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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.
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We tape spool and line devices to butaan that have been caught and release them at the exact point of capture as soon as possible. Spool and line data gives us a detailed account of the animals' movementes for a few hours, days or weeks after release. We have also used spool and line very effectively on other animals, including the endemic Polillo forest snail Helicostyla portei.
