and Böhme (1997) found some of the work
of Sprackland (1991) to be untenable, and
amended some of the statements. A recent
revision of the subgenus Euprepiosaurus by
Ziegler et al. (2007) included not only
morphological parameters, but also DNA
studies to determine the various relation-
ships. The results clearly proved that
V. beccarii could no longer be regarded as a
subspecies of V. prasinus, and it had to be
raised again into species rank.
Varanus prasinus is a real jewel in the
terrarium because of its beautiful colouration,
which varies from lime green to turquoise. In
some animals, the green colour on the back
is interrupted by six to eight black cross-
bands. The intermediate skin between the
scales is velvet black too. The colour on the
Housing.
Since V. prasinus is a tree dweller, found
mainly in the upper part of the canopy, the
enclosure should be adapted to these
requirements. My own experiences in the
captive husbandry of this species have shown
that some animals can be very sensitive to
stress. For this reason, if you intend to keep
a pair together, it is advantageous to have an
enclosure where you can separate the
animals from time to time. This arrangement
has always worked well for my animals.
The enclosure that I built for this species
measures 150cm long by 60cm deep and
110cm high, and is divided by a partition
wall. This wall has two closable passages with
dimensions of 10cm by 10 cm. I have housed
a couple of V. prasinus in this enclosure for
‘There are always rumours about tree monitors
with green colouration being spotted on
Cape York Peninsula .’
belly is light green to yellowish, and the
throat is yellowish, occasionally with light
grey bands. Varanus prasinus can reach up
to 70cm in total length, about two-thirds of
which belongs to the tail.
In the wild, the animals occur in the canopy
of rainforest giants and descend to the
ground occasionally when foraging for food.
The prehensile tail is perfect for life in the
upper regions of the trees, because it can be
used almost like a hand to hold on as they
are foraging along the branches. There they
feed mainly on insects including grasshop-
pers, locusts, and beetles, and sometimes
also eggs or young birds.
Varanus prasinus is chiefly restricted to the
island of New Guinea, but has also been
detected on some of the islands of Torres
Strait. Clarke (2004) noted the occurrence of
the species on Boigu Island, and Whittier and
Moeller (1993) observed V. prasinus on Moa
Island. This seems to be the southernmost
point in the distribution of this species, but
there are always rumours about tree
monitors with green colouration being
spotted beside the Canopy Monitor
(V. keithhornei) on Cape York Peninsula in
Far North Queensland. So far, however, no
reliable evidence has been produced.
several years. The animals can visit each
other, but they can also retreat and bask
under their own heat lamps without any
visual contact. If I observe one animal being
‘hunted’ by the other, I can close the pas-
sages, which gives the animals some rest. I
have covered the back and side walls with
sturdy cork plates. The partition wall is also
covered with cork on both sides, and this
enlarges the active area for the animals.
Some rough-barked climbing branches and
cork tubes complete the facility. You can also
put some living plants into the enclosure, but
make sure the plants are as robust as
possible, because the tree monitors have
very sharp claws and can thus destroy the
leaves very quickly (the monitors may also
damage plants by digging in the root zone).
Only robust species of Ficus (e.g. Ficus
benjamina) or Scindapsus and Epipremnum
(e.g. Epipremnum aureum) have proven to
be useful with my animals, but they also had
to be replaced in time.
As a further furnishing, I put nesting boxes in
each half of the enclosure. This provides the
animals with another opportunity for refuge.
It does not matter whether the boxes are
Left: its beautiful colouration makes Varanus
prasinus a real jewel in the Terrarium.