Bengal Monitor Lizard

Bengal Monitor Lizard (Varanus bengalensis) also known as Common Indian Monitor, is a monitor lizard in the family Varanidae, found in South Asia. This large lizard is mainly terrestrial and grows to about 175 cm from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail. It feeds on arthropods, frogs, lizards, snakes, birds and eggs etc. Although large monitors have few predators apart from humans who hunt them for meat, skin or fats to extract oil, which is used in folk medicine, juvenile have many predators. It lives in agricultural land and forests, however can also be found in human population, where it spends most of the time in cracks and gapes of walls. They run very fast and.can climb trees and walls and are good swimmers. I think it would be more suitable to name it "Desk Monitor Lizard", as I found it in a desk at the school. In Urdu it is called Goa.

Juvenile Bengal Monitor Lizard (Varanus bengalensis)

Special thanks to Mr Nausherwan Ahmed of Wild Life of Pakistan, who helped me in identification of the species.

Flat-tailed House Gecko-Cosymbotus platyurus

 Flat-tailed House Gecko (Cosymbotus platyurus or Hemidactylus platyurus) is a member of family Gekkonidae. This a common species found in Pakistan. There will be hardly any house where there is no Flat-tailed House Gecko. In the night they can be found easily around the lights, waiting for their prey. In the day they hide in a darker place. They are commonly known as House Lizard or Wall Lizard. In Urdu they are known as chipkali (چھپکلی).

House Gecko

Let me share a sad incident, which occur in our village, because of a house gecko. Three kids of a family died after drinking milk. When they check the milk pot, there was a dead house gecko at the bottom. No one did a chemical analysis of the milk. However this incident lead to a general concept among the villagers that the house gecko is poisonous and should be keep away from the food articles.

House Gecko (Cosymbotus platyurus)

House Gecko Young Ones

House Gecko Eggs