About Animal Facts Common Name: Spiny-tailed Monitor Scientific Name: Varanus acanthurus Behavior: This monitor is a solitary ground dweller active during the day. Rock crevices and burrows are used to retreat from extreme conditions, avoid predators, and as hunting sites. This monitor wedges its spiny tail into rocks so it cannot be pried out by predators. Diet: Carnivore Weight: 11 oz Length: 2 ft Life Span: 10 yrs Gestation Period: 100 days Number of Young: 5-12 eggs Habitats: Desert Grassland Rocky Areas Shrubland Fun Facts: They are also called the ridgetail monitor. About 70 percent of the monitor's water comes from its prey. Their streamlined build allows them to enter and exit rock crevices and burrows with ease. Its tail is up to two times longer than the head and body. Endangered Status Endangered Status Extinct in Wild (EW) Critically Endangered (CR) Endangered (EN) Vulnerable (VU) Near Threatened (NT) Least Concern (LC) Not Evaluated (NE) Care and Wellness They are excellent eaters, dining on insects and pinkie mice 3-4 times a week. In their habitat, they enjoy basking on flat rocks and digging burrows.