Varanidae

Varanidae is a family of lizards known as monitor lizards, found across Africa, Asia, and Australia. Its members include the Komodo dragon and range from small insect eaters to large predators.

Squamata: The reptile order containing lizards and snakes, distinguished by flexible skulls and overlapping scales. Varanidae is one of the lizard families within this larger reptile order.
Jacobson's organ: A paired chemosensory structure in the roof of the mouth that detects chemicals delivered by the tongue. Tongue-flicking lets monitor lizards sample chemical trails through this organ.
Komodo dragon: The world's largest living lizard, native to several Indonesian islands. This iconic monitor is the family's largest living member and a formidable predator.
Fossil: Preserved remains, impressions, or traces of organisms from the geological past. Fossils provide evidence for extinct monitor relatives and the family's changing range.
Lizard: A diverse group of squamate reptiles, typically with four limbs, movable eyelids, and external ear openings. Monitor lizards share the basic body plan of lizards but have distinctive family traits.
Tongue-flicking: The repeated extension and withdrawal of a tongue to collect chemical particles from the environment. Monitors use tongue-flicking to track prey and investigate odors.
Asian water monitor: A large, semiaquatic monitor lizard native to South and Southeast Asia. Its ability to thrive around waterways and settlements illustrates the family's ecological flexibility.
Paleontology: The scientific study of ancient life through fossils and geological evidence. Paleontology supplies the methods used to reconstruct monitor-lizard history.
Varanus: A genus of monitor lizards that includes the Komodo dragon and most living monitor species. Most living members of Varanidae belong to this principal genus.
Locomotion: The movement of an organism from place to place using muscular or other biological forces. Many monitor lizards are active, capable runners that pursue prey or escape threats.

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