On
Butaan

Shy and secretive – We continue learning about the rich biodiversity of the Bicol region this Wildlife Wednesday as the National Museum of the Philippines’ Bicol introduces you to Gray’s Monitor Lizard (Varanus olivaceus) of the Varanidae family. It is one of the three species of frugivorous monitor lizard endemic to the Philippines.


Locally known as butaan, the Gray’s monitor lizards are arboreal, meaning they spend most of their lives on trees. They also love hiding in holes of big trees in forests like the dipterocarps.


They are frugivorous, or fruit-eating, monitor lizard that feed on fruits of pandan (Pandanus sp.), bago (Gnetum gnemon), aporong (Microcos stylocarpa), pili (Canarium sp.), fig (Ficus sp.), and forest palms, such as Pinanga insignis, Caryota sp. and Livistona sp. Aside from fruits, they also feed on snails and other arthropods.


The butaans are oviparous; they lay eggs that develop and hatch into young monitor lizards. Their reproductive activity happens mainly between June and September. Butaans are large reptiles. They can grow up to 176 cm in length. They are greenish to greyish in color with crosswise dark blackish stripes on their nape to shoulder region.


They are large yet shy monitor lizards. They inhabit the primary and secondary tropical moist forests of southern Luzon. In the Bicol Region, the butaan is found in Catanduanes Island.


There are 11 species of monitor lizard endemic to the country, all of which are now listed as threatened per DENR Administrative Order 2019-09. The butaan in particular is among the threatened species. The destruction of their forest habitat and the rampant illegal capture of this reptile threaten their population.


Monitor lizards are one of the commonly poached wildlife that are illegally traded as pets. Some are caught for their meat too! The public is always reminded that the capture of this wildlife is against the law per RA 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.


Let the monitor lizards live free in their natural habitat. They are good seed dispersers in the forest, thus ensuring the spread and growth of our forest trees.


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