Solomon Islands: Tetepare – Mangrove Monitor
Another super cool animal on Tetepare that we were lucky to spot was the Mangrove Monitor lizard aka Western Pacific Monitor lizard. These large lizards grow to 3.5 to 4 ft (1.1 to 1.2 m) in length. The animal is quite unique in that unlike all other monitors, they have a gland that can excrete salt, thus allowing them to drink salt water (like marine iguanas in Galapagos). This in turn allows them to swim and dive in the sea, making fish the main element of their diet, and also allowing them to spread and swim from one island to another. In fact, the western pacific monitor is known on many PNG’s and Salomons’ remote islands.
