Short-tailed pygmy monitor

Species of lizard

The short tailed pygmy monitor (Varanus brevicauda)

The short tailed pygmy monitor ranges throughout central Australia, from the coast of Western Australia through the interior of the Northern Territory, and from northwestern South Australia to western Queensland. and rarely seen active above ground; it is mainly encountered by digging up its burrow. They eat insects such as grasshoppers, beetles, roaches, caterpillars, as well as reptile eggs, isopods, spiders, scorpions, centipedes, small lizards and occasionally frogs and even small snakes. These small monitors are bold and fierce predators, despite their size.

The short tailed monitor is oviparous. Short tailed monitors exhibit internal fertilization. The male has paired intromittent organs known as hemipenes. Although the hemipenes are paired they are only used one at a time, depending on which is more convenient. Mating occurs for this monitor lizard in September and October after hibernation, and by February, the eggs hatch. The clutch size usually is two or three, but in some coastal areas, up to five eggs are produced. "In dry years when food is scarce no reproduction occurs at all."

The preferred habitat of the short tailed monitor is arid regions dominated by spinifex. Spinifex are perennial grasses that form dense clumps, up to several feet in diameter, consisting of a central dense complex lattice work and numerous outwardly directed needle like spines.

As the species’ numbers are currently listed as ‘least concern’ by the IUCN, the main threat to short tailed pygmy monitors is predation by larger animals; predators include (but are not limited to) birds of prey, dingoes, feral cats and dogs, owls, certain snakes and introduced red foxes. Other, larger species of monitor may pose a threat.