Desert monitor/ Agra lizard — shankar s.

A closer look at the Desert Monitor as he comes close to the glass and climbs on a rock. The nostrils of this species are particularly distinctive, comprising diagonal slits much closer to the eye than the tip of the snout. Colouration is highly variable, but is always far more vivid in juveniles, which are generally yellow or orange with bold black bands running across the body and tail. As the desert monitor ages its colour and markings fade, becoming light brown, yellow or dark grey, with faint or non-existent banding. (Al Ain, UAE, Dec. 2012)