Monitor lizards have a long and flattened body (can be upto 1.5 meter long), long tail (1 m), long neck and extermely elongated, slender, forked tongue, similar to that of snakes. The family is of ancient origin (50 million year old). Many species hold their heads erect on their long necks, which gives them the appearance of being alert. They intimidate predators by lashing out with their tails, inflating their throats, hissing loudly, turning sideways, and compressing their bodies. They are mostly terrestrial, but many are agile climbers and good swimmers. Their number is on the decline in the campus mostly due to illegal poaching. People who used to see them earlier report thay have not been seen in the recent years in the campus.