Description

Adult Bengal monitors are generally grey or greenish in colour, with a ventral pattern of grey to black crossbars from the chin to the tail. These markings are generally darkest in the western parts and lightest in the eastern parts of the geographic range. These ventral markings typically become lighter, and the ground colour darker, with age. Thus, adults display a less pronounced, less contrasting pattern than younger Bengal monitors. In the wild, the heaviest recorded male Bengal monitor weighed 7.18 kg, though captive individuals have been reported to reach 10.2 kg. In the wild, males generally weigh 42 percent more than females. Males of the same snout to vent length as females are typically 9.2 percent heavier. Young Bengal monitors, on average, weigh 0.078 kg.

Location