The Bengal Monitor.

Gainsville : University Press of Florida,1994. Orig. cloth binding. xxviii,561pp. Index. Bibliography. Ills. - This is a comprehensive monograph by herpetologist Walter Auffenberg on Varanus bengalensis (Bengal Monitor), a large, terrestrial lizard living in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and parts of Myanmar, Thailand and southern Iran. Auffenberg combines extensive fieldwork (especially in Pakistan) with laboratory analyses, providing detailed insights into the biology, ecology, physiology, behavior, and evolution of the species. It typically grows over one meter in length and has a muscular body, long tail, and sharp claws. Its coloration varies from gray to brown, often with dark markings. Known for its intelligence and keen senses, it uses a forked tongue to detect scents. Highly adaptable, it inhabits forests, grasslands, agricultural areas, and even urban edges. As an opportunistic carnivore, it feeds on insects, small animals, and carrion, playing a vital ecological role in controlling pest populations across its wide geographic range. Condition : very good copy. ISBN 9780813012957. Keywords : BIOLOGY, Bangladesh.…