My favorite group of herps is monitor lizards. Most of them are large & all of them look closely related to dinosaurs, which is probably why I like them so much. One must have a large enclosure for a monitor, aquariums, no matter how big, are too restrictive for an animal this size.

A couple species were at this latest herp show that I'd only seen in books. One was a Bengal Monitor from Asia(above). It looked like it could have easily pushed the lid off it's cage and it wasn't full grown. With it's seemingly dull coloration, it grew more fascinating the longer I studied it.

Another that is rare in the pet trade is this green tree monitor, which sells for around $1,000. Unlike many monitors, it retains it's sinuous build throughout it's life, where it lives & hunts in trees. Most monitor species grow heavier as they age and are confined to the ground once they reach adulthood, but this is one of the few that doesn't. There's a black version of this one as well.They both need large vertical cages with lots of limbs to simulate it's natural habitat. I was riveted by it's flexibility & beautiful green color, it was so active!

There was a more common White-Throated Monitor, a subspecies of the Savannah. It was bulky & primitive looking, but a pleasing combination of grey & black. Looking like it was in a bad mood, it stared at me with a red ferocious eye. Apparently, it didn't like crowds either.

     Many of these lizards are captive bred nowadays, which I heartily approve of. With their special housing & dietary  needs, they aren't impulse buys that are most possible with other pets, not that any live creature ought to be purchased as an impulse in any case.