A Coconut-Eating Monitor Lizard? On An Unusual Case Of Frugivory In The Melanistic Sulawesi Water Monitor (Varanus Togianus)

Abstract

During field work on Selayar Island off the coast of southwest Sulawesi, an adult male specimen of the melanistic Sulawesi water monitor (V. togianus) was found dead on a road south of the village of Benteng (6°7’10.73’’ S, 120°27’59.88’’ E) on 6 June 2006. The specimen had a snout-vent-length of 56.5 cm with the tail measuring 79.3 cm. Its head exhibited clear evidence from a lethal accident with a vehicle, while the remaining body showed no injuries. The specimen was collected to be examined in detail. In order to preserve and deposit it at the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense (MZB Lac. 5951, field number K208), the venter was opened to remove all stomach contents and prey items. Surprisingly, no prey remains were recovered from the digestive tract, but instead an unidentifiable mass comprised of countless small pieces of a whitish hard substance. After flushing and cleaning, closer examination revealed that these were small pieces of coconut flesh and had filled out the body cavity of the lizard. Although the stomach contents of other voucher specimens of water monitor lizards collected from different localities on Sulawesi have not been investigated, some specimens disgorged the remains of scorpions, chicken, and sea turtle eggs when handled for examination. The coconut pieces of the Selayar specimen, however, represent the only case of frugivorous remains recorded. The Herpetological Bulletin Vol. 139. 2017. P: 41-42