Black-throated monitor
(Varanus albigularis ionidesi)
Black Throated Monitors are semi arboreal lizards, yet spend half of their time underground in burrows, or searching the ground for prey. They are well known by African bird watchers as the most prevalent predator on nesting birds, and song birds, they will in fact set an ambush next to a nest of eggs or chicks to await the return of the parents, eat both parents then the eggs or chicks. They are also known for living in large rock piles hence the name “rock or tree leguaan. They are greatly adapted diggers and can burrow like a highly skilled team of miners in hard packed dirt. (This information was taken from repticzone.com/)
We have one Black Throated Monitor at Cub Creek Science and Animal Camp. His name is Vulture, and he is by far our largest lizard. We got vulture when he was just a hatchling and he is now much larger than our adult green iguana.
Vulture has his own room that he shares with a Savannah Monitor and an adult Green Iguana.
We purchased a baby Black Throated Monitor about three years ago from Pro Exotics and couldn’t have been more pleased with the lizard or their service. All of the pictures of the Black Throated Monitor are of this same baby (all grown up). Below is the care sheet of the Black Throated Monitor Lizard from there web site.
-also applies to White Throat and Savannah Monitors
Info and pic from http://www.bearriverranch.com/