SIERRA MADRE FOREST MONITOR

SIERRA MADRE FOREST MONITOR

Varanus bitatawa

SIERRA MADRE FOREST MONITOR IUCN STATUS

near threatened (NT)

SIERRA MADRE FOREST MONITOR kingdom

Animalia

SIERRA MADRE FOREST MONITOR phylum

Chordata

SIERRA MADRE FOREST MONITOR class

Reptilia

SIERRA MADRE FOREST MONITOR order

Squamata

SIERRA MADRE FOREST MONITOR suborder

Anguimorpha

SIERRA MADRE FOREST MONITOR family

Varanidae

SIERRA MADRE FOREST MONITOR genus

Varanus

SIERRA MADRE FOREST MONITOR subgenus

Philippinosaurus

Discovery: Formally described and discovered by science in ____.

2010

LOCAL TERM

• “BITATAWA” / “BARITATAWA”

• “BUTIKAW”

Features a 1._____ mottled with 2.______, bright 3._____, and a tail with alternating black and green segments about 6ft in full length.

1. blue-black scaly body

2. yellow-green dots

3. golden-yellow dorsal flecks

diet

Primarily frugivorous they possess highly specialized blunt teeth and a large cecum to process fruits like Pandanus, figs, and pili nuts, making them vital seed dispersers for Philippine rainforests)

Inhabits intact and lowland undisturbed rainforests and dipterocarp forests from near sea level up to roughly ____ meters elevation.

300-500 meters

Spends a majority of its time high off the ground in the forest canopy, frequently perching on large sentinel trees [over 20 to 30 meters tall

Arboreal Lifestyle

Shows a strong preference for areas with a high density of Pandanus ,(screw pine palms) whose fruits make up a major part of its diet alongside snails and insects

Microhabitat Needs

diet

• pandanus (shrew pine palms) FRUITS

• snails

• insects

It is isolated from its southern relative, Varanus olivaceus (____), by river valley barriers and a geographic gap of over 150 kilometers

butaan

threat

1. hunting and harvesting

2. wildlife trafficking

3. habitat loss and destruction

Rampant hunting for local consumption (bushmeat) by indigenous and local communities.

hunting and harvesting

as well as collection for the illegal wildlife pet trade and online black markets

wildlife trafficking

CONSERVATION EFFORT

1. MABUWAYA FOUNDATION

2. PHILBIOS

3. PHILIPPINOSAURUS - Flagship status

fruit eating monitor lizards

1. gray’s monitor lizard (varanus olivaceus butaan)

2. northern sierra madre monitor lizard (varanus bitatawa )

3. panay monitor lizard (varanus mabitang)