World Lizard Day 2024: Monitor Lizard (Varanus spp.) Count in India

Occurrence Observation
Latest version published by Nature Mates-Nature Club on Aug 15, 2025 Nature Mates-Nature Club
Publication date:
15 August 2025
Published by:
Nature Mates-Nature Club
License:
CC0 1.0

Download the latest version of this resource data as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A) or the resource metadata as EML or RTF:

Data as a DwC-A file download 64 records in English (8 KB) - Update frequency: as needed
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Metadata as an RTF file download in English (11 KB)

Description

Monitor lizards, belonging to the family Varanidae and order Squamata, are ancient anguimorph reptiles found across Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Australasia. They play a vital role as predators and scavengers in their ecosystems. The IUCN lists the Yellow Monitor (Varanus flavescens) as Endangered and the Bengal Monitor (Varanus bengalensis) as Near Threatened, while the Asian Water Monitor (V. salvator) and Desert Monitor (V. griseus) remain Least Concern. In India, all four species are protected under Schedule I, Part II of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972). These reptiles have drawn research interest due to their distinct morphology, behavior, and interactions with human settlements. However, their populations are declining due to urban expansion, habitat loss, pesticide use, and other human-driven threats.

With the continued support and enthusiasm, we’ve successfully conducted the Monitor Lizard (Varanus spp.) Count over the past two years. Following its initiation in 2022 and the overwhelming response received, we are excited to launch the 2024 edition. This initiative aims to assess the current population and distribution of monitor lizards across India while raising awareness by actively involving citizens in the process.

Data Records

The data in this occurrence resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 64 records.

This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.

Versions

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Rights

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The publisher and rights holder of this work is Nature Mates-Nature Club. To the extent possible under law, the publisher has waived all rights to these data and has dedicated them to the Public Domain (CC0 1.0). Users may copy, modify, distribute and use the work, including for commercial purposes, without restriction.

GBIF Registration

This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: 904d6c9a-1326-412b-b1ba-ec46d81214ba.  Nature Mates-Nature Club publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by Participant Node Managers Committee.

Keywords

Occurrence; Observation

Contacts

C.S. Samrat
  • Metadata Provider ●
  • Originator
  • Research intern
Nature Mates-Nature Club
  • 6/7 Bijoygarh
700032 Kolkata
West Bengal
IN
Priyanka Mandal
  • Originator
  • Environmental Consultant
JB Envrio Consultants PVT. LTD.
Kolkata
West Bengal
IN
Anindita Majumdar
  • Metadata Provider ●
  • Originator
  • Faculty
Netaji Nagar College For Women
Kolkata
West Bengal
IN
Arijit Chatterjee
  • Metadata Provider ●
  • Originator
  • Faculty
Asutosh College
Kolkata
West Bengal
IN
Nandita Barman
  • Metadata Provider
Nature Mates-Nature Club
  • 6/7 Bijoygarh
700032 Kolkata
West Bengal
IN
Arjan Basu Roy
  • Metadata Provider ●
  • Point Of Contact
  • Secretary
Nature Mates-Nature Club
  • 6/7 Bijoygarh
700032 Kolkata
West Bengal
IN
Vijay Barve
  • Metadata Provider
  • Research advisor
Nature Mates-Nature Club
  • 6/7 Bijoygarh
700032 Kolkata
West Bengal
IN

Geographic Coverage

The study was carried out all across the India.

Bounding Coordinates South West [8.691, 71.92], North East [30.38, 92.701]

Taxonomic Coverage

No Description available

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Reptilia
Order Squamata
Family Varanidae

Temporal Coverage

Start Date / End Date 2023-01-03 / 2024-09-24

Sampling Methods

opportunistic sampling and submission of data online through a google form questionnaire. Historical data was also accepted.

Study Extent This study was conducted throughout the India during monsoon season.

Method step description:

  1. Data was collected through Google form questionnaire, where the users provided their observation wherever possible. The form was circulated along with an instructions poster in ecologically inclined google groups, e-mails, social media channels as well as personal messages. Parameters of this survey includes: Date, Location, Time of Observation, Species richness, Species identification, Species age classification through size, Habitat, Behavior and Nesting site.

Bibliographic Citations

  1. Chatterjee A, Samrat C, Mandal P, Das M, William S, Majumdar A, Barman N, Basu Roy A, Barve V (2023). World Lizard Day 2022 : Monitor Lizard Count India. Version 1.6. Nature Mates-Nature Club. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/49tzb9 accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-06-22. https://doi.org/10.15468/49tzb9
  2. Samrat C, Mandal P, Das M, Sain R, Mukherjee R, Das A, Majumdar A, Chatterjee A, Barman N, Basu Roy A, Barve V (2024). World Lizard Day 2023: Monitor Lizard (Varanus spp.) Count in India. Version 1.10. Nature Mates-Nature Club. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/gmecv2 accessed via GBIF.org on 2025-08-12. https://doi.org/10.15468/gmecv2

Additional Metadata

Purpose

For understanding the distribution of Monitor lizard species throughout the India.
Alternative Identifiers https://cloud.gbif.org/asia/resource?r=lizard_day_nmnc_2024