A trick with sexing Indo monitors....
There are several ways of accurately guessing the sex of monitors(for the most part)- I am talking about asian/indo monitors, as they are what I have the most experience with keeping..
There is the traditional methods such as head shape and size, tailbase shape and size, etc... which are at most times very accurate to go by. There are several other things to look for, which could help in your assumptions..
But one thing that I would like to point out, which was originally pointed out to me, which from what I have now seen, almost always holds true as a sexually dimorphic way of deciphering sexes in indo monitors.. And this is the shape of the lower jawbone.
To go by this method, look at your monitor's head in profile from either side. Look at the lower jawbone in respect to the ear. In females, the lower jawbone is virtually linear, and forms a straight line which leads right back to the ear-no curving or bowing of that lower jawbone. On the other hand, males have a curve to their lower jaw, which bows down in the center of the jawbone, creating more of an arched pathway to the ear. I have not seen any adult male indo monitor who has a straight jawbone leading to the ear. In all of the animals which I have looked at(hundreds of photos and individuals), the lower jawbone shows curvature, and is quite apparent, especially when placed next to a female.
Here is an example of what I am talking about using a pair of my Varanus macraei. You can see the difference between the two. Now, if you look at the picture that Neal originally posted, you can see that curvature to the lower jaw, which is cries out male, to me..
I encourage all of you to go through photos of other monitors, and you will see this difference between males and females... Keep in mind that I have only really looked at this phenomena in indo monitors- especially Euprepiosaurid varanids, as well as V. salvator.. But I would imagine that this may hold true for many other/most other varanids...
I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.... Of course, nothing is 100% accurate, but I would have to say that this is a pretty good indicator, especially when used in combination with other sexing techniques...
Take care everyone, have a wonderful day. I've got some other sexing methods and techniques posted on my site. While it is aimed at tree monitors, I do not see why the same methods couldn't be used for other varanids...
www.treemonitors.com/sexing
Cheers, have a great day! I look forward to hearing your opinions....Below are some pictures that support my claim... I'd love to hear some feedback...
Bob
here is a female V. boehmei-no curvature
here is a female beccarii-no curvature
here is another closeup shot of a male macraei- curves and does not make a clean straight line back towards the ear
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