Mariana Monitor Lizard

Varanus tsukamotoi

The goal of our Mariana monitor lizard (Varanus tsukamotoi; Chamorro name: hilitai) program is to provide the Guam Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources (DAWR) information about their distribution and density on Islan Dano (Cocos Island) off the coast of Guam. We are developing innovative ways to document lizard density through noninvasive phototraps and using radio-telemetry to determine how DAWR management for the critically endangered Guam rail may affect lizard distribution and abundance.