From The Wonderful World of Animals
The Blue Tree Monitor (Varanus macraei) is a strikingly vibrant lizard renowned for its electric blue and black patterning. First described by science in 2001, it is considered one of the most beautiful and intelligent members of the monitor family.
Appearance: Its black body is covered in turquoise-blue “ocelli” (eye-like spots). It has a long, slender neck and a prehensile tail that is nearly twice its body length, used like a fifth limb for climbing.
Size: They can reach a total length of about 3.5 feet (1.1 meters), with males being slightly larger and more “muscular” than females.
Native Habitat: This species is found exclusively on the island of Batanta in Indonesia, a tiny area of only 450 km².
Intelligence: Highly alert and capable of problem- solving, these lizards have been observed using “puzzle boxes” in captivity to retrieve food.
Here’s a photo of a baby in a more flattering light.
I can’t remember ever seeing a blue tree, their job market must be terrible. I guess that’s why they’re so rare. Hopefully things get better for them.
I haven’t come across if the blue is a pigment or an effect of light refraction like with a blue jay where they aren’t actually blue, but more of a grey that plays tricks with light.
These pics are from this video where the photographer is out with scouts trying to find them in their natural habitat.
A lot also depends on how its prey or its own natural predators see color as well. If its food or predators can’t see blue, that isn’t going to be a detriment.
Bless your sweet innocent heart. Never change. :)
I often feel I’m trampling people’s jokes, but they make me think of serious questions and then I want answers for them. 😅
It’s a good question why the heck would it be blue!
I was jokingly misinterpreting “blue tree monitor” as their profession.
I don’t remember ever seeing a blue tree, so they must not have many to monitor, so maybe the high unemployment rate due to lack of blue trees in need of monitoring caused a lot of these poor lizards to die out. And that’s why they’re very rare lizards.
Ooooo. That is funnier than how I originally took it! I read it as the must not be good at hiding and that’s why there are so few since there are no blue trees.
The biggest drawback of text is that it’s all read back in the readers’ voice and thought process instead of the sender’s!