Reproduction
The species lacks distinct sexual dimorphism, however mature male monitors on Guam have been reported to be three times the mass of mature females. Males fight for females and in one observation, after mounting the female, the male used his chin to rub the dorsum of the female's head and forequarters. It was also observed that while mounted and oriented head to head, the male and female slowly rotated in a clock-wise direction through 360 degrees with the male remaining superior.
Female mangrove monitors lay 2-12 eggs that measure 3.5 to 5 cm in length. The oblong eggs are white, and hatch in about 7–8 months.
The first successful captive breeding of this species was at the Philadelphia Zoo in 1993.
The Reptilian Zoo in Vlissingen, the Netherlands, reports that they have successfully hatched eggs by a female animal that was not in any contact with a male of the same species.
Read more about this topic: Varanus Indicus
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