Popular pet · Native to West and Central Africa

Savannah monitor

Varanus exanthematicus (Bosc, 1792)

Also called Bosc’s monitor
Data updated October 2026

Savannah monitor standing on dry ground, showing its stocky gray-tan body, short legs and thick tail
Fig. 1 — Adult savannah monitor, a stocky, short-legged monitor of open grassland.
Close view of a savannah monitor's broad head, forked tongue and beaded skin
Fig. 2 — The head is broad and blunt, with a short snout and a long forked tongue.

At a glance

A heavy-bodied monitor lizard from the grass savannas of West and Central Africa. In the wild it eats mostly invertebrates and survives long dry seasons with little food. It is common in the pet trade but grows large and needs far more space than most keepers expect.

01

Identification

The savannah monitor is a thickset lizard with short, strong legs, a broad head and a tail that is about as long as its head and body. The skin is gray to tan with rows of pale, ring-like spots across the back and sides that fade with age. Like all monitors it flicks a long, forked tongue to read scent.

  1. 01Stocky build. A heavy body on short legs, more like a small barrel than the slim build of a water monitor.
  2. 02Blunt head. A short, rounded snout on a wide head, with a long forked tongue that flicks constantly.
  3. 03Pale spots on a gray-tan body. Light, ring-like spots on the back and the front part of the tail, on a gray to tan background.

02

Size

01 ft2 ft3 ft4 ft Typical adult · about 3 ft (91 cm) with tail

Most adults are 2 to 3 feet (61–91 cm) long including the tail. Wild adults tend to be on the small end, and lizards over 4 feet are rare in nature. Well-fed captives often grow bigger and heavier, and some exceed 4.5 feet. Males are larger and more robust than females. Hatchlings are only about 5 inches (13 cm) long.

03

Range & habitat

Savannah monitor walking through dry grass in open savanna
Fig. 3 — Hot, dry grass savanna is the species’ home habitat.

Savannah monitors live in a broad band of grassland south of the Sahara, from Senegal and Mauritania east through countries such as Mali, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria and Chad to Sudan. They favor hot, dry, open grass savanna with scattered cover. Much of their range has a long dry season of three to six months, followed by a wet season when food is plentiful. They are not native to the United States.

04

Diet & predators

Savannah monitors are wide-ranging foragers that walk long distances looking for food. In the wild they eat mostly invertebrates, including snails, beetles, caterpillars and other insects. They also take frogs, eggs, small reptiles, young tortoises and small mammals when they find them. During the dry season they may go weeks or months with little to eat, living off fat built up in the wet season.

Feeds on

  • Snails
  • Beetles, crickets and caterpillars
  • Eggs of birds and reptiles
  • Frogs, small lizards and rodents

Preyed on by

  • Birds of prey (young lizards)
  • Snakes (young lizards)
  • Larger carnivores
  • People, who collect them for the pet trade
Cricket on bare ground
Prey — crickets and other insects.
Small mouse in dry grass
Prey — small rodents, taken now and then.

05

Behavior & seasons

Savannah monitors are active by day and spend most of their time on the ground, though they will climb low logs and branches. They shelter in burrows and other cover, and young lizards are secretive and stay well hidden. Activity drops sharply in the dry season, when food is scarce.

When threatened, a savannah monitor puffs up its body, hisses, turns side-on and may lash with its tail. If that fails it can bite hard and scratch with strong claws. It is known as one of the calmer monitors, which is part of why it became popular as a pet.

06

Reproduction

Savannah monitors lay eggs. Females dig a burrow and bury the clutch. In captivity clutches usually hold 12 to 20 eggs, and one female laid as many as 41. Eggs kept at steady warm temperatures take about five to six months to hatch. Males can be told apart by their larger size, bulkier heads and the bulge at the base of the tail.

07

Conservation

The savannah monitor is not listed under the US Endangered Species Act. Like most monitor lizards it is listed on CITES Appendix II, which means international trade is allowed but must be permitted and tracked. Large numbers are exported for the pet trade, many as wild-caught or captive-hatched juveniles from West Africa, so buying captive-bred animals where possible reduces pressure on wild populations.

08

In captivity

Savannah monitors are sold as small, cheap hatchlings, but adults need a very large, sturdy enclosure, often a custom build. One veterinary care guide suggests around 6 × 3 × 6 feet for an adult, and many keepers give even more floor space. Adults are best kept alone. Offer hide boxes at both the warm and cool ends of the enclosure.

  • Heat. Daytime air about 82–90°F (28–32°C), with a basking spot of roughly 95–100°F (35–38°C). Night temperatures can fall to about 70–78°F (21–26°C).
  • Humidity and water. Moderate humidity of about 40–50%, a moist hide, fresh drinking water every day and a large tub big enough to soak in.
  • Light. Full-spectrum lighting on a regular day–night cycle.
  • Food. Mostly insects and other invertebrates such as roaches, crickets, superworms and snails. Rodents only now and then, because captive savannahs become obese easily. Adults are usually fed two to three times a week.

With good care they can live 10 years or more. See a reptile vet if your monitor stops eating for a long time outside of a seasonal slowdown, loses weight, has swollen limbs or joints, or has trouble breathing. Read more in our pet care guides.

Keep reading

Sources

Data updated October 2026 · How we build these pages