A monitor lizard is any lizard in the genus Varanus or Lanthanotus and a part of the Varanidae family, according to britannica.com. About 50 species of Varanus are recognized in the subfamily ...

After a large monitor lizard was recently liberated from a storm drain on the side of Loop 101 in Phoenix, people began to wonder what monitors are and whether they belong in Arizona.

A study based on a new varanid fossil species from China shows that the transition from the ancient Varaniformes to Varanus occurred in Asia and supports the Asian origin of Varanidae.