Are monitor lizards found in Udawalawe?

Yes, both land monitors (Bengal monitors) and water monitors are spread out quite widely, and they are often seen when you’re in Udawalawe National Park. They show up in lots of different ecosystems there, so they feel like regular residents.

Land monitors are usually spotted while they’re scavenging for carrion and insects in the dry scrublands, or maybe just resting and sunning themselves on termite mounds. Water monitors, which can reach a much larger size, tend to cluster around the Udawalawe Reservoir, the Walawe River, and also the smaller seasonal waterholes. In the local food web, both of them act as major scavengers, and that matters a lot.