Home >> Reptiles >> Lizards >> Water Monitor
Reproduction of Water Monitors
Water Monitor Lizards breed rapidly. Larger females produce a larger clutch than smaller ones, up to 40 eggs a year in 2 or more clutches. Mating involves a lot of biting and scratching. Females lay their eggs 4 to 6 weeks after breeding. 3 to 25 white, soft-shelled eggs are laid, with an average of 15 per clutch. Eggs are laid in termite mounds (both active or abandoned mounds), along rotting logs or hollow stumps or in burrows. Eggs take 2.5-10 months or more to incubate.
Juveniles are more brightly coloured with bright yellow markings on the body and yellow bands on the tail contrasting against a darker body. But they are more secretive and less commonly seen. Males grow faster than females, become longer and heavier. In ideal conditions, they reach maturity in 2 years at 1-1.3m for males and 0.5-1.2m for females. Water Monitors can live for up to 15 years.