimulate more trading.
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