The Makiling Botanic Gardens (MBG) Wildlife of the Month (WOM) for May 2024 is the Marbled Water Monitor, scientifically known as Varanus marmoratus (Wiegmann, 1834). Varanus is derived from the Arabic “waral”, which means “lizard beast”, while “marmoratus” means marbled. The wildlife is endemic to the Philippines and is labeled as “Threatened Species” in CITES Appendix II species.
The lizard’s diet includes insects, snails, shellfish, crabs, fish, frogs, snakes, turtles, rodents, eggs, and dead meat. It is an opportunist that can act as a forager, an active hunter, or a scavenger. It is oviparous, meaning it reproduces by laying or spawning eggs.
Photo By: MMCaña
By: JBBalatibat, AALimpiada, and MMCaña (May 2024)
We visited the UP Botanical Garden at Makiling in late July, ’26 and walked down steps to the Molawin river. There, we were lucky enough to see a juvenile marbled water monitor walk up to and slowly cross the stream. He was about 60 cm long. It was a tremendous thrill for us to see and photograph him, from a distance. Thank you for you wonderful conservation efforts, and for making the lovely site available to the public.