golden spotted monitor lizard

Question
Would like information about the golden spotted monitor lizard.

# of them in the world
feeding habits
habitat
reproduction
adaptations

Thanks,
Patti
Science teacher (Grades 2-4)

Answer
Assuming that this lizard is Varanus bitatawa, also known as the Sierra Madre Forest Monitor, which was fairly recently recognized as a new species in the Philippines, there is not a lot of information available.  It was identified back in 2010.

This monitor lizard, unlike most, feeds primarily on fruit (particularly Pandanus fruit), and also eats snails.  It lives only in the forested mountains of the island of Luzon in the Philippines, and is imperiled by deforestation.

Its reproductive habits are unknown.  Most monitor lizards lay eggs.  The female will excavate a burrow, lay her eggs, then fill it in.  Young will burrow out when they hatch, and are on their own.

Its ability to eat fruit is an unusual adaptation in a monitor lizard; only 3 monitor species in the world eat fruit.  It also climbs well.  It grows to around six feet, so is a fairly large lizard.  Its coloration enables it to blend in with the muted colors and dappled sunlight of its habitat, and it spends much of its time in the trees.

While there is no data on the number of the lizards remaining, there is little doubt that this is another example of a species that has been discovered after it was already threatened or endangered.

As usual, scientists are far behind the native peoples of the island, who call the lizard Butikaw, and eat it regularly.

http://news.discovery.com/animals/endangered-species/giant-monitor-lizard.htm