Varanus rosenbergi
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
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 Kosciuszko National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Heath Monitor sighting in Kosciuszko National Park on a given day, based on 37 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 18th most-seen of the 20 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and December
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Heath Monitor in Kosciuszko National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to August, the lowest months.
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.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Southern Heath Monitor sightings, Kosciuszko National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Flinders Chase (Australia, about 80%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Heath Monitor is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Kosciuszko National Park (37 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.
