 The butaan was first described to science in 1845 from a juvenile specimen collected by Hugh Cuming. It was labelled only "Philippines". It was named Varanus grayi. No other specimens came to light for over 120 years.
In the 1970s Walter Auffenberg found another specimen with a location
in Luzon, established that its correct scientific name was Varanus
olivaceus, and undertook a 22 month study of the species based in
Bicol. His study revealed that butaan occupy a unique ecological niche
and have a lifestyle quite unlike any other monitor lizard. Auffenberg used local hunters with dogs to catch the animals. Of 126
butaan caught
during his study, 116 animals were killed.
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Butaan jump from incredible heights, land on the ground
with a huge crash and walk away uninjured. Jumps to the ground from 30m were
recorded by Auffenberg and our spool and line tracking suggests lizards
regularly jump from heights of 4-15m when they are unmolested. The amazing
jumping power of the butaan is undocumented in any other monitors lizard and
may be one more unique aspects of the Putras Biawak group.
