Varanus salvadorii, also known as the crocodile monitor, Papuan monitor and Salvadori's monitor, is a species of monitor lizard endemic to New Guinea. It is the largest monitor lizard known from New Guinea, and is one of the longest lizards in the world, verified at up to . The tail of the species is exceptionally long, so some specimens have been claimed to exceed the length of the world's largest lizard, the Komodo dragon; however, V. salvadorii is far less massive. Varanus salvadorii is an arboreal lizard with a dark green body marked with bands of yellowish spots. It has a characteristic blunt snout and a very long tail. It lives in mangrove swamps and coastal rainforests in the southeastern part of the island, feeding on birds, small mammals, eggs, and carrion. Its teeth are better adapted than those of most monitors for seizing fast-moving prey. Like all monitors, V. salvadorii has anatomical features that enable it to breathe more easily when running than other lizards can, but it may have even greater stamina than most other monitor species. Little is known of its reproduction and development, as the species is difficult to breed in captivity. V. salvadorii is threatened by deforestation and poaching, and is protected by the CITES agreement. The lizard is hunted and skinned alive by tribesmen to make drums, who describe the monitor as an evil spirit that "climbs trees, walks upright, breathes fire, and kills men", yet the tribesmen maintain that the monitor gives warnings if crocodiles are nearby. Taxonomy V. salvadorii was first described as Monitor salvadorii by Wilhelm Peters and Giacomo Doria in 1878 based on a female specimen with a snout-to-vent length of , and a long tail. It was subordinated to the genus Varanus under the name Varanus salvadorii by George Albert Boulenger in 1885. Etymology The generic name, Varanus, is derived from the Arabic waral (), meaning "lizard". The term "monitor" is thought to have come about from confusion between waral and the German , meaning "warning". The term "goanna" came about as a corruption of the name "iguana". The specific name, salvadorii, is derived from a Latinization of Tommaso Salvadori, an Italian ornithologist who worked in New Guinea. Evolution The evolutionary history of V. salvadorii started with the genus Varanus, which originated in Asia about 40 million years ago (Mya). Around 15 Mya, a tectonic connection between Australia and