Varanus salvadorii
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The crocodile monitor (Varanus salvadorii), also known as the Papuan monitor or Salvadori's monitor, is a species of monitor lizard endemic to New Guinea. It is the largest monitor lizard in New Guinea and is one of the longest lizards, verified at up to 255 cm (100 in). Its tail is exceptionally long, with some specimens having been claimed to exceed the length of the Komodo dragon, however less massive.
The crocodile monitor is an arboreal lizard with a dark green body marked with bands of yellowish spots. It has a characteristic blunt snout and a very long prehensile tail. It lives among the mangrove swamps and coastal rainforests of the southeastern part of New Guinea, feeding opportunistically on everything from birds and small mammals to eggs, other reptiles, amphibians and carrion. Its large, backwards-curving teeth are better adapted than those of most monitors for seizing fast-moving prey. Like all monitors, it has anatomical features that enable it to breathe more easily when running than other lizards, and is sometimes considered one of the most agile monitor species.
Crocodile monitors are threatened by deforestation and poaching, and are protected by CITES. Little is known of its reproduction and development, as it is difficult to breed in captivity. Attempts at captive breeding have been mostly unsuccessful. In New Guinea, the lizard is sometimes hunted and skinned by tribesmen to make drums. It is described as an evil spirit that "climbs trees, walks upright, breathes fire, and kills men", yet the local people maintain that it gives warnings if crocodiles are nearby. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Crocodile Monitor sighting in Raja Ampat on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 30th most-seen of the 33 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Crocodile Monitor in Raja Ampat on a given day, against under 5% in March–June, September–October and December–January, the lowest months.
Between midnight and 3 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Crocodile Monitor sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Only Raja Ampat, in our data
Raja Ampat is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Crocodile Monitor sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Varanus
The closest relatives of the Crocodile Monitor that you can see in Raja Ampat (genus Varanus, Monitor Lizards) are Mangrove Monitor (about 50%), Blue-spotted Tree Monitor (about 30%) and Peach-throated Monitor (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Crocodile Monitor is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Raja Ampat (5 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.
