About the Monitor Lizard (Bengal)
The Bengal monitor — or common Indian monitor — is India's most widespread large lizard, a powerfully built reptile found in almost every habitat from desert to dense rainforest. Reaching up to 1.75 metres in length, it is India's second-largest lizard after the Komodo dragon's cousin, the clouded monitor. Despite being common, it is under severe pressure from hunting — its skin is used in the leather trade and its fat and flesh are used in traditional medicine.
Bengal monitors are highly intelligent, curious reptiles that use their forked blue tongue — as sensitive as a dog's nose — to detect chemical signals left by prey. They are generalist predators eating insects, eggs, frogs, fish, small mammals, and carrion. Monitor lizards play a vital ecological role as nest predators and scavengers in India's ecosystems. They are legally protected under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act (the same level as tigers), yet are among the most commonly traded reptiles in India's illegal wildlife markets.