It belongs to the family Varanidae, a group of carnivorous (Varanus olivaceus) and frugivorous (Varanus bitatawa) lizards, that includes the living genus Varanus and a number of extinct genera.
Varanus differs from other lizards by the structure of their tongues, which consists of two parts: the fleshy thick base, and the long, thin tactile part which splits at the end, the so-called Jacobson’s organ.
They live in various ecological environments; some are exclusively on trees, some are terrestrial, some are great swimmers and divers, and the Varanus griseus live in the desert. Among reptiles stand out for their intelligence–they can distinguish their caretakers from other people, and understand simple commands.
