Varanus rosenbergi
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The Rosenberg's monitor (Varanus rosenbergi) is an Australian species of varanid reptile found in southern regions of the continent. They are large and fast predators with rugged bodies and long tails, having a combined length up to 1.5 metres, that will consume any smaller animal that is pursued and captured or found while foraging.
They occur in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, where it may be rare or locally common, and more frequently observed in Western Australia, where it is sometimes abundant. The species was first described by German herpetologist Robert Mertens in 1957, named and recognized as a subspecies of Varanus gouldii; a revision of Western Australian monitors published in 1980 elevated the taxon to species status. It is now considered to be a member of the V. gouldii species complex. The holotype was collected at the Stirling Range in Southwest Australia.
The specific name, rosenbergi, is in honor of German naturalist Hermann von Rosenberg. The infrageneric classification of the species allies it to other taxa of the subgenus Varanus (Varanus). A geographically remote population in the eastern states has distinct... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flinders Chase | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
No species of the same family or order lives in Flinders Chase, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Very likely
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Heath Monitor sighting in Flinders Chase on a given day, based on 90 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 6 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Heath Monitor in Flinders Chase on a given day, against about 20% in May to July, the lowest months. That is one of Flinders Chase's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 100 mm in August.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Heath Monitor sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Southern Heath Monitor sightings, Flinders Chase has the highest daily chance: about 80%. Next come Kosciuszko National Park (Australia, about 20%) and Royal National Park (Australia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Heath Monitor is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Flinders Chase (90 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
