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68% of Bengal Monitor Sightings in Maharashtra Were at Termite Mounds

Bengal monitor with its forked tongue extended among vegetation at Kumarakom, India
Research · Ecology

A two-year field study of Bengal monitors (Varanus bengalensis) in semi-arid grassland in the Solapur and Dharashiv districts of Maharashtra, India recorded the lizards most often around termite mounds and rock piles. Of 68 sighting records collected between June 2020 and May 2022, 46—68%—were associated with termite mounds and 13 with rock piles. The remaining records came from cobbles, rocky patches, burrows and a well.

The researchers surveyed a 10 km² area using visual encounter surveys. Each record was treated as an ecological observation of habitat use, and repeated sightings could therefore represent the same animal; the 68 records are not a population count.

Termite mounds dominated, but life stages differed in microhabitat use

Juveniles accounted for 40 of the 68 records, subadults for 10 and adults for 18. Termite mounds were the most frequently recorded microhabitat in all three life stages, followed by rock piles. Even so, the overall distribution across microhabitats differed significantly among juveniles, subadults and adults.

Field observations also showed an age-related difference in refuge use when the lizards were disturbed: adults and subadults retreated into termite mounds, whereas juveniles withdrew beneath cobbles. The authors suggest that differences among life stages may reflect changing needs for refuge, thermoregulation and protection from predators.

Most records came during the monsoon

Season strongly shaped when monitors were seen. Forty records, or 59%, were made during the monsoon from June to September, compared with 17 in summer and 11 in winter. Juveniles appeared with the onset of the monsoon, while the authors discuss the low number of records from December to February as consistent with reduced seasonal activity.

Temperature, humidity and rainfall all showed weak to moderate positive relationships with sighting frequency, but none of the individual correlations was statistically significant.

The grassland itself is part of the conservation context

The study area is an unprotected remnant of semi-arid rocky grassland. The authors describe pressure from infrastructure development, soil extraction, real-estate expansion and conversion to agriculture, while the wider landscape is also used by the local Dhangar pastoral community.

The authors highlight the conservation value of the remaining open rocky-grassland mosaic, including termite mounds and rock piles that repeatedly served as refuges across life stages. The study provides a local baseline for microhabitat use and seasonal activity in an unprotected grassland under increasing human pressure.

Sources and image credit

  1. Mahindrakar, Y. Y., Waghmare, A. M., & Hippargi, R. V. (2026). Ecology and microhabitat patterns of Varanus bengalensis in semi-arid grasslands of Solapur and Dharashiv Districts, Maharashtra, India. Uttar Pradesh Journal of Zoology, 47(1), 132–142.

Image: Charles J. Sharp — Bengal monitor at Kumarakom, Kerala, India, 10 November 2017. Representative species photograph, not a study animal. Cropped to 16:9. Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

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