Spiny-Tailed Monitor

Varanus acanthurus

The spiny-tailed monitor (Varanus acanthurus), also called the ackie monitor or ridge-tailed monitor, is a small Australian monitor lizard from dry rocky country. It has a compact, muscular build, a wedge-shaped head, banded limbs, and a short tail armed with stiff spines that helps it brace inside crevices. Adults are far smaller than the large varanids many people picture, though they are still active predators with strong claws and quick feeding responses. Red, yellow, and locality-based forms are seen in captive collections.

Most animals in the pet trade should be captive-bred, as wild collection is restricted and locality data can matter to breeders. A spiny-tailed monitor needs a secure, warm enclosure with a very hot basking site, deep substrate or stacked hides for retreat, and enough floor space for hunting behavior. Diet is based on appropriately sized insects with occasional small whole prey; obesity is common when rich foods are overused. They can become calm, handleable lizards, but they are not low-effort reptiles, and successful breeding depends on seasonal conditioning, nest sites, and careful incubation.