The water monitor (Varanus salvator) is a large lizard native to South and Southeast Asia. Water monitors are one of the most common monitor lizards found throughout Asia, and range from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India to Indochina, the Malay Peninsula, and various islands of Indonesia, living in areas close to water.
The water monitor is a large species of monitor lizard. Breeding maturity is attained for males when they are a relatively modest 40 cm (16 in) long and weigh 1 kg (2.2 lb), and for females at 50 cm (20 in). However, they grow much larger throughout life, with males being larger than females.[2] Adults rarely exceed 1.5–2 m (4.9–6.6 ft) in length,[3] but the largest specimen on record, from Sri Lanka, measured 321 cm. A common mature weight of V. salvator can be 19.5 kg (43 lb).[2][4] The maximum weight of the species is over 50 kg (110 lb).[5] In exceptional cases, the species has been reported to attain 75 to 90 kg (165 to 198 lb), though most such reports are unverified and may be unreliable. They are the world's second-heaviest lizard, after the Komodo dragon.[6] Their bodies are muscular, with long, powerful, laterally compressed tails.