Victor Valley College Tropical Research Initiative
Herpetofauna of Timor-Leste
Phase IV

Tua Ko'in to Beloi, Ataúro Island, Dili District

The road from Tua Ko'in to Beloi

We set out to search the coastal vegetation and plantations between Tua Ko'in and the jetty about 3 km north in Beloi village. We were especially looking for evidence of a monitor lizard.

On a brief visit to Ataúro in 2010, whilst in the country to visit with government leaders, Hinrich had come across the remains of a dead monitor lizard on the beach and located a recently deceased monitor lizard that had been kept as a pet.

These were not Timor monitors (V. timoriensis), the species we were familiar with from the main island, so he took samples for DNA and the species went on our priority list. We were now back to try and track it down.

We worked the vegetation on both sides of the road, grassland, coconut plantation, swamp and woodland, and sighted two monitor lizards, the first chased by Laca, the second by Mark and Kyle.

The first escaped into dense vegetation, the second into a swamp. Although we did not capture either we confirmed by sight that these were larger lizards than the Timor monitor (V. timoriensis) on Timor.

They were probably Water monitors (V. salvator), and we hope to capture a specimen when we next visit Ataúro.

Tuktuk transport	The coastal road
Scott searching in the long grass
Location of the first monitor	Location of the second monitor
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