please id found this in my pool today
- Thread starter phatty
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Bluetongue1
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Finally, I get to post what I want…
Phatty, I think you already have your positive ID from Spongebob & others… a form of V. scalaris. The group is very variable (therefore a pain identification-wise) and has long been considered to contain a number of subspecies, and more recently, species.
Allowing for the fact that it is a hatchling, the snout is still not sharp enough for V.tristis – compare the side-on view with one of the hatchling tristis shown side-on in the tub. The bands around the base of the tail in tristis are not continuous whereas in trisitis they are. Young trisitis invariably have a well developed dark eye streak which is most often absent in scalaris, as it is here. I do not find the pattern on the back useful as it can be virtually identical for both species.
Steve NT, the stand out difference with panoptes is this one’s lack of a dark eye streak sharply bordered above and below with white or cream. It also lacks black dots. Superficially, quite a few hatchling monitors do look quite similar.
GeckoPhotographer, Found in a swimming pool is not any indication of aquatic preference. I have retrieved a drowned Marbled Gecko from our pool. Whether they are attempting to access water to drink or just checking it out, I suspect they just cannot cope with the smooth sides and they loose their footing.
Blue
PS. Thanks Colin.
Phatty, I think you already have your positive ID from Spongebob & others… a form of V. scalaris. The group is very variable (therefore a pain identification-wise) and has long been considered to contain a number of subspecies, and more recently, species.
Allowing for the fact that it is a hatchling, the snout is still not sharp enough for V.tristis – compare the side-on view with one of the hatchling tristis shown side-on in the tub. The bands around the base of the tail in tristis are not continuous whereas in trisitis they are. Young trisitis invariably have a well developed dark eye streak which is most often absent in scalaris, as it is here. I do not find the pattern on the back useful as it can be virtually identical for both species.
Steve NT, the stand out difference with panoptes is this one’s lack of a dark eye streak sharply bordered above and below with white or cream. It also lacks black dots. Superficially, quite a few hatchling monitors do look quite similar.
GeckoPhotographer, Found in a swimming pool is not any indication of aquatic preference. I have retrieved a drowned Marbled Gecko from our pool. Whether they are attempting to access water to drink or just checking it out, I suspect they just cannot cope with the smooth sides and they loose their footing.
Blue
PS. Thanks Colin.
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