Black-headed monitor
| Black-headed monitor | |
|---|---|
| Freckled monitor (V. t. orientalis) | |
| Black-headed monitor (V. t. tristis) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Lanthanotidae |
| Genus: | Varanus |
| Subgenus: | Odatria |
| Species: | V. tristis |
| Binomial name | |
| Varanus tristis Schlegel, 1839 | |
| Subspecies | |
| |
| Natural range of the black-headed monitor | |
The black-headed monitor or black-tailed monitor (Varanus tristis) is a relatively small species of monitor lizards native to Australia. It is occasionally also called the mournful monitor, freckled monitor (Varanus tristis orientalis) or the racehorse monitor, a name it shares with the Gould's monitor due to their exceptional speed. It is placed in the subgenus Odatria.