Crocodile Monitor
Scientific name: Varanus salvadorii (Peters & Doria, 1878)
Overview
The crocodile monitor, 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.
From the Wikipedia article “Varanus salvadorii”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Least concern on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022.2.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Indonesia (Irian Jaya), Papua New Guinea.
Common names
Also known in English as Salvadori’s Monitor.
Names in other languages (7)
- Arabic
- ورل سالفادوري
- Chinese
- 薩氏巨蜥
- German
- Papuawaran
- Indonesian
- Biawak Papua
- Japanese
- ハナブトオオトカゲ
- Persian
- بزمجه تمساحی
- Russian
- Варан Сальвадора
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Reptile Database.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, names in other languages. Q940883, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Varanus salvadorii”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Ltshears, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — bibliomaniac15, original image LocationNewGuinea.png by Vardion, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026