Mampam Conservation

Monitor Lizards ( 1 items )
Library ( 4 items )
This is the new library
African Monitors ( 12 items )

Five Facts about Savannah Monitors

1. It is estimated that 90% of savannah montor lizards do not survive their first year of captivity.

2. The USA is by far the biggest importer of savannah monitors

3. Savannah monitor lizards are one of the commonest dumped/unwanted pets according to animal rescue centers

4. It is estimated that less than 0.003% of the savannah monitors exported into the USA reproduced in captivity

5. Savannah monitor lizards are all wild caught, either as babies, eggs or as gravid adult females

Five Myths about Savannah Monitors

1. Wild savannah monitors are highly opportunistic scavengers a bit like vultures

2. Savannah monitors come from dry places

3. Savannah monitors are undemanding in captivity

4. Savannah monitors are hardy and easy to keep
5. Savannah monitors are ideal for beginners
Polillo Project ( 1 items )
Madagascar Bat Project ( 1 items )
Frogs of Coorg ( 2 items )
Western Visayas ( 1 items )
Caspian Monitor Lizard ( 1 items )

About Mampam

News from Mampam Conservation

The mampam website has been running for 25 years and aims to provide full details of projects at no charge. All out of print books and multimedia guides are provided here and full image archives are being developed for each project. This will complete the website's mission.

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The Butaan Project

Varanus bitatawa

Varanus bitatawa is the third species of monitor lizard to be recognised by science that belongs to the "Pandan Biawak" group, all of which are of at least as great a conservation concern as the Komodo dragon, but receive virtually none of the attention. Pandan Biawak occur only in lowland dipterocarp forest. The first species (Varanus olivaceus or Butaan) was discovered in 1845 and not seen alive by a scientist until the late 1970s. The next species (Varanus mabitang or Mabitang) was discovered in 2001 and in 2010 Varanus bitatawa (Butikaw or Bitatawa) was described. Other species of frugivorous monitor lizards may remain undescribed, but many may have gone extinct without ever having been recognised.